Page 13 - Cornwall 4 2021

ENTREPRENEURS

CORNWALL’S evident, from exquisite wrapping and
packaging to handwriting your personal
message and offering door-to-door
GIFT GENIE delivery nationwide, Ana and her genies
do it all.

When getting background information
for these articles, I always ask whether
BY NICOLE ZERWICK • IMAGES BY IVAN MULLER there is a particularly funny or interesting
story that I can include.
Sometimes there is an amusing
hen my children to remember name that also described anecdote, but most often it is the
were very much the nature of the business. What better reference to the commitment a
younger, they went way than the idea of a genie that grants small business requires - the late
through a phase of wishes? nights, last minute orders and delivery
Wcollecting stickers. I deadlines. Ana’s comments touched on
would carefully observe which sheet of Using Gift Genie is like having your very those challenges as well, but what shone
stickers caught their eye on the weekly own gifting personal assistant, one out was her love of, and the interest she
sticker shopping but that had to be put that makes gifting easy, affordable and takes in, meeting new people through
back due to their pocket money budget convenient. You can choose from their the business. A highlight of the job for
constraints. I would return a day or so curated gift boxes for every occasion, her is to be part of the happiness and
later and buy the sheet and post it to whether corporate or personal, or you surprise when people receive their gifts.
them. The joy on their faces when the can build your own gift box from their She reminded me that it is especially
post box revealed an envelope addressed extensive range of unique handmade during stressful times when people are
to them, and wonder of all wonders, and customs gifts. With an ethos of feeling overwhelmed, such as we are
exactly the stickers they wanted! I loved supporting local and small businesses, currently experiencing with the Covid
doing this for my children because it all Gift Genie’s hand-picked gifting pandemic, that connecting through
made me feel so good. Thus it is that I products are sourced from local thoughtfulness, kindness, gifting and
can relate to poet, memoirist, and civil artisans, entrepreneurs and vendors. touching someone’s life can make a huge
rights activist Maya Angelou when she Ana also strives to reduce the business’ difference.
said, “I have found that among its other environmental footprint and therefore,
benefits, giving liberates the soul of the 99% of their gift boxes and packaging
giver”. Someone who gets to experience are eco-friendly, recyclable and reusable. www.giftgenie.co.za
this joy and wonder of giving on a daily All you do is click and shop and they Instagram: giftgeniesa
basis is Cornwall resident Ana dos Santos. will do the rest. As a small family owned Facebook: @giftgenie.co.za
and run business, the personal touch is Contact: 072 718 0620
A lifelong Pretorian, Ana is the eldest of
three sisters from a Portuguese family.
Married to her high school sweetheart
with a 25th wedding anniversary to
celebrate this year, she has two children
– awesome kids are how she describes
them - Bianca who matriculated last year
and Vincente who is currently in grade 9
at Cornwall Hill College. The family moved
into Cornwall Hill Estate in May 2020.
After school, Ana studied travel and
tourism and worked in the travel industry
for over twenty years, where she was
fortunate enough to be able to travel
and live overseas. About four years ago,
feeling the need to change her work focus
and try new ventures whilst working
from home, she left the travel industry. It
came about that attending a craft course
in late 2018 affirmed her passion for
gifting and gift wrapping and made her
realise that she could help other people to
make gifting easy. It was the birth of Gift
Genie which officially launched online on
16 July 2019. The name for the business
came from the desire to have a fun, easy

Cornwall View • Issue 3 2021 11