Today we’d like to introduce you to Tinsel Town Gift Wrapping.
Hi Annabelle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m originally from Augusta, Georgia (home of the Masters) and a very creative family. I spent my childhood doing community theatre plays with my whole family and my summers doing crafts with my mom. I moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, and my whole family moved out with me- that’s how close we are. I think my upbringing plays a big part in my life today. From an early age, I always had a creative outlet and loved getting to share that with my family.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like I mentioned before, I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Southern California- so not the exact credentials someone might need trying to run a business in Los Angeles. When I started my business, I basically had ten rolls of wrapping paper that my fiancé’s mom had given me and whatever money I could spare from working as a restaurant hostess to spend on other supplies needed. In the beginning, I had to be incredibly resourceful in order to keep my business running and profitable. There were times where I didn’t have ribbon and had to make paper bows and origami as gift-toppers and sprigs of rosemary from my mom’s garden.
Through this necessity though, I’ve learned a lot of amazing wrapping techniques and a ton about running a business. In 2017 I was able to quit my restaurant job and focus full time on my wrapping business. In 2020 I moved my business into a wrapping studio at the iconic Crossroads of the World in Hollywood. Last holiday season we had an in-line storefront at Westfield Topanga Mall, and today, we have the pleasure of wrapping for dozens of Tier 1 corporations and productions.
It’s truly grown from just a seed and continues to surprise me with its possibilities and desire to grow. It’s always a challenge though- even today. I still wrap 75% of the gifts that Tinsel town wraps in a year while also creating all the designs, ordering all materials, hiring all employees, answering every phone call and email, and serving as payroll and HR departments. It’s a LOT of work running this business, and the bigger it gets, the more admin work I have to do. The one constant though is my love for wrapping presents- my constant struggle is finding the right balance that still allows me to get to work wrapping while also working as CEO and manager. It’s a lot of sleepless holiday seasons, but man are those gifts beautiful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I started Tinsel Town Gift Wrapping in 2016, not exactly even knowing that I was doing it. I guess if I had stopped to think about the fact that I was starting a business in one of the biggest cities in the world, I probably would have gotten daunted and not done it at all, so in a way it’s a good thing that I sort of fell into it.
I’ll start from the beginning. I come from a family of gift-givers. We’re what you might describe as “aggressively festive” people. I spent a good amount of my childhood Decembers snooping around the house, hoping to find an unwrapped dvd that was headed my way on Christmas Eve. For this reason, it came as no surprise to me when my sister Bree, a tragically young widow and single mother, came to me frustrated one winter evening. My niece and nephew had stumbled upon a good chunk of their Christmas presents hidden in her car before she had a chance to wrap them. Between work and mothering, it was impossible for her to find a second of privacy to wrap the kids’ presents before they found them. I guess for me that was an ‘aha’ moment- but at the time, it just felt like any other moment.
Of course, I offered to keep the children’s gifts at my place to avoid any other such incidents. While keeping them, I went ahead and wrapped them- it was the least I could do for my hardworking sister, and it really gave my creative side a chance to spread her wings. I hadn’t realized how little space I had made for creative outlets in my life at that time, I have a Fine Arts degree from University of Southern California, but for some reason after graduating, I didn’t do much to encourage that side of myself.
Suddenly, sitting there wrapping the kid’s presents, I felt something unlock inside of me. I was not only helping Bree, but I was making the kids’ holiday special and unique, adding little flourishes and candy toppers to each of their gifts to make them individualized. By the time I returned the gifts to my sister, I was hungry for more presents to be wrapped. I had a feeling that Bree wasn’t the only single mother in town or over-worked parent who didn’t have a moment alone (let alone the energy) to buy gift wrapping materials and sit down to hours of present wrapping. Plus, it was really fun for me- I got a chance to put my love for style and creativity to use. Something that I hadn’t put to use nearly enough in the few years before that. I knew that I wanted to get a job somewhere where I could do this all the time. So I hit the internet on a job hunt.
As you might guess, I immediately hit a snag in my search for a job working at a gift-wrapping company. Such a company didn’t really exist. I could work for a department store that offered gift-wrapping to its customers, but that lacked the creative freedom and personalized touch that I was in search of. I wanted to be able to make every gift unique to its sender and recipient. I wanted to make each gift a work of art that felt special and personal. Most of all, I wanted to offer services to those who didn’t have time to go to a fancy department store- people like Bree. I really only had one option if I wanted to pursue this- create that company myself.
Like I mentioned earlier, had I actually thought about how many challenges there would be ahead of me, I might not have done it at all. But sitting there during the holiday season, itching for a creative outlet, high on wrapping paper fumes and holiday cheer, I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do more. Thus, Tinsel Town was born.
My first season I spent blissfully wrapping for families and individuals who were too busy to put another thing on their plate. I loved how happy everyone was with the result. People have told me that their loved ones sometimes even cried because of how personal the wrapping was and memories that it evoked. It wasn’t long until my website started getting a LOT of traffic. Corporations started reaching out asking if I could wrap hundreds of holiday gifts for their employees, productions reached out looking for wrapped presents for set decorations, and retail stores wanted me to come offer wrapping for their customers. Happily, I offer all of those services and then some. Every day is a new chance to be creative and a new chance to learn something new. I love what I do, and I love that I get to help people and make the world beautiful in the process.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice is simple: find something you love doing and let that be your business. If you don’t love it, the challenges will become too much to handle. Even when you do love it, there will be times when you’re exhausted but have to keep going. Just remember that amazing quote from Angela Duckworth: ‘Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.’ Running a business is a marathon, not a sprint- don’t be daunted by others who seem to be expanding faster than you or posting better pictures than you. Keep going.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: tinseltowngiftwrap.com
- Instagram: @tinseltowngiftwrapping
- Facebook: @tinseltowngiftwrapping
Image Credits:
Tinsel Town Gift Wrapping
