Give a Little Happy

By Ashley Tiedt

Photos by Blair Ramsey & Contributed

“Give the unexpected. Give to make a difference. Give out of love. Give to show that you care. Give to make her smile. Give for no reason at all. Give from your heart. Give without keeping score. Give joy. Give a little happy.”

It’s a mission statement that means so much to sisters-in-law Beth Dorsett and Krista Dickinson.

“So Beth and I have never really given gifts at holidays, but throughout the year, we’d see something that reminded us of the other person and give it to them,” Krista says. “We called it ‘picking up a little happy.’” The joy of making others happy is something these ladies have always appreciated.

Beth started her career in healthcare, and Krista was a special education teacher.

One evening over dinner, Krista had a revelation: what if they teamed up and opened a gift shop?

“I said, ‘Well, that would be fun,’ and it kind of went from there,” Beth says. “We really took six months and met with lots of advisors and mentors that helped us get to this point.”

While they were planning and learning, the women also spent a lot of time in prayer.

“It was a huge leap of faith,” Krista adds. “Throughout the process, I feel that God kept leading us to people and providing things that we could never have thought of or dreamed of on our own. It was just like another affirmation.”

One of those affirmations was from one of Krista’s friends and mentors, Terry Shea, who had previously owned Wrapsody. She sat with the ladies for hours, talking about business plans and asking questions to prepare Beth and Krista for anything that might be thrown their way. They left that meeting with homework to be completed and began to process what their store would really look like and what kind of feelings it would invoke in its clients.

Beth and Krista were encouraged to determine what would make them stand out, not just in what they sold, but the way that people felt while they shopped. Once the plan was secured, the search for the perfect venue was underway.

The first place Krista and Beth looked at was Vestavia Hills. It was important to them to serve the community where they lived.

“We vetted several locations, and we truly wanted to be part of our community,” Beth says. “We’re here for the community, for the people who love to shop in this area.”

Once they secured the lease, the other merchants welcomed them with open arms and excitement. With a location secured, the ladies entered the brand development phase.

“We sat down with a graphic designer, and she just asked us questions about ourselves and our hopes for the business,” Krista explains. “When she came back with designs, we were shocked. It was amazing!”

The only thing left now was to fill the store with a lot of ‘little happies.’ They met with a consultant, made a plan and headed to market in Atlanta with their road map in hand. Krista had been to market before, but this was a brand-new experience for Beth.

“It’s overwhelming! Thankfully, Krista knew what she was doing,” Beth says. “She just took it and started running.”

The ladies were hopeful and optimistic, but also cautious, knowing that the decision they made that day would affect them in the months to come. They had just celebrated Christmas, and now, they were already purchasing for the next Christmas.

Plus, the merchants at market have a minimum purchase amount, and they had to decide on the spot whether to purchase at the minimum or move on.

“Most of the booths had a minimum purchase of four items, and for some reason, that really scared us,” Beth says. “If they had said the minimum purchase was three, we would have bought it on the spot, but something about having to sell four just made us nervous.”

“We had to get over that really quick,” Krista says. “We were there to make purchases, and we need to have inventory in our store. By day two, we were feeling more confident and decided to ‘divide and conquer’ instead of sticking together.”

They came with everything they were searching for and more, with items to make them stand out from the crowd.

B. Happy opened its doors to the Vestavia Hills community on March 1 of this year, and what a day it was. The Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, friends and family were on hand as Beth and Krista cut the ribbon on their little labor of love for the Cahaba Heights community.

“The encouragement that we have received from this community has been overwhelming,” Krista says. “From the other stores in the shopping center to the chamber of commerce and our customers, we have felt so loved during this entire process.”

On B. Happy’s first day open, a customer brought the ladies an orchid to welcome them to the community, and it sparked that reminder of a “little happy” that brought about this great adventure.

At B. Happy, one can find a gift for everyone on her list. From a card to a whiskey barrel, there is truly something in the shop that will make someone’s loved ones’ lives happy.

“We just hope when people come into the shop that they feel the joy that we have and that they feel welcomed,” Beth says.

“Our mission is truly to serve this community with love and joy,” Krista says.

Customers can visit B. Happy in the Heights Village Shopping Center in Cahaba Heights and visit the website, shopbhappy.com, to stay in touch with the B. Happy family.