Why Harbor Does Gifting

Let's be honest, when people ask me what I do, I almost always get that crooked face when I tell them I do "gift baskets."

I remember even as a young person, I was always asked to help with the wrapping at Christmas time. I don't think I was particularly gifted at wrapping, I just think I enjoyed the details, creating an experience, and watching the anticipation that a well-wrapped gives the recipient. Somehow, interwoven in the tissue and bows was a message tied in along with the gift. A message that said, regardless of customs or expectations, I am giving you something special that I want you to enjoy.

Somewhere along the way, as I moved on and the distance grew between friends and family, I noticed that when sending a gift, it either meant sacrificing on style and settling for something cheesy or that I'd be forced to assemble bits of things I knew would be love and, often haphazardly, dropping it in the mail myself. There seemed to be a large gap in gifting options that would both provide a tasteful, modern look and maintain a high quality of sustainably + ethically sourced products that I loved to support. So, I set out to change that.

As I grew up with an old fashion taste of sending handwritten notes, it seemed now, more than ever, there was a need to develop deeper and more meaningful relationships with those in my network of people.

From a bombardment of birthday text messages to a nonchalant "Like" on your FB page when you've bought your first new home, somehow I felt our culture was losing some of the simple, yet powerful tools of connecting with others.

I was experiencing how in a world overly connected, so many felt disconnected. No amount of "Likes" made someone feel valued, no amount of emojis on your birthday made one truly feel loved

By creating an easy way to send relevant gifts, we hope to reawaken some of the ways we have connected in the past. And although we're not recreating the concept of gifting, we're certainly aspiring to make it both practical and achievable in these busy modern times.

Our gifts are specially curated with other small businesses in mind. We hand-select companies that reflect the values we hold dear. We hope, that by supporting them, we can help grow sustainable gifts. Besides, we're certain you will find some new favorites!

We believe that by curating personal, tangible, useful, and beautiful gifts, we can help you celebrate such special milestones as a new home, a wedding, or a special baby with them when you can't be there. And, maybe even making it easier than, dare we say, an "impersonal" gift card!