Young Dallas Entrepreneur Creates a Custom Gift Boxes Company — Pep & Party Keeps Things Lively

Looking for an affordable, original gift for someone special? Pep & Party Co. (PEP’R), a Dallas-based gifting company that customizes goodie bags for any celebration, is a creative option. It’s the brainchild of Dallas native Annie Bradshaw, a 2017 graduate of The University of Oklahoma who dreamed up Pep & Party in her dorm room during her sophomore year.

Short on time and money, the young entrepreneur crafted what she calls a “birthday party in a box” for a friend’s birthday. It became Bradshaw’s new go-to gift for all her friends, and news traveled fast on campus that a young woman was making interesting gift boxes.

Orders flooded in, so Bradshaw created an Etsy shop and ultimately founded Pep & Party. 

Bradshaw’s company creates gift boxes for all kinds of occassions, from birthdays and new babies to sorority recruitment, new homes, self care, even post-breakup. A selection of trinkets makes each gift even more personal.

Pep & Party tries to set itself apart from similar gifting companies with its affordability.

“We fill your gift boxes with as many products as we can within your budget, because we would want someone to do the same for us,” Bradshaw says.

Every customer receives a handwritten note and stickers to make the experience even more personal.

The gifting company takes pride in pep talks. “We believe a pep talk from your best girl can make any day a million times better, and life’s biggest moments and tiny victories should be celebrated equally,” Bradshaw says.

PEP’R  also supports mental health. Subscribers will receive a monthly themed magazine in the mail that’s designed to promote rest, unwinding and celebrating one’s self.

The Ultimate Guide to Gift Giving

Bradshaw understands the pressure of finding the right present. Pep & Party team members work with customers to curate the perfect gift box to show loved ones how much they’re appreciated.

Shoppers simply select a box, write a personal message, and provide a shipping address. Pep & Party handles the rest. “We’ll make sure that when your friends and family receive this gift, they’ll feel like you packaged it up and sent it yourself,” Bradshaw says. 

 The Holiday Collection

Pep & Party’s holiday supplies are geared around helping you throw the best socially distanced parties to round out 2020. Halloween, fall decor and Christmas gifts are all covered.

The spooky Halloween line features treats, colorful slime, spider rings, witches’ fingers and even BOOze baskets for adults.

Fall decor baskets include a Takeout Tailgate that’s perfect for a football game and a seasonal dish towel to spice up the kitchen.

For Christmas, there’s a Santa-boot mug full of cookie bits, cheese-straw bites and a star-shaped balloon. Wear a holiday-themed sweater and enjoy a mini red disco-ball cup with a Christmas cookie.

Customers can expect new Christmas and Fall items very soon.

Check out Pep & Party’s website for more information about its custom gift boxes and the team. 

Annie Bradshaw shares more:

PaperCity: Your company calls itself the “ultimate day makers.” What does that mean?

Annie Bradshaw: We believe that we are the ultimate day makers because of the intentionality we have when designing and packaging each box. Our goal is to make your girl (or guy) feel your love and comfort from wherever you might be and to make their day. 

PC: How do custom gifts work?

AB: Our custom gifts are a breeze to order. All we need is the theme and the budget, and we’ll do the rest.  We spend several hours looking through our resources to source the very best products to include in your custom gift, then compile a few different options for you to choose from. We love creating custom gifts and curating boxes that include our clients’ favorite things or represent what they stand for.

One of our largest corporate gifting opportunities to date has been designing gifts for the VIP guests of a podcast’s 100th-episode live recording. We spent time with the podcaster and her guest speaker to create the ultimate VIP experience in a box complete with custom drinkware, self-care accessories, custom confetti and branded cookies. 

PC: What is your favorite box?

AB: The birthday box, hands down. It’s so colorful and fun and filled with unique birthday treats.

We focus on the experience that you get when you open our boxes and believe that our birthday box is the epitome of a best friend celebrating your birthday.

Our new men’s line is quickly becoming a favorite, too. We have gifts for all of the guys in your life — we know how hard they are to shop for. 

PC: How does it make you feel when you’re putting together a custom box?

AB: Like a million bucks! We don’t take our jobs lightly here, and we recognize the trust you are putting in our small business.

We love helping you celebrate special moments in life, and it’s our honor to show up and help you serve your people. Not only are you loving your friends and family by ordering one of our gifts, but we are loving and cheering for them, too. 

PC: You have a passion for supporting small businesses. Why?

AB: I know the joy that a small business owner feels when someone orders a product from them that they spent time dreaming up and designing.

It really is true that every time you purchase from a small business, there’s a person on the other side doing a happy dance. My goal is to make as many small business owners do happy dances as I can — I will be their No. 1 cheerleader. There is enough space for all of us. 

PC: What’s next for Pep & Party Co.

AB: While our everyday product line has been female-focused, we’re excited to announce that we’ll soon offer more gifts for the men in your life, too. We’ll be coming out with a whole men’s line.