“Basically, we’re trying to replace the basic greeting card,” said BreAnna Pund, co-creator of Boxxly. “If you’re going to a birthday party or baby shower or something, you can pick this up. It’s kind of like a gift and a card in one, so it’s not just something that can be thrown away.”
Credit: Boxxly
Credit: Boxxly
The pair founded the company in 2014, making personalized wine glasses until the epiphany for this current iteration of their business came about. In a way, the company has allowed the pair, who have been friends since the fifth grade, to live out their dreams. Pund serves as the resident graphic designer, bringing the custom creations to life, and Westfall is the brand’s marketing guru.
“We were both single moms,” said Pund. “My husband passed away in 2014, so we kind of wanted to figure out a way that we could stay at home with our kids. I’m very artsy and crafty. We’ve been best friends since the fifth grade. We just wanted something that we could do together that can be passed down to our children.”
Credit: Boxxly
Credit: Boxxly
Currently, Boxxly customers can either request a completely custom label, or they can choose between a number of standard designs for occasions like weddings, birthdays, pregnancies and holidays that only require the addition of a name, text or photos. Since the creation of the business in 2014, Boxxly has found success on Etsy, receiving thousands of online orders and rave reviews. Despite this success, however, Pund and Westfall hope to branch out even more by offering their custom label-making services to businesses, and eventually, move their office to Dayton.
These expansion efforts will perhaps begin with the company’s first pop-up event, taking place on Saturday, Aug. 15 outside of Heart Mercantile in the Oregon District. Though they won’t be able to sell customized labels at that event, Pund and Westfall will be selling beer boxes and labels that anyone could purchase to celebrate a special occasion.
“We spoke with them about putting our products in their store, but with everything going on with COVID and inventory space, we decided instead to do a pop-up [event] and see how it goes, and then possibly get our products into their store on a regular basis,” said Ashley Westfall.
Boxxly will be set up outside of Heart Mercantile, located at 438 E. Fifth St. in Dayton, from noon to 3 p.m. For more information about the event, visit the Boxxly or Heart Mercantile Facebook page.
No matter how the company will change and grow in the coming years and months, the pair is still clear about their desired impact in the greeting card market.
Credit: Breanna Pund and Ashley Westfall
Credit: Breanna Pund and Ashley Westfall
“As the original boxed card, we have turned the greeting card into a gift itself,” said Westfall. “At Boxxly, we did not just step outside the box – we reinvented the box.”
Learn more about Boxxly’s mission by visiting their Instagram and Facebook pages.
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