Stepping inside All Wrapped Up is like receiving a warm hug from a long lost friend.
From mugs filled with heartfelt odes to mums and candles for new homes to bonnie baby bibs and beautiful handcrafted cards, the friendly gift and card shop based in Stonehaven is love personified.
Kind, friendly and chatty, it feels like the vibrant little shop is an extension of owner Angela Jamieson’s character.
“We just want people to feel welcome, have a chat and just have a great experience when they come into the shop,” said Angela.
“I do feel like I’m living the dream.
“It’s brilliant and it’s great to talk to people all the time.”
Business owner and mum
A busy mum-of-four, Angela’s journey to becoming a business owner started when she took a leap of faith by leaving the bank where she had worked for over 20 years, to take up a job at a local jewellery shop.
“I had done my time in the bank so I was looking for something else,” said Angela.
“When a job came up at Aly Bali Jewellery Gallery I jumped at the chance to work there as I already knew the owner Alyson Philip.
“It was just something totally different but it was great as I was still interacting with customers.”
Leap of faith
As fate would have it, Alyson also opened a gift shop in Stonehaven called Aly Bali Bee.
Little did Angela know that the gift shop would one day be hers.
“When Alyson opened the gift shop, I went to work there,” said Angela.
“I’d never worked in retail before so she basically taught me what I needed to know and from there it progressed.
“After a few years I bought the gift shop from her.
“I was really nervous as obviously I had never done anything like that before but at the same time I thought, well if I don’t do it now I’ll never do it.”
Handcrafted cards and gifts
Renaming the shop All Wrapped Up, Angela hasn’t looked back and feels empowered to be both a woman and a mum in business.
“I still can’t believe I am a business owner as I still just think of myself as a mum,” said Angela.
“It just felt like it was my time now as I had my kids young so now it’s time for me now and my husband Ian of course, who is my handyman.”
From weddings to new babies
Brimming with handcrafted cards and gifts for every occasion, a walk round All Wrapped Up is a feast for the eyes.
“We’ve got gifts for every occasion from weddings and new babies to new homes,” said Angela.
“We have people visiting from all over the world so we’ve got lots of Scottish things too.
“Our Highland cow collection is very popular – I could basically sell Highland Cow things until the cows come home.”
Candles
Cards and candles are also hugely popular.
“I source my cards locally and further afield and they’re all handmade.
“When we were in lockdown a lot of people said how much they missed the fact that they couldn’t get our nice handmade cards because the shop was closed.
“We’ve also got lots of lovely candles too.”
Hanging hearts
Quotes to live by also adorn the shop from top to bottom in the form of hanging hearts and ceramic pieces.
“We also have a lot of beautiful pieces with quotes on them like hanging hearts,” said Angela.
“The friendship quotes in particular are very popular.
“My own house is full of them.”
For those who are looking for a gift for a new baby, the shop is the place to visit.
“We sell a lot of baby things such as baby bibs, bunny rabbits, a few baby toys and rattles.
“We also stock the Jellycat gift collection with books.”
Trinkets
To know that she is playing a part in making someone happy brings Angela a great deal of joy.
“A lot of people buy little trinkets to pop in a card and send to somebody to cheer them up,” said Angela.
“A lot of people will tell you why they’re buying it and why they’re sending it to somebody, it’s so lovely to hear their stories.”
And for Angela, there’s no greater feeling than being back open again after what has been such a turbulent time for businesses the length and breadth of the country.
“I just hoped that when we opened up again that people would come back and they did,” said Angela.
“Even the first day back it was busy as people were glad to come back and see us again and look at things and touch things again and not have to rely on buying things online.”
Blessed with a lovely team made up of Amy and Kirsty, who work in the shop on Saturdays and Jan who lends a hand with the creative side of the business, Angela says she feels very lucky.
Also chipping in from time to time to help out are Angela’s children Lauren, 26, Emma, 24, Andrew, 21, and Stuart, 13.
Describing it as a dream come true, Angela says All Wrapped Up is certainly her happy place.
“I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else now,” said Angela.
For more information about All Wrapped Up check out their Facebook page or Instagram.
