Pals & partners: Gift Chixx is their second career
Pinecrest, FL – Though Shelly Brodie was having a successful career as a CPA and Karen Sklawer was busy selling framed artwork to the hotel industry, the two longtime friends both had the itch to try something different. They wanted something fun, colorful and creative. So they started having trunk shows in private homes, selling unusual gifts and home accessories.
The business boomed, far beyond their expectations, and Brodie and Sklawer realized they had found their niche. They opened Gift Chixx in a strip shopping center at U.S. 1 and 124th Street in Pinecrest and, despite the sluggish economy, the two “chixx” have already amassed between 500 and 600 customers in the six months they’ve been in business.
“Even in a bad economy, people are still getting married, having children, needing bridal, birthday, shower and thank-you presents,” Brodie says. “They’re always buying gifts. We saw the need for it. We’ve been busy since we opened and have shipped gifts all over the country.”
