It’s All Bretts Fault

Hello all

We have finally opened Poppys Place @Bretts Gifts, which is brimming with crystals of all varieties, natural, tumbled, household items, trees, jewellery and much more.

But with this post I thought I’d address the awkward silence and puzzled looks I get, when I say we opened a shop in our Sons memory.

Brett passed away aged 18, after a 5 year battle with child leukaemia.

Now, it’s not unusual to do things in a deceased child‘s honour, there are charities and fund raisers all the time for this very reason, but I see the perplexed looks in our case- Why A Gift Shop !?!?!

Well, theres a reason and I shall try to explain it,

To say Brett was a very nice person is an understatement. He was kind, inclusive, generous, fun loving, cheeky and generous. Yeah! Yeah get to the gift shop part I’m sure you’re thinking.

Brett had a ridiculously good knack of buying the right gift. He always gave you imaginative, thoughtful, unusual presents, and not just for birthdays or Christmas.

Brett believed in what he called ‘random gift day’ and would just present you with something he’d found for you, perhaps to cheer you up or just because he loved you. Based on the fact Brett spent most of his teenage years in children’s hospitals or trapped at home because he was too frail or poorly to go out, this was no mean feat.

When we did go out, Brett loved shopping. We used to often go to the Cotswalds and head for the little, quaint and independent shops.

I wrote in my recently published book, Because of Brett, (Blatant plug there) that those grieving, often want to keep the very essence of their loved one alive. We are no different, how could we honour Bretts memory?

This is where Bretts Gifts comes in. We designed the sort of shop Brett would have loved.

We wanted somewhere you could rush to in a hurry, when you’re in between chores and just need a nice gift, quickly. Thats why we cater for all ages, we wanted a one stop gift shop with easy, ample parking. You can even park outside the door, very good feature for those with mobility issues, like Brett had.

But Brett liked the unusual, quirky and odd, so we constantly hunt for strange things that you realty wouldn’t see on the high street.

Don’t be fooled though, Brett loved a bargain, he was very shrewd with his money, he found offers and bargains like no other. He used to have the hospital staff come and give him a list of what they wanted and he would hunt down the best deal. It was one of the things he was famous for.

So our shop had to be of great value, no rip off prices at Bretts Gifts. We even pass on the savings we get from wholesalers when we get them.

But finally, we wanted to create a fun. vibrant, happy place where you could mooch alone or with friends and family. Somewhere you looked forward to going to and left with a buzz. Somewhere you could treat your loved ones or buy treasures for yourself.

Lets face it, life’s hard. We know that better than anyone. Buying stuff doesn’t change that but as Brett would say, at the the end of the day lets not take life too seriously, it’s all ‘shits & giggles,’ Hopefully I‘ve explained the ethos behind our little shop and we’re not finished yet, we shall continue to grow and come up with bigger better ideas, just as he did.

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness hasn‘t been to Bretts Gifts yet.