Bella Baskets : Home to the Humbolicious
Bella
Baskets is a Veteran and locally owned business in Old Town Eureka which is Home
to the Humbolicious™, a unique and specially designed gourmet gift basket
consisting of locally made gourmet foods and locally roasted coffees from
Humboldt County. All the baskets are designed and customized to the customer’s needs
and you can request to add something special or unique to your basket.
Owners
Mark and Laurie Sanchez purchased Bella Baskets in April 2008. This was a business
that had already been in existence. They wanted an opportunity to have a
locally owned business and storefront in Old Town Eureka. Mark explained that
“buying an established business gave us a good foundation to build and expand
upon.”
Bella Baskets offers one
of Humboldt County’s largest selection of locally made gourmet foods which are featured
in the Humbolicious™ gourmet gift baskets. All the baskets are able to be
packed and be shipped worldwide.
About 90% of the
store inventory is local products and Bella Baskets does business with 2 local distributors
and about 25 local and independent Vendors.
According to Laurie, Bella
Baskets has created a solid customer base both with internet and returning
customers. “Our goal and part of our business plan is to provide the best in
quality and convenience and to have great values and helpful customer service. We
have to be adjustable to the customer’s needs in today’s economy to be
profitable and successful.”
Both Laurie and Mark
feel that the challenges local businesses face in Humboldt County differ from
business to business. “Tourists are a big part of business but the local community
is the bread and butter of our economy here in Humboldt County,” said Mark. At
Bella Baskets, we focus on supporting our local community as much as possible,”
added Laurie. “90% of our store inventory is bought locally; we support the
local food vendors; and 68 cents on the dollar is spent on local products we
use is kept here in Humboldt County.”
In March 2011, Bella
Baskets had an opportunity to move to their new store location at 311 E Street
in Old Town. Although there is a risk when you move your business and how you
manage getting the word out to your customer base, Laurie and Mark are pleased
that the business has retained loyal and repeat customers and attracted new
ones within a short period of time.
Bella Baskets also gives back to the community on
an annual basis by donating gift baskets. Since Mark and Laurie bought the
store four years ago, Bella Baskets has donated about $16,000 to kids and sports
groups ,school fundraisers, Veterans groups, Relay for Life, public television
, Boys and Girls clubs and other special needs groups and community events.