Localee is Living Up to Its Name With Unique, Locally-Sourced Gift Boxes

Omaha – Thinking inside the box is helping Britney Gibilisco and her online company Localee grow a list of satisfied customers and recipients who appreciate the hand-selected, locally-sourced items that fill her pre-curated and custom gift boxes.

Based in Omaha but eager to ship anywhere in the country, Localee recently marked its first anniversary in business. Gibilisco says she is proud of the niche her personalized gift boxes have been carving in the marketplace.

“Localee is primarily serving a corporate gifting clientele,” she says. “We are also building a market for personalized boxes that make unique gifts for anyone to send.”

Localee assembles gift boxes from a locally-sourced and growing list of area vendors, Gibilisco says. “We work with about 30 different area businesses, and we are always looking to introduce our clients to new vendors,” she says. “That is why we are expanding our list of vendors on a weekly basis.”

For example, Localee is adding neighborhood gift boxes with items produced in specific areas such as Benson, Dundee and Lincoln, along with quarterly seasonal gift boxes, to its list of offerings. Customers can also add a neighborhood gift card, set of neighborhood coasters, or a Nebraska motif tea towel to their selection.

Besides partnering with local vendors, Gibilisco has also worked with the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) to establish and advance her company. “Britney came to us in 2021 with the idea to open an online gifting business for local products,” says Kiley Phelps, Omaha Center Director of America’s SBDC-Nebraska, a program of the NBDC. “Over time, the business has evolved both in name and in concept.”

Gibilisco says she worked with Phelps on her business plan and financial projections. “Kiley gave me feedback and helped refine my plan,” she says. “That gave me more confidence going forward.”

Originally from a farming family near Tekamah, Gibilisco earned her bachelor’s degree in advertising at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and has lived and worked in New York City and Chicago.

As her website states: “Growing up surrounded by hardworking farmers, talented makers, and a close-knit community, I learned early on that the best things in life are built locally and shared generously.”

Gibilisco previously partnered with another woman to open a restaurant and tap room in Tekamah. “That was my first experience with owning a small business,” she says. “It’s when I fell in love with the concept of entrepreneurship.”

Entrepreneurship does come with challenges and demands, she says. “I do pretty much everything,” she says. “It’s always a challenge running a business alone, and while I have a certain degree of flexibility, it can definitely push me outside of my comfort zone.”

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