Rebekah Murray, co-founder of Leesburg-based Dare Gift Boxes, once joked, “I wished I could send presents for a living.”
And now she does. The online company she owns with Colleen Steedly curates beautifully designed gift boxes that go beyond the standard gifting fare. These contain carefully sourced items from across the globe, each thoughtfully chosen with the recipient’s experience in mind.
Murray originally set out on her entrepreneurial journey with a dress company that had a small gift box offering. But, as factories shut down during the pandemic, she realized that dresses were no longer as relevant to everyday life — but finding beautiful gifts to connect with faraway friends certainly was.
Whether it’s through a gift box for a birthday that contains everything from a mug cake to chocolate-covered pretzels to Kindred’s Delight, which is perfectly selected for cozy days at home with a journal, mug, candle, socks, lip balm, and treats, Murray and Steedly have an incredible knack for knowing what will warm the heart of both the gift giver and the recipient. Other boxes they put together in their Leesburg studio feature teas, like the Autumn Hello box or coffees, like the Coffee Lover’s Delight.
Storytelling is at the heart of curating each gift box.
“We’ll imagine the person receiving this gift and how each item can relate to each other. If we’re working on a self-care gift, we’ll think of how many different touchpoints a gift can delight: They’ll use this first, and then eat that, use this, spray that, put this on,” says Murray.
To make sure each gift box resonates from the screen to the real-life experience, Murray uses her own friends and family as inspirations. She’ll think of exactly who she could see reveling in opening a gift and what would actually excite that person.
“We want there to be a strong experiential feel to every gift, and also a clear kind of person that a gift is meant for,” says Murray. “Ultimately, our customer is the person sending the gift, so we also want to make them feel confident that they’re making a good choice.”
The duo also works on custom gifts, often working with businesses to create personalized boxes for clients and employees. These can include branding for the company, but they’ll always have the thoughtful Dare touch.
Custom one-off gifts also are available, and Murray and Steedly love to look through their stock of gifting items to come up with just the right items for a customer. Whether it’s due to food preferences, a special occasion, or working around a budget, they embrace the collaborative process of putting the gift together.
“The world can seem like a lonely place, and people often live far away from close friends or family. I want to make it easier for people to connect with their friends, or to help business-owners feel like there’s one less thing on their plate,” says Murray.
Feature image courtesy Dare Boxes
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