Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Smriti Barla. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Smriti, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

From a very young age I’ve always cared for and prioritized the people in my life. I remember my very first paycheck I received from my first job in high school, I spent it on gifts for my friends! Any chance I got, I was sending care packages during finals week, bringing chocolates to cheer someone up, sending flowers to people who were sick. I was all about simple gestures that would make others feel happy, loved, and important. You never know what someone is going through in life and giving a gift, at the right moment, may make their entire day.

To make things even more personal, I made sure the gift was custom to them – maybe a photo of us framed, their name embroidered on an apron, a bottle with their favorite sports team on it. Whether it was a birthday, anniversary, or get well soon, I made sure the gift held immense meaning and value. I also understand that we are very busy people, and as much as we want to remember others and make people feel special, we don’t always have the time or the energy to go out of our way to build a meaningful gift. That’s where Smriti Designs comes in! I want everyone to be able to build a meaningful gift from start to finish in my shop. From the greeting card, to the customized gift, to the filler items, and presentation, let me take the work off your hands!

What makes Smriti Designs truly special though, is its heart. All of the ready made products in our shop are sourced from small businesses, local artists, and creators around the globe. By partnering with small businesses and artists, we bring together a collection of gifts that are not just thoughtful but are also a testament to the creativity and passion of makers around the globe. When you choose a gift from Smriti Designs, you’re not just making someone’s day—you’re also lifting up a network of talented creators, celebrating their work, and sharing it with those you love.

This endeavor is more than just a mission for me; it’s a reflection of my deepest values. It’s about creating moments of joy and connection in a world that often moves too fast. At Smriti Designs, we believe that every gift is a message of love, a beacon of happiness, and a bridge between hearts. And in doing so, we all win—gifting becomes an act of love that supports the dreams of artisans and brings smiles to faces, making the world a little brighter, one thoughtful gesture at a time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi! My name is Smriti and I run an online gift shop in Seattle called Smriti Designs LLC! I am from Peoria, IL and moved to Seattle in 2021 for a full-time position with Amazon. I have a BBA in Business Information Systems and was working as a Business Operations Specialist at Amazon Web Services. From an early age, I had a strong desire to go into the world of business as it always fascinated me how people are able to stay creative, solve problems, and build their own life doing so! At the age of 17, I started an online women’s clothing boutique. Throughout my 4 years of undergrad, I grew my boutique as a side hustle – a way to learn about business, gain experience with customers and retail, and earn some extra money along the way. The boutique had grown farther than I had imagined and once I graduated I had to make a tough decision – whether to pay and move the entire business to Seattle, or shut it down and start something new. I knew in my heart that this business was not bringing value to anyone but myself. I was just buying wholesale clothing and selling it on different platforms on the internet. So I made the decision to close it out and reinvest into something brand new. But what was I going to start next?

The answer was simple. Gifting. I had been told numerous times by friends and family, that I had a special knack for designing custom gifts for people. COVID couldn’t have come at a better time for me – I used all the time spent quarantined, ordering different machinery and teaching myself to create custom products. I started with a Cricut, and taught myself how to make custom vinyl products. Then I started glass etching. Then I acquired a heat press and started making custom apparel. Side story – I used to work for a custom apparel company called Fresh Prints where I learned all about print methods, materials, and techniques. I also dabbled in a bit of graphic design as well. All of this led to the birth of Smriti Designs Etsy shop.

I used to exclusively use Etsy when buying personalized gifts in the past and a big pain point for me was that I couldn’t build an entire gift bundle from one shop. Every shop would specialize in one product or the other but when curating gift boxes I want the entire gift to be an experience for the receiver. I wanted to be able to buy the greeting card, the custom product, add a few filler items, and package it as an experience to unwrap! I wanted my gift shop to be just that! A one stop shop to building the perfect gift bundle from start to finish. I built my own website and that’s when Smriti Designs LLC was born.

While building this business I wanted to stay true to these core values:

Supporting small and local businesses whenever I could: All of the ready-to-ship products that you can find on my site and in my pop-up shops are all sourced from small businesses, local artists, and creators around the globe.

Wanted to create a platform for South Asian themed products. I have partnered with many South Asian creators and business owners to create a niche for Desi themed products in my shop as well! Growing up as a minority, meant not finding gifts and products catered toward our culture. I personally have designed a majority of Desi themed products in my shop as well!

Keeping these goals in mind, my future plans are to expand my gift shop services to include more custom products and design options, expand the creators I feature in my shop, and build out my website to serve as a helping hand to assist you in finding the perfect gift for your loved one.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Yes! This small business that started off as a side hustle turned into my full-time career! I started this business in 2022 alongside starting my full-time career with Amazon. My days were spent in the office and my evenings building out Smriti Designs. I knew that to keep myself sane I couldn’t just spend my time working 24/7 so I pursued my passion for dance as well and joined the local Bollywood dance studio in town called Live2Dance. Little did I know this small dance studio would turn into my largest community, my family, my home away from home. I owe all the credit to jumping into this business full time to this community. Once they found out that I was pursuing a business they all jumped in to make sure it turned into a success! I hosted my first ever pop up shop at the studio which hundreds of people helped spread the word to their friends and circles. Little did I know that was just the beginning. Members of the dance studio who had never met me before were messaging me with pop-up opportunities at their buildings, workplaces. I was getting referred to corporate companies for large commission projects, bridesmaid proposal needs, party favors, you name it! Within a short year my business grew to a point where I knew it was meant to be more than just a side hustle. There was true value in my mission and people out there that believed in my vision! The biggest key milestones in this journey were my first Valentine’s Day pop-up that I hosted at Live2Dance, which led to an opportunity at Starbucks Headquarters, which led to a WEEKEND LONG pop-up at Seattle Premium Outlets. I was soon invited to Onni Hotel Group for events, invited by Seattle Women’s Network to sponsor a holiday event, and numerous other opportunities that have helped me grow, every step of the way.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I sell through my own website and on Etsy currently. I actually have experience selling on Amazon Prime back when I used to run my women’s clothing boutique and I found that although there were a lot of pros to selling on Prime, small businesses just aren’t able to keep up with the demand and price models that Amazon presents for sellers. Etsy was a great start for my business, allowing me to test my products and concepts with their already established market, with much lower fees and startup costs. I continue to sell only my custom products on Etsy due to the niche of the platform, but the real value and entire gift building experience is only possible through my website at smritidesigns.com! At the end of the day, the reason I choose to use my own website is because of my future goals with the business as well. I want my website to be able to act as my brain (if not better) and serve as an assistant to my customer, helping them curate the perfect gift. For example, I want my site to ask you questions about the person you are gifting to – what is the occasion? how old are they? what is their favorite hobby? etc – and my website should generate gift ideas for your loved one. Ensuring that each gift is meaningful and personalized to the recipient, every single time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://smritidesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesmritidesigns/