Hug A Small Business Owner

Ever know anyone who owned their own business?  Did they ever talk about the rewards even though it's hard work and often tough to find family time?  I grew up around family and family friends who owned their own businesses.  My grandfather was an entrepreneur who worked hard to provide for his family.  He was business partners with his brother-in-laws; they had several business ventures until they hit the most successful one!  It started as an idea to open a butcher shop, although the three brother-in-laws were successful in their launch of the butcher shop, it wasn't long before they sold it to open up their second venture, a bakery.  The bakery business was quite successful, although I remember both my grandmother and all her children complaining that my grandfather was never around, he worked long hours to ensure the business ran and it remained successful.  Not much changed, except much longer hours when they decided to sell the bakery business and open up a motel at the very end of Long Island, NY; Montauk Point...They built a motel and called it the Atlantic Terrace Motel and that was all they wrote; twenty-eight years later the brother-in-laws would retire at the ripe old age of 50!

My grandparents had friends that owned candy stores, drug stores, property management and other  retail ventures.  Their really good friends owned one of the candy stores and every month we used to travel into New York City from the Island to visit the candy store (actually, now that I'm an adult, it wasn't to visit the candy store, it was for my grandparents to visit with their friends!).  My brother and I were each allowed to pick one candy item.  From a very young age we were taught that even though we know people who own businesses, we support them by buying from them and not taking anything they offer.  So, although my grandfather's friend insisted that we have our one piece of candy for free, my grandfather more firmly insisted that he pay him for the candy.  I don't recall my grandfather ever losing (wink).

I guess the point here is that if you know someone who owns a business, support them in any way you can.  Even if it's not in monetary form, you can still: share a post, refer a friend or just simply spread the word.  Every little bit helps us become more successful!  If you don't know someone who owns a business, simply give back by finding something you can purchase from a local small business owner.  They'll truly appreciate your business and I bet you receive great customer service!

That's my story for today.  After you've finished reading this, take action and find a way to virtually Hug a small business owner today!  You can start here!

WholeSoulJewelry.com, this ones for you!

A Big Thank You to all those who support us and also support other small and local business owners! Join the revolution - you'll be satisfied you did!

Warm wishes...

Nicole's Day...

Ok, so this post is going to be a little bit off the gift basket topic to start out with but in the end, you will understand how it all ties together!  October 18, 2012...it was one of the most special days I've ever had!  My wonderful husband surprised me with the most amazing gift!  Something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember was finally no longer just a dream, it was a reality!  I was told to take the day off work, that's it, nothing else.  When the day arrived we got up at 4am and hit the road by 5am; asking where we were going the entire time, I was lead in circles until we arrived at the airport and ticket was put in my hands.  We were going to Miami for the day!  I had absolutely no idea why we were going to Miami but my husband assured me that there was something I wanted to do there.  We arrived in Fort Lauderdale, picked up our rental and headed to breakfast.  After breakfast we had a nice ride south to Miami and when we arrived at our destination, it was a privately owned property with what looked like lots of monkeys and other animals.  I asked if we were going to some private zoo and I was simply told no.  After a secretive phone call, the large gates to the property opened up and what I saw had me in awe...monkey's everywhere.  I know there were more than just monkey's there but my love of monkey's had me blinded!


Once we arrived and parked we were greeted by these massive dogs from another country; they were the guard dogs and they did a good job of being intimidating!  My husband I were lead into what I would have called a small studio apartment that just had a couch, a table and some chairs flipped upside down on the bar that lead into the small kitchen.  I was handed a bunch of documents to sign and as I began to read them I looked over at my husband to question him and he said, "trust me, just sign them!" with a big grin on this face.  So I did as he instructed and then the girl Chelsea left and said she would be right back.  I cannot begin to explain what happened when she returned but I have posted this wonderful video that my husband made.  He took three hours worth of private tour video and summed it all up in this short but awesome video.  Click here to play (it's worth the few minutes).  Not only did I get to play with monkey's but baby tiger cubs and rare snow leopards from the mountains of Afghanistan!  An amazing day spent at Zoological Wildlife Foundation.


I have always had a love for animals and on my way home from this adventure, I told my husband that I was going to find a way to incorporate some new unique gift baskets that showcased some of the cuteness that animals portray.  I have a big task ahead of me to find the best unique animal gift baskets but here are a few that I have already fell in love with!


Our line of Go Wild Animal Trunk Gift Baskets are just so adorable and come with your choice of Mojo the Monkey, Tye the Tiger or Leo the Lion!  Too cute to describe, you'll just have to come browse our website and check them out for yourself! 

We are also working this into our baby gift baskets too!  Check out some of our newest animal gift basket styles here!  Our baby monkey gift basket is unique and just perfect for that that special new born!

No pictures today, check out the links and see for yourself that our selection is amazing!

Best Regards

Sympathy Gift Baskets

Sometimes life throws us a curve ball and we need to send our sympathy to those we know and love.  Everyone is hooked on sending flowers; yes, I know it is the thought that counts but think about that thought for a moment.  Wouldn't it be more thoughtful to send a sympathy gift basket instead of flowers?  Something that will actually come in handy when the very last thing on their mind is food.  A sympathy gift basket will not only send them your condolences, it will provide them with something to comfort them.  Our gift baskets are not just filled with gourmet foods (which are delicious by the way - smile), our sympathy gift basket assortment also includes keepsake gifts with some gift basket selections!  So, if you have to send something, send something that will last, something that can be shared; perhaps it takes the edge off, even if only for a few minutes...

Here's just a few of our most popular sympathy gift baskets.  You can find these by clicking here

Thinking Of You Gift Basket

In Remembrance Sympathy Gift Basket

With Our Thoughts And Prayers Gift Basket 

If there's something special you need, we will do our best to accommodate.  We offer Standard, 3 Day, 2 Day and Overnight Shipping.  You will find all the shipping information you need here.  If you still have questions you can contact us here.

Warm wishes and best regards...