Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - January / February 2021

84 The smell of success Best Kept Secrets has been a stalwart of the gifting industry since 1996 and puts its longevity down to great products and successful relationships with their clients. Vanessa Curry tells us more When did you start up and why? It may have been a mid-life crisis but in 1996 Alan and Denise Edwards decided to leave their careers – Alan in electricity supply and Denise in marketing. They wanted to start something new, away from what had been their daily existence for the previous 20 years. A very small candle business became available. With just a few products but no customers, it presented just the challenge Alan and Denise were looking for. Fast forward to three years, I bought the business from my parents. What challenges have you overcome since the company’s launch? Setting aside the most recent difficulties of COVID, one particular challenge, which turned out to be the start of our Seriously