I often get asked how it all started with Giving Crates and here is the story: 

One day, (sometime around the middle of 2015), Archie from Cumberland Crate Company contacted me about selling their crates at Giving Gifts. My response was that I would be interested in selling their crates but I'd LOVE to fill them with local, eco friendly and fair trade gifts from the store and then sell them as gift boxes. His response was: "our crates are begging to be filled!" And that was the start of something wonderful! We got so excited by our first shipment of Cumberland's high quality crates. They are handmade in Vancouver Island from sustainably sourced wood. 

I remember jumping and squealing with delight the first time I filled them with gifts and took photos of the crates. It was amazing to see my vision come together and they were even more beautiful than I imagined. Over the year, we worked with Cumberland to completely customize our crates. They now have the Giving Crates stamp on them and are designed with our needs in mind. We offer them in 4 different sizes, including one with a darker stain. We also have one size that has a lid which makes them convenient for shipping. We've come a far way from the traditional Cumberland Crates Archie asked us to sell, to create our own completely custom versions. 

Cumberland's original crates

When people stop by the store, I often get asked what I create. I used to look at them with a sad look and say that I organize the store but I don't create any of the beautiful gifts we sell. Since the day I filled our first crate, I can now proudly say that I am the artist behind the Giving Crates! Each one is a true work-of-art. I'm so proud that Cumberland Crate Company, a company with values similar to our own, creates our crates. As they say "our vision is to provide a long lasting, sustainable product while creating work right here at home and helping our local economy." We couldn't agree more!