We recently connected with Amy Novak and have shared our conversation below.

Amy, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

My business is one that thrives on a high level of customer service and communication. I love to talk to customers, and to find out exactly what they envision when it comes to custom apparel, hand-curated gifts, or simply spoiling themselves with a few new accessories from our shop. Once I have their vision in mind, I love to get to work researching and offering options for their order, and then actually creating their items. I spend hours searching out the best quality apparel, the trendiest accessories and jewelry, and the latest in custom apparel designs. Once the order(s) are ready, we don’t just put them in a bag or stack them in a box. We love to add extra touches like beautiful packaging, hand written notes, seasonal treats and invitations to our upcoming events. We also take the work out of distributing group orders, and we package each order individually so it can be easily distributed. I truly feel like going the extra mile sets us apart from other businesses, and people love the personal and custom touches we add to each order.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started The Gifted Boutique a little over eight years ago, first as a side hustle selling handcrafted wreaths and custom home decor. I then ventured into custom apparel and other items, and before I knew it, I had more work than I could handle as a side “hobby”. I decided I could do this full time, and started making more and more shirts, tumblers, and other custom items, such as bridal party gifts and party favors. I have always had a love of giving the perfect gift and the hunt to find just the right thing. I worked in florists and a gift basket shop in high school and college, and gifts have been my passion ever since. One exciting thing was being featured on Martha Stewart Weddings twice for the monogrammed acrylic clutches that I did for many wedding parties!

To see my business evolve into a multi-faceted custom apparel and gift business, has been amazing. I seriously love what I do, and I enjoy helping customers every day and look forward to the next challenging project. This past September, I was able to move into a commercial space, with a small shop and workspace. It has been so exciting to share it with my customers!

My business is a little different than the usual custom apparel shop, as we tend to offer a much more customized approach. We not only do the usual logo tees and sweatshirts, but we also do full customization with names, custom designs, etc. so many of our pieces are truly one of a kind! We offer spirit wear parties for teams to get together and order custom merch, as well as browse a hand-curated collection of game day items, including jewelry, accessories, apparel, and more!

On the gift front, we work very hard to have a huge selection of beautiful jewelry and ladies accessories (we are known for our beaded earrings selection, especially at every holiday!) as well as home items, gourmet foods and other items ready to go into custom gift baskets and boxes! There truly is something for everyone! Our “local love” collection is especially popular with local realtors for closing gifts. I hand pick every item, and love to see it all come together.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think the biggest part of building a good reputation, aside from an amazing product line, is consistent, great customer service. Although that looks different in every business, I think building a good rapport with your customers is key. I try to get to know my customer, find out exactly what they are looking for and stay in constant communication over the course of their project or order, whether that means just emailing an update, letting them know what I found for them, or telling them how great their new items are going to look! I think they appreciate this attention to their order, and in return will come back for future purchases and recommend me to other people!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients has been through word of mouth in my community! It is the greatest feeling to know people who have been happy with their purchases from me have recommended my business to their friends and family. The Ponte Vedra community is very small business friendly, and people seek out local businesses. Even the local businesses are all very supportive of each other. Between word of mouth, and local Facebook groups and social media, I have gained many new clients and followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thegiftedboutique.com
• Instagram: @thegiftedboutique
• Facebook: @thegiftedboutique
• Other: Tik Tok : @thegiftedboutique

Image Credits
Headshot Courtesy of Olive Hue Photography. (Liz DeRemer)