In Pursuit of That Perfect Gift
by Gwen O’Neill
Yvonne Lorvan. Staff photo.
Do you ever worry about giving a gift that you fear may end up in a clutter pile or “re-gift” drawer?
“Everyone wants to give the perfect gift and I feel I am helping people do just that,” said Yvonne Lorvan, a gift consultant with the Ribbon of Choice Program.
Lorvan enjoys how her business lets her help others. She has lived in Pacifica for 48 years and is a long-time Rotarian, devoted to providing service to others. “When I realized how wonderful this gift service is, I felt just like I did when I was performing,” she said.
Lorvan is a trained musician and actor and supplemented her income for many years with a bookkeeping service. She said: “I like being out with people and when I was singing, being with people was a gift. Part of me is Bob Cratchit, sitting in a room working with numbers … but the other part is Ethel Merman.”
Name brands are important to many people and the gift collections Lorvan provides feature many well-known brands. The gourmet collection contains Cuisinart products for the kitchen, such as pots and roasters, and small appliances including b lenders, toasters and food processors. For the new baby, choices include a safety gate by Safety 1st, an activity walker by Chicco, and an interesting toy organizer. “Guy Gear” offers tools by Black & Decker, camping equipment by Coleman, and a hand vac by Hoover.
According to Lorvan, the gift collections fit all budgets and are especially useful when trying to decide what to get for the person who seems to have everything. There are many collections to choose from, with a price range from $30 to $1,000. The collections include personal products, gifts for kids or teens, different kinds of food, and much more.
Each ensemble is an actual catalogue of gifts that can be purchased at a single price; it comes with a gift card and a beautiful mailing envelope. The gift card, written in English and Spanish, directs the recipient to the Web site where the gift selection is done; the selected gift is then mailed directly to the recipient.
Lorvan offers gift idea parties in homes as a way to introduce people to the collections. She said, “People have a misconception about how to use the collection.” They think they have to pick the gift, but the idea is to send the whole album and let the recipients choose which gift they want. That way, you “know that you will not be sending an unwanted gift to further clutter someone’s life,” Lorvan said.
Recipients have the added assurance of knowing that “if they choose a gift from the collection and it’s the wrong size or the wrong color, it is refundable for six months and the shipping is paid,” said Lorvan.
A report by Unity Marketing from July 2007 says that the average person spends about $3,000 on gifts and gift accessories every year, including cards, tags, ribbons, wrapping bows and gift bags. “And that’s not considering the time spent driving and the other inconveniences of getting the gift,” Lorvan said.
Pescadero resident Jack McKinnon said: “I have friends and relatives all over the country. I hate to shop and it’s so wonderful to give my names and addresses to Yvonne and she simply takes care of the whole thing for me. I give her my yearly calendar and then I know it’s done.”
“My mother lives in Maryland and it’s so great to just go online and send a collection to Mom and she can choose anything she wants,” said Angela Bolton.
Lorvan said: “I always buy five at a time. The company gives you one free if you buy five of the Variety collection, which is the least costly one. I have them in my car or purse and am able to hand them out for that extra service that someone does for me. It’s a good way to give recognition or a thank you, for business or personal use.
“One local business owner that uses them regularly told me that customers call frequently to make sure they can actually order whatever they want from the collection.”
With the holidays approaching, consider this unique service to help you simplify your life and give a gift of choice. Lorvan can be reached by phone at 650-359-6215.
On the Web:
