#ShopIrish Spotlight: Vixi Gifting is offering beautifully curated, personalised gift boxes

Supporting Irish business is a passion of ours at Image, and it’s easy with so many entrepreneurial and innovative Irish businesses to buy from. From now until Christmas we are highlighting Irish businesses or business people that we are excited about. Today it’s Vixi Gifting, a contemporary Irish gifting agency founded by sisters Fenella and Melodie Fox, and their mother Nicky Fox.

What is your name, and what is your business?

Vixi Gifting adds a vibrant and modern twist to gifting. All of our gifts have been thoughtfully chosen to create a unique and memorable gifting experience you won’t easily find on the high street. We present your gifts in a stylish gift box that is tied with a bow and includes a personalised, handwritten card of your choice.

How long have you been in business? And what was your mission from the outset?
We launched in February 2020, a time which really threw us straight into the deep end as it was just before the pandemic struck. We wanted to combine our skill sets to create a female-run, family business and we saw a gap in the market for curated gift boxes that are vibrant, modern and fun. We are all about gifting the good vibes!

Of what part of your business are you proudest?
Something we really love about Vixi is the personal element, we love how it keeps people connected and we really see this love being shared through the personalised messages people leave to accompany their gifts. We handwrite every card to keep this personal element alive, even if people can’t be together, which we know hits home for many people now more than ever.

Who are your business heroes? Personal heroes?
Coming from creative backgrounds, Fenella with writing, and Melodie with design, our business heroes are poet, Rupi Kaur, and designer, Jessica Walsh. We absolutely love how they are making waves in the creative world for women and aspire to do the same. We’ve always wanted Vixi to be vibrant and make noise in the industry, which is something we admire about these women as they push themselves creatively and aren’t afraid to shake things up and make a statement. As cheesy as it may sound, our personal heroes would have to be each other. Each of us brings unique strengths to the business and has their own part to play. We love to see women building each other up and we all do this in our own ways. We’re a family unit full of big dreams and inspiration.

How have you found the last six months?
Professionally, the last six months have been challenging as the Covid crisis was something that none of us expected, especially after only just launching. Our focus changed in many ways, one of these being a shift of focus from the wedding market to corporate gifting. Our curated gift boxes now have a strong mindfulness/self-care focus. As with every other business, we have had to adapt to the current climate. During the times we are in, it is great to see everybody supporting local, however this also means we have consistently had to keep knocking on doors to stand out and push our name out there. We really appreciate all the support we’ve received to get the business to where it is today.

Personally, it was difficult when we couldn’t all be together as often as normal because we are so used to working as a team. However, both the professional and personal challenges made us stronger as we learned to adapt and have had time to reflect on more goals and the future.

What keeps you positive?
Our positivity comes from each other and the sheer love of the business. We are all so passionate about our roles which radiates to the other team members when one of them may be having a down day or feeling a bit unmotivated. Being a family business, we’re all so close and know each other’s doubts and fears, therefore we’re always lucky to have each other to inspire and drive us forward. We also LOVE getting a new product delivery (and of course the occasional chocolate sample!).

What new perspective (if any) have you gained from 2020?
You have to be adaptable. If something doesn’t work, you have to keep pushing forward and try a new angle. It isn’t all rainbows every day, but the tough days make you cherish all of the little wins. Nicky always says: “One minute you’re down, the next you’re up!” and things really do change that quickly, you just don’t know what tomorrow may bring. That excitement makes it all worthwhile.

Best/worst moment from 2020?
Our best and worst moment is a funny story, because one led into the other. Just before we were set to launch, we had a trademark issue with our business name which really threw a spanner in the works. At the time we felt like it was a very bad sign and had to come up with a new name. So after many cappuccinos, an entire family brainstorm session and lots of uncertainty, Vixi Gifting was born. And the best part? We haven’t looked back since. It was a sign after all, but a great sign! Vixi Gifting was supposed to be the name all along, our previous name really doesn’t fit the brand we have since built. Our worst moment turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to us. Everything happens for a reason, don’t give up!

How will you celebrate Christmas this year?
We absolutely love Christmas. This year we will celebrate it with lots of cheese, plenty of chaos with our ever growing number of office pups, and take time to unwind and reflect on a crazy year. We’ve already told everybody that they’re getting a Vixi gift box for Christmas, so no doubt they’ll be piled up under every Christmas tree locally … Here’s hoping they share around the munchies!

Another Irish business you want to shine a spotlight on?
The Nicki Hoyne Collection is a stunning brand which will be adored by fashionistas everywhere! Nicki was Melodie’s mentor when she took part in the Mentor Her program recently, and she gave so much valuable business advice and guidance from her own experience with My Shining Armour. It’s a great brand we can’t wait to watch grow, built by such an empowering woman.

Anything else you would like to let us know?
We can mix and match gifts to curate your own gift box if you’d like to get in touch about that. We will be building on this feature in the new year as we plan to launch a build-your-own gift option on our website, so stay tuned for that. We also do corporate gifting and are looking forward to networking further and working with new businesses. Among our milestones we’ve reached this year, we recently received a Business All-Star One To Watch Accreditation. Hoping everybody enjoys the run up to Christmas, we now ship internationally and have free shipping throughout Ireland, so we can’t wait to help you gift the good vibes!

You can find Vixi Gifting on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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