Debbie Wittbrodt's inspiration for opening her gift shop came to her back in 1986 when she needed to send something special to a close family friend out of state and the only option available back then was to send flowers, and, before the internet and photos, you had to trust that local florist would do a nice job.

“I thought, ‘There must be a better way to send gifts’ and that is when I started developing corporate gift baskets which I delivered locally and shipped all over the country,” Debbie Wittbrodt, owner of Treasure Baskets explains.

So in October of 1987, Debbie started her business in her home in Grand Blanc when she had five young children and the youngest one was only 18 months old. Her husband Patrick, a GM executive, was very supportive and still is very involved with the business today. She grew so fast that she opened a storefront in 1988 in the old Water Street Pavilion in Downtown Flint where she operated until the building sold to U of M – Flint in 1990.

In April 90, Debbie opened up in 800 square feet of retail space in the Grand Mall on Saginaw Street. Since she has been there, she has expanded three times and now has over 2400 square feet of retail space!

In August of 2015, Debbie opened a second location at the Davison Farmers’ Market and has been approached to open two more locations in other cities in Genesee County. “The last 28 years have been quite a whirlwind,” Debbie explains. “All our children have worked in the store; I believe it teaches great customer service skills, inventory management, bookkeeping, and organization, among many other great business and life skills. Small business owners have to do everything.” Debbie laughs as she explains that, “The kids knew that once they got to high school, if they didn’t play a sport, they had to work here after school…all my children played sports in high school!”

Business has continued to grow and two of her daughters, Bethany Barcey and Sarah Wittbrodt, have stayed in the family business and are raising their own children while still working at Treasure Baskets. “It’s great to be able to be there in the evenings with my family and have a flexible schedule...but also for my son to experience helping in the store on the weekends and after school,” explains Sarah. “Plus, I get to work with my mom and sister and that is what really matters.” The store transforms into its annual Christmas Shop in November after Halloween.

The Christmas Shop kicks off with Widow’s Weekend November 13th, 14th and 15th with special events and promotions all weekend long. Save-the-Date for the Christmas Open House on November 21st and 22nd from 10 AM – 6 PM when you can sample food products, see product demos, and enjoy wine while you shop and receive FREE gift wrapping for all gifts purchased during the open house.

“This is a great way to save money over the holidays. We run special promotions and have free gift wrapping, which can get very expensive. Plus, we make each of our beautiful gift bows individually, which is very important to me, because it adds that extra special element of class to each gift.” explains Debbie.


Some of the unique and affordable services Treasure Baskets provide are:

1) ONLINE STORE:
In 2007, Treasure Baskets started selling online. This came from an increased demand from snowbirds who wanted to send Christmas and birthday gifts to family and friends during the winter months when they were residing in warmer states. Now Treasure Baskets has clients all over the country, many of whom have never visited the actual storefront!

2) GIFT GIVING SERVICE:
Many businesses keep a list of important dates on file at Treasure Baskets for staff and family birthdays, important anniversaries and various holidays. We create custom gift baskets and deliver the gifts on the specified dates every year. Let Treasure Baskets take care of remembering for you!

3) PRIVATE PARTIES:
Book Treasure Baskets after hours and host your own private party. Treasure Baskets will send out the invitations, provide the food and beverages and your guests will also receive FREE gift-wrapping that evening along, with special discounts for items purchased that evening. A great Girls Night Out!

4) WEDDING SERVICES:
Let Treasure Baskets add that special something to your wedding with Made-in-Michigan Hotel Baskets for out of town guests, toiletry baskets for your reception, embroidery for custom gifts (robes, tote bags and more), and they are also an authorized retailer for Carlson Craft and Crane custom invitations.

5) BEREAVEMENT BASKETS/ STATUES:
Treasure Baskets has a beautiful selection of statues, stones and baskets that are inspirational and unique to send to the family in mourning. Just call to see the available items in stock as these items change often with the seasons.

6) CORPORATE GIFT GIVING:
Holiday gift giving can be overwhelming for some businesses, so let Treasure Baskets alleviate some of the stress. Determine the budget and theme for your baskets, and they will make them on budget and beautifully hand-delivered (or shipped if out-of-state) on time to your clients, business associates, friends and family.

TREASURE BASKETS
12821 Saginaw Road // Grand Blanc
10 AM – 6 PM // M-Tu-W-F & SAT
10 AM – 7 PM // Th
12 PM – 5 PM // SUN

TREASURE BASKETS – TOO!
Davison Farmers Market
8110 East Court Street // Davison
8 AM – 6 PM // Tu-Th-SAT
www.TreasureBaskets.com
(866) 694-9777 Toll Free