THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 15, 1995 TAG: 9501130264
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 24 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Business
SOURCE: BY CAROLE O'KEEFFE, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
SISTERS AND NEIGHBORS Kathy T. Pond and Joan A. Scott were convinced of the need for a local gift-basket service, but they were astounded when Christmas orders kept them working up to 18 hours every day.
Husbands, parents and sometimes even children were enlisted to fill the dozens of orders, most for corporate giving.
``We did not know what to expect, especially after only two months in business,'' Scott said. ``We just hoped we were well-stocked and would have the inventory.''
After-Christmas orders have remained steady. In fact, the shop above Pond's garage at her home on Pitchkettle Point Circle is now too small for the fledgling business, and the co-owners expect to move to 800 W. Washington St. by the end of January.
The space will be in the Willows, owned by Betty Ellison and Frances Shotton. They rent out spaces, and Baskets By Design will use its space to assemble baskets and for retail display of ready-made baskets and the individual products Pond and Scott sell.
Baskets By Design promotes products made in Suffolk and Virginia, and some out-of-state items. Pond became familiar with locally made products while she worked for six years as an administrative assistant with the Suffolk Department of Economic Development.
The pair, who never ran businesses before, decided to open this one because they found themselves and their friends frequently traveling to Norfolk and Virginia Beach to find the gourmet food products - from jams and jellies to cheeses and coffees and crab dips and seafood marinades - they wanted for family use.
Among local products in baskets are Pruden hams and foam packing peanuts that are used both in baskets and mail packaging.
``I also use a lot of peanuts,'' Pond said. ``Peanuts go into almost every basket.'' Her husband owns Pond Brothers Peanuts. Chocolate-covered and water-blanched peanuts are often placed in gift baskets ordered for birthdays, bereavements, weddings, new-baby celebrations and birthdays, for example.
For people watching their calories, there are baskets with fat-free and low-cholesterol products in them.
``We have gifts for someone who has everything and you really don't know what to give them,'' Pond said.
Baskets can be tailored to suit enthusiasts such as golfers, tennis and bridge players and gardeners.
The sisters decided to work together, ``Because we knew each other so well. We are opposites and complement each other,'' Scott said.
``Kathy is more conservative, and I am more risk-taking. I'm more laid back. She is more of a high-strung person. I am more detail-oriented, and she is more of a marketing type person,'' Scott said. ``I sweat the details while she works on the marketing end of it.''
``People think a balloon is just a balloon on a string. It's really much more than that,'' said Sandra F. Stevens, owner of the business.
And when people think of balloon sculptures, some think of funny animals made with long, thin balloons. Stevens and her husband, Larry, think of 10-foot Christmas trees and 8-foot candy canes made totally of balloons. They think of balloon ornaments and hot-air balloons three feet across.
``We can make flowers. We can make people,'' Stevens said. They make table centerpieces, columns and arches.
The balloons can be treated so they will last longer than just a few hours. Some of the largest balloons stay inflated for as long as a month.
The store at 911 W. Washington St. is not the couple's first foray into business together. Sandra Stevens previously owned and operated The Party Line on Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake. When national chain party supply stores came into the area, Stevens decided to move west to Suffolk. She ran the Chesapeake store for about nine years.
The couple continues to live in Chesapeake.
He is a retired shipyard worker. She used to teach computer word processing for the government.
Now their lives are tied to balloons - for office parties, weddings, holiday decorations and mostly for corporate customers. They will deliver to businesses and hospitals within five miles of the shop. Orders of $23.50 and above are delivered free. There is a $5 fee for smaller orders.
Balloon bouquets are ``anchored'' with a bow. That means the helium-filled balloons won't float away. ``They don't have to be tied to something,'' Stevens said.
Both Stevenses are members of the National Association of Balloon Artists. They have gone to seminars and schools and learned by trial and error.
Some big customers have included Planters, when it opened in its new location, a Christmas party at Sumitomo in Chesapeake and Christmas decorations at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital.
They will sell balloons in bulk - that is not tied into a bouquet and anchored with a bow. Fifty bulk balloons, inflated with helium and string-tied cost as low as $37.50. The Stevenses actually put 60 balloons in a 50-balloon order to allow for ``poppage.''
A bouquet with a bow costs as little as $9.95. Balloons can be imprinted with any words and come in silver foil or solid latex colors. Valentine balloons will be anchored with stuffed animals or candy, for example. MEMO: Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. Saturdays. The store is closed Sundays and Tuesdays.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Joan A. Scott, left, and Kathy T. Pond examine their handiwork - a
gift basket of gourmet foods and snacks. The demand for their new
business has kept them busy up to 18 hours a day.
by CNB