We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gabe Eveland a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Gabe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
The idea to start Gabriel’s Christmas started at a very young age. My family always decorated to the nines for Christmas with several Christmas trees around the house, thousands of lights outside, etc. I also had a great aunt who truly embodied the magic of Christmas and instilled much of her love for the holidays in me. After college, I had the opportunity to work alongside a friend who owned a florist. We spent several days around the holidays decorating his clients’ homes and businesses. I knew at that very moment this was something I wanted to continue doing, but on a larger scale. As I began to branch out and work with clients, I would constantly receive comments about the superior quality of the products we use and where they could be bought. Those moments led me to start writing a business plan for a Christmas store that provides off-site decorating services… and, this is how Gabriel’s Christmas was born.
Since opening in 2018, we have been voted “Best Holiday Store” in the Tri-Cities and have had the honor of creating magical Christmas displays for some of the areas most popular tourist attractions, towns, hotels, hospitals, and private homes. The demand for our off-site decorating services has skyrocketed and our calendar is full by October 31 every year with an active wait list. We encourage customers to book early to reserve a spot on the calendar!
This year, we are excited to expand our services into Western North Carolina and middle Tennessee. We look forward to welcoming you to our Christmas wonderland in historic downtown Jonesborough, TN, but chances are, you’ll catch a glimpse of our work if you’re traveling through Asheville, Marion, Jonesborough, Johnson City, Bristol, Knoxville, or Nashville this holiday season!
Gabe, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Gabe Eveland and my intro to the industry came from helping a friend who owned a florist. I would help him decorate for clients and this sparked my vision to branch out in my own and start Gabriel’s Christmas.
In addition to our year-round Christmas store, we also produce holiday decorating services to businesses and residences. Our white glove service is designed to make your holidays stress free, so you can focus on what matters most during the season… family and friends. Our team will handle everything from design, installation, removal, storage, and maintenance.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think this really comes down to three pivotal points of any business:
1) People – you need the right people on your team. Your employees are your #1 asset and can be the deciding factor of a customer choosing your business over another.
2) Product – we offer a superior product and service experience that caters to our clients’ every need. Our commercial grade products are designed to give the best look and appearance, while lasting for many years.
3) Price – we believe in offering fair prices for our products and services.
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
Admittedly, we have missed payroll… and for no other reason than life took over and someone didn’t click the button to pay everyone. It happens. We recovered and made it right for our team. When situations like this occur, you’re better off to own up to your mistake and do whatever it takes to make it right.
Contact Info:
- Website: gabrielschristmas.com
- Instagram: gabrielschristmas
- Facebook: gabrielschristmas