We were lucky to catch up with Darlene Bender recently and have shared our conversation below.

Darlene, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I have had the pleasure and honor of being a part of so many meaningful projects. Almost every aspect of our business has some sort of hand in creating memories. The gift store and laser engraving side of the house allows us to help our customers give custom gifts that are heartfelt, special and unique. They didn’t just walk into a big box store and select something off of the shelf that is generic or that everyone else in town has. The gifts are as special to the giver as they are to the recipient.

We have also had the honor of being a part of memorializing a loved one that has passed for families. We have made beautiful candles that contained the flowers from their service, keychains for pallbearers and even engraved urns. We have engraved Grandma’s famous recipe or note that she wrote on decorative pieces in her very own handwriting. Those are my favorite. The look on the customer’s face when they see their loved ones writing on something that they can display and see everyday or give as a gift is absolutely priceless.

Our back room is where the fun happens. Here we have a large party room, axe throwing lanes, rage room and a paint splatter zone. Families gather here to celebrate each other without the worry of cleaning, cooking or decorating. They can just show up and enjoy each other and the special day. We have been a part of birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, anniversaries and even divorces.

All of these are so meaningful to me because we become part of our customers lives by sharing a moment or something tangible. They become family and friends not just sales.

Darlene, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Darlene Bender. I grew up in Pennsylvania, but left when I was 18 and lived in Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Oklahoma and Michigan. I am a wife, mother, grandmother and veteran. I got into the creative industry because I have always needed to use my hands as a way to calm my anxious, overactive brain. My husband, Jake, used to refer to me as “Grandma Bing” because that is how my brain works. I think in chains. For example if you say “Tree” i think bark. Bark leads me to dog and the next thing you know we are having a conversation about rescuing dogs.

My husband and I traveled the country working in the renewable energy industry and decided to buy our home in East Texas because we were always working in this state and the property was exactly what we were looking for. After living in the Palestine area for almost 2 years, listening to what others were saying the town was missing and knowing that I had the drive and knowledge to give it to them….Basket Kase was born.

We started out as a small gift shop featuring local and Texas made items and every couple of months the building would transform and we would add something new. We are now home to a 1000 square foot gift shop which includes custom gift baskets, balloons and laser engraving. We say that this part of the business is “Palestine’s very own Pinterest”. People will bring in items, send us pictures or just describe what they want and we make it happen. We help our customers bring their vision to life or walk them through selecting the perfect gift.

After the gift shop was up and running we still had 4000 square feet in the back of the building that was empty. We listened to what customers said they were leaving the area to do and asked ourselves “Why are we not keeping this money in our community?”. Because we opened on the heels of the pandemic the things we heard most people say were that they were looking for a place to gather and have fun. The Splatter Zone happened first which was a huge hit for kid’s parties, ladies nights, church groups and team building events. We still had more room to fill and I loved the idea of axe throwing. The guys got busy and in 1 week we had axe throwing lanes. A few months later we decided to move forward with the Rage Room. There seemed to be a need for an outlet where people could break, hit or smash their anger, frustration and anxiety away with no repercussions.

If there is anything I would like people to know about our business it is that we genuinely care. We have been told that our business feels like you have been invited into our home. People will pull into our store when they just need an ear and don’t know where else to go. We treat every person with the same love and respect on their first visit as they will receive on their 10th visit. We love what we do.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

In our community word of mouth is everything and our demographic is primarily Facebook oriented. I had to learn to get over my fear of being in front of the camera. The more people see you the more they feel like they know you and become intrigued with what you are doing. Good pictures, Lives and videos are EVERYTHING!! Get over your fear of not being perfect. Having flaws and making mistakes is what makes you relatable and what your audience wants to see. They want to know that you are kind and human.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative to me is hearing my customer say “I love it! That is exactly what I wanted.” . It is even more rewarding when they have given me creative freedom to fill in the blanks and I create something that they didn’t even realize they would fall in love with.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://basketkasegiftstore.square.site
• Instagram: basket_kase_gift_store
• Facebook: Facebook.com/basketkasegiftstore

Image Credits
Image credit: Scott Fifer/FiferLogic