THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 31, 1995 TAG: 9505270163
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: EARNING A LIVING IN VIRGINIA BEACH
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
When Debbie Mollura jumped the corporate ship three years ago, she wasn't sure if she would sink or swim in her new business, Creative Gifts Galore.
But for three years she's kept her head above water and now, Mollura has her business where she wants it. She creates upwards of 100 gift baskets a month, and she's even considering hiring someone else and teaching them the ropes.
``It's been a lot of trial and error,'' said Mollura, who creates the gift baskets in her Oceanfront-area studio. ``I didn't know anything about how to run a business. I gave up the big salary, but I'm glad I'm back to being a human being instead of a stressed-out corporate person.''
Mollura took an early retirement from her corporate job with a local phone company in June. Prior to her early retirement she had spent two years dabbling in the gift basket business part time.
``I thought there's got to be something else,'' said Mollura. ``I narrowed it down to three businesses - a herb gardener, though I knew I didn't want to move; a senior day care worker, though I'm not real patient; and then there were the baskets. I settled on that because I like giving people things.''
Creative Gifts Galore caters to people who are too busy to shop themselves. Mollura will come to a person's office to display her selection of gift items that can be ordered as part of a gift basket.
She has more than 1,000 basket items such as chocolates and coffees, already in stock. For special items or custom orders, she'll find anything a person wants.
She was once hired to come up with a basket for a woman who was going on a cattle drive. She tucked in items like a tin cup, chewing tobacco, a ``roadkill'' pate and soda.
Most of Mollura's gifts are tucked into unusual containers - a golf ball bucket for golf enthusiast or a rocking chair for a new baby or a treasure chest full of Virginia products.
If the container isn't a keepsake, you can be sure that at least one item in the gift, maybe a picture frame, will be worth keeping.
The cost of her baskets or gifts range from $4 on up to whatever the person wants. The $4 gift is a cardboard replica of a $100 bill with a ribbon attached that says, ``You are worth a mint.''
The average gift basket costs about $35, she said.
In addition to going to the customer to find the right gifts, she also takes phone orders and will bill a customer. Mollura also sends customers a Polaroid picture of the basket they have chosen to send to someone.
``A lot of people enjoy that concept,'' said Mollura, a Tennessee native who has lived in Virginia Beach for 27 years. ``That way they can see what they're getting for their money.''
She makes local deliveries for free and ships UPS anywhere in the nation.
To keep her business going and to spread the word about her services she often attends chamber of commerce events, realty shows, secretaries' conferences and anything else she can think to hawk her wares.
Her goal is to serve both the individual customer and businesses that like to thank their clients.
Mollura routinely reads magazines for new ideas or networks with other people she's met in the gift business if she's looking for a particular product.
She also takes classes on business management. She's currently taking a marketing class to learn more about marketing her business.
``I've really learned a lot,'' said Mollura, who says she's isn't interested in opening a retail store because she likes going to the customer. ``My goal this next year is to offer an internship to someone to come in and learn. Whether it's a woman who's going back to work or someone in school I'd really like to pass on what I've learned.'' MEMO: To reach Creative Gifts Galore call 428-0411.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Debbie Mollura, owner of Creative Gifts Galore, has more than 1,000
basket items such as chocolates and coffees, already in stock at her
Oceanfront-area studio. The average gift basket costs about $35, she
says.
by CNB