My goal is to make gift giving simple yet meaningful
I have always loved giving gifts. Whether it was for a big occasion, like Christmas or a wedding; or something small, like a thank you gift or a no-reason-at-all gift, I always searched high and low until I found just the right gift. Then I'd carefully wrap it with beautiful paper, ribbon or bow, or in some unique creative way. That was my life, long before I made it a career.
My career path went corporate where I worked for many years in marketing and ecommerce. Crafting and design were lifelong loves, as was my dream of having my own business.
As I thought about the idea of a gift basket business, I didn't want to be "just another gift basket company". I wanted my gift baskets to truly stand out, so I studied the market and knew right away what was missing - gift baskets that contained useful items and were truly designed around the theme.
I started designing unique gift collections for travel, garden and personal themes, with practical travel gifts, functional and decorative garden gifts, personal jewelry and home décor.
Over time, we’ve added gourmet food gift baskets, carefully selecting high quality food products that are tried and true. We also do gift baskets with a combination of food and non-food gifts, as long as the overall collection fits the theme.
Along with quality and uniqueness of product, it was important to me provide high touch customer service. So although you are shopping online, you will often receive an email from me to make sure we have all the information we need to deliver your perfect gift.
Our high touch service also includes customizing any gift basket to your specifications.
So to sum it up, my mission is to offer you a unique way of gift giving, to make it simple yet meaningful.
You can’t use up creativity; the more you use, the more you have.
– Maya Angelou
I am Mary Babiez, Owner and Founder of Thoughtful Presence. My husband Ken Babiez is my business partner, fellow creator, and the guy who makes me laugh every day!
We are born and raised Chicagoans. I grew up in Lincoln Park and Ken in Bucktown. While we grew up just a few miles from each other, we only met 15 years ago, and I guess you could say it was love at first sight!
We currently work and live in Niles, IL with our dog, Bodie. Being from the Midwest, we love the four seasons. Favorite outdoor activities include hiking, biking, water activities, and cross country skiing. Favorite indoor hobbies include music (me on flute and Ken on classical guitar) and just about anything that lets me create. More important than all of this is being with family and friends, the real inspiration for gift giving!
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