While Christie Howell was a student at Auburn University, she worked part time for the downtown Auburn gift store Wrapsody.

At the time, Wrapsody was a two-store chain that began in Hoover in 2004. The downtown Auburn store opened in 2009. When the original owners, Terry Shea, who lived in Hoover, and Sarah Brown, who lived in Auburn, decided to sell in 2017, they knew Christie and her husband, Reel, were the ideal buyers.

“She understood the Wrapsody culture,” Shea said. “Christie embraced our staff and our customers from the beginning of her ownership. She thoughtfully rebranded the stores with a nod to the past but beholding the future.”

Howell, who first studied fashion merchandising at Auburn but opted for a degree and job in early childhood education, said, “I never in a million years thought that I would own” Wrapsody.

“We’ve been welcomed in the community and have had a great response,” Christie Howell said about opening a store and establishing the headquarters for its five-store gift boutique chain in Homewood. (Brandon Robbins / Alabama Retailer)

“I’d always seen myself owning my own business of some sort,” Christie said, plus she and her husband, chief operating officer for a Birmingham-based construction company, were “always looking for opportunities.”

When the Howells learned Wrapsody was for sale, the business was familiar and they knew and trusted the sellers, so buying it made sense.

In the ensuing seven years, the Howells have added stores in Trussville, Homewood and Madison while almost tripling the Wrapsody team.

Growing the business and growing the base

In October 2019, two years into their ownership, the Howells moved Wrapsody’s Hoover location from Patton Creek to Stadium Trace Village, reaching a larger customer base and giving that store a sales boost.

“We always knew we wanted to expand,” Christie said. “We have learned that location and neighboring complementary businesses is key.”

In May 2020, at the height of a pandemic, the Howells opened Wrapsody’s third store in Trussville.

“The Trussville team has grown their customer base over the last four years with great repeat customers and also new ones coming in all the time,” Christie said.

The Howells’ big leap came in October 2023 when they opened the fourth Wrapsody in Homewood.

With an SBA 504 loan, the couple bought several parcels on 18th Street, a walkable shopping area in the heart of Homewood. Besides a store, they have warehouse space on the Linden Alley side of the property to centralize receiving for all the Wrapsody stores.

Having receiving in one location “has been a game changer,” Christie said. “Our stores can focus on customers. The stores are not getting pallets upon pallets of product at their back door. Product arrives ready for them to put out” on store shelves.

“The opportunity for a small business, such as us, to own their real estate is so rare, and we are thankful to have full control of our location for years to come,” the Howells said. They also bought nearby property on Linden Avenue for their corporate headquarters. “It’s been great for me, productivity wise, to just be in one spot,” said Christie, adding that she visits all five Wrapsody locations for special events such as Bid Day in Auburn. Greek merchandise is a big part of the Auburn store’s sales in the fall when sorority rush occurs.

Wrapsody’s fifth store in Madison’s Clift Farm development opened June 12. “We were the first tenant to move into our section” of the development, Christie said. “We are open in the middle of a construction zone, but we have adjusted and have an amazing team there.”

Each of the five stores has full-time managers and assistant managers leading the individual teams, with a district manager providing support.

Online shop considered sixth location

While Wrapsody “continues to be bullish about brick and mortar,” the Howells said, “it is critical” to have “an online presence and offer online shopping and services.”

To that end, the Howells created a full-time web manager position, equivalent to a manager of a physical location. “She is on the website every day, all day, fulfilling orders. The customer service she provides to online customers is more than you can get from” a big box store or a mega online seller, Christie said.

Entering busy season

At Wrapsody’s physical stores, the Christmas trees go up in late September, a month out even from Halloween. “People are always shocked at how early it is,” Christie said.  But customers “are always hesitantly excited about seeing the trees up” and what that means is coming next.

The winter holidays are “always our busiest time of year,” said the owner of the boutique chain that sells high-quality gifts, including seasonal décor, home accessories, clothing, handbags and jewelry.

“We are anticipating a great holiday season,” Christie said, with the caveat that each year “you cross your fingers and say a prayer that people continue to remain loyal to your local stores.”

This year, Wrapsody added a full-time inventory manager and buyer who inputs product into Wrapsody’s system and disperses it to all the stores. Others also are involved in buying and attend the six to eight markets annually in Dallas and Atlanta to get just the right gifts for every season.

Decorating for Christmas at Wrapsody begins early. This is the view from last year’s front window at the Homewood store. Wrapsody also has locations in Hoover, Auburn, Trussville and Madison. (Brandon Robbins / Alabama Retailer)

Christie said during the holiday spending time, inventory is at its peak and nearly everything in the stores goes home with customers by Christmas.

“Every year after Christmas, we are shocked at how empty the store looks, which is how you want to be coming into January,” she said. “When that happens, we can take a breath and plan for the next year.”

Grateful for team and family who support her ‘easy job’

“I am so grateful for the wonderful Wrapsody team that goes above and beyond every day, our trusted vendors and partners who tirelessly support us and for the local communities we serve,” Christie said.

The mother of two boys under the age of 5 said she counts motherhood as the hardest job she’s ever had, closely followed by her years as a teacher. “When I come to work (at her Wrapsody headquarters in Homewood), this is the easiest job that I do,” she said.

Besides being the operating owner of Wrapsody, Christie also is a part-owner of Once Upon a Time, a children’s boutique, with a store next door to Wrapsody in Homewood and a second location in Mountain Brook.

“I do it with the help of great people,” she said, including a full-time bookkeeper, accounting team, marketing manager and other members of the management team. “I would not be able to do what I do without them.”

Those people also include her husband, who “focuses on financials, facilities and long-term growth,” and her father, who came out of retirement to work part-time delivering product to the individual stores weekly.

The almost 90-member Wrapsody team “puts a ton of time and effort into” the business, she said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do it at all.”

The Homewood Wrapsody is at 2840 18th St. South in the heart of the city’s shopping district. For store locations and hours for the four other Wrapsody boutiques, visit shopwrapsody.com.

This article originally appeared in the November 2024 Alabama Retailer.