Meet Cori Green of Package & Press

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cori Green.

Hi Cori, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a co-founder and owner of Package & Press located in Santa Clarita, California.

When asked to summarize my story the first thought that came to my mind was what is the maximum word count? I am and have been a lot of things in my life and truly believe that each of those chapters have brought me to where and who I am today.

When I was a little girl, my grandma owned an in home daycare and if I remember correctly one day, I was upset about not being able to do a craft just like someone else. My grandmother pulled me aside and asked me why I wanted to be like someone else when I could be myself? I had my own brain with ideas so why didn’t I go and do my own craft?

The words may have been mixed up there as I was maybe five or six years old but ultimately the message has and always been clear— be my own person. To this day, I remember that moment and looking back on my life, it has undoubtedly been a pillar in who I am and the paths that I have taken.

From living on the east coast to relocating back to my home state of California, I have grown professionally and personally over the years. My life has never been simple and it has been often met with some sort of ridiculous obstacle that would only happen to me. Seriously I question the script almost monthly! Along the way, I have made some fantastic memories and whatever challenges I may have been met with made me all the wiser.

I have always found an identity for myself within my work. While my career has been focused in many different industries over the years, it is from each of those that make up a piece of me. I love a good hustle and often thrive under pressure or a tight deadline. On the flip side, I can get lost in a good design and I live for the little details and intricate parts that make up a bigger picture.

After having my daughter in 2017, my life was completely changed and for all the better. Having Keira really forced me to slow down. While finding balance was at times easier said than done, I have been so incredibly fortunate to have my husband. We had always been a team and now more than ever he has constantly pushed me to make my daydreams a reality whatever they may be.

I am a lot of things but most importantly a wife, a mother, a small business owner, and bunch of other things. My story has a lot of chapters to it some longer than others but each one has made me who I am today. But who am I kidding? We are just getting started.

A majority of my career prior to Package & Press had been in merchandising and a handful of other things. Just keeping it interesting for you! After I left the retail world to go back to school, I soon found myself bartending and serving tables. Life got in the way and working was at the time a necessity. My husband deployed in 2015 and I relocated back to California during his time away. That summer, I picked up my first job in the medical field managing a chiropractic office in addition to bartending at a great spot in my hometown. With the new year, I was back on the east coast and was working in a small primary care office. I’ve answered a lot of phones, made a lot of appointments, and shaken thousands of cocktails. I feel like there should be a diagram for this portion of the article but it’s okay. Still with me?

In 2018 we packed up our east coast life and made the move to Santa Clarita, California. While this move was bittersweet, I was so excited because this was the first time in over five years that I could do whatever I wanted with myself and my time. While I was a full-time parent, the possibilities were once again still endless. What would I do? Would I go back to school or merchandising or even just drink pressed juices at the mall for daily walks? Man I had missed California there were certainly no fancy juice bars or outdoor malls to peruse and soak up the sunshine on the east coast.

Unfortunately for my daydreams fate would have other plans for us that year and all my juice bar plans would have to wait. I served tables for a while and even picked up a job at a dental office in Beverly Hills. Talk about a daydream! The commute was incredibly long but the work was fulfilling and I spent my lunches walking Rodeo Drive fascinated at the fashion and design that was before me. It was walking those streets at lunch where P&P really came to life. There was so much life and hustle around that I couldn’t help but feel inspired to do something more. I mean why not right?

The term “Why not?” really became the mantra behind Package & Press. Rachel my business partner had asked me the question when we first dreamt up the idea and it continues to be something we ask ourselves as time goes by. That first year I poured everything I had into getting this business off the ground. We knew what we wanted P&P to be but there was so much work to be done and growth to be had. Looking back at the past year so much has changed. We went from hand-making every single product we had to now curating from businesses all over the country and world.

Every sale has helped us grow to where we are today and I can only hope that the businesses we purchase from are able to do the same. The small business community and especially that of the makers has really opened my eyes to all the possibilities before me. Possibilities that had once been unclear. If we have learned anything from the past year, it has been that adaptation is a must. While it may be hard and unknown, it isn’t impossible to land on your feet and even if you don’t there is a whole community behind you with a space at their table and some comedy on the side…almost all of the time.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I met my husband at twenty years old and he completely turned my world upside down. We spent every second we could with each other as he would soon be enlisting in the United States Air Force and leaving for his first round of training. That time apart really made it clear what we both wanted out of our lives and our relationship so we quickly married just after the new year. Crazy right? My husband had received his assignment while in the Air Force’s Fire Academy and before I knew it we were off to our new home in New Jersey.

Moving across the country was an adventure in itself but moving also meant that I would no longer work within the career I had worked so hard to achieve at that point. It was all things new and one of the biggest challenges I had faced both personally and professionally.

Being a military spouse and living where you know only your spouse can be incredibly difficult. So I did what I knew how to do — work. Working was something I was good at and there were people there! People I knew and had friendships with. It was the first time in my life that I really hated being new and little did I know it wouldn’t be the last. I changed jobs quite a bit back then trying to find my footing in what I had thought would be a career. However, everything was different now. Whatever I did, I had to be prepared to leave because nothing is permanent in the military world. Finding motivation to succeed at something you know you would probably be walking away from was the greatest challenge I have ever faced.

Despite any of the obstacles my husband and I may have faced those first years in New Jersey one thing remained constant and that was the support we received from his department. Didn’t want to eat alone? There is an extra plate at the station and it is almost guaranteed to be absolutely fantastic with a side of pure comedy…most of the time.

We eventually settled into a life on the east coast and were incredibly fortunate to not have to move for the remainder of my husband’s enlistment. We put down some roots and bought our first home in 2017 and welcomed our daughter Keira into the world later that year. Aside from having my daughter, I never really ever stopped working. Just before we had bought the house, I had three jobs and rarely took a day off. Working had become a huge part to who I was but now I had a new identity. I was a parent and just like that my world was upside down again but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Package & Press?
Established in 2019 Package & Press is a premier gifting studio focused on elevated design with a creative and personal touch. We work with design-led companies to curate an experience for their clients through modern gifting in addition to a full catalog of gifts available for individual purchase.

Through our personalized services, our corporate partners look to us when they are frustrated with boring campaigns and swag and are and ready to take action in a new way. We offer gift design services such as custom curations, branded packaging, and even a variety of ready to ship packages fit for all occasions.

We are proud to feature brands that not only share the same passion for design as us but hold their standards of sustainability high. Every product featured in our store is packaged in either wood, glass, paper, or metal tins. All of which can be reused or recycled.

Each package is crafted with the utmost of care and attention to detail. Gifting doesn’t have to be for a special occasion but we certainly hope to make it one.

What were you like growing up?
I grew up in Walnut Creek, California and spent most if not all of my time chasing memories with friends and working whatever odd job I had found myself with. In my earlier school years, I had moved quite often. Resulting in being the new kid in school for about three years in a row. While at the time it was often difficult, as I got older I realized just how much I had grown from making new friendships and loved environments where I could meet new people.

I started working fairly young and was fortunate to land a job working as a seasonal associate for a retail clothing store. I loved every second of it. I had long known the value of a dollar at that point in my life and to be able to earn my own money opened my eyes to a world of possibilities that had otherwise seemed unattainable at the time.

My parents had divorced just the year prior and I was very much carving my way toward a path of my own. The possibilities were endless in my eyes and my job while small was something I took incredible pride in as it was one of the first things that was my own. I learned so much from my time with that company and not just about merchandising but about myself and who I was growing up to be.

Pricing:

• Gift Boxes | $50-$150

Contact Info:

• Email: cori@packageandpress.com
• Website: https://www.packageandpress.com/
• Instagram: @packageandpress

Image Credits
Ashley Burns Photography and Package & Press LLC