Meet Gina Rose Vander Kolk of Rose Marie Boxes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Rose Vander Kolk. 

Hi Gina, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Rose Marie boxes was sparked through a personal gifting experience. At the age of 23, I was going through some health complications, I had a cerebral-spinal fluid leak and was having procedure after procedure to correct it. I ended up being on upside-down bedrest for 2 years to get enough fluid to my brain. Then over the next 4 years completely rehabbing with a local hospital to be functional again. While walking through this journey, I had received some gift baskets from friends and businesses. It meant so much to have someone stop with intention and pick out items to bless me. It wasn’t so much the products that mattered, but the thoughtfulness. I felt seen and known and encouraged. I can still remember that feeling. When I was recovering, I was at home all day and needed something to fill my time that was calming but also had meaning. I started making it a hobby to have my dad drive me around (as I couldn’t drive for quite a few years) and drop off small, simple gift baskets to friends and others going through hard circumstances. It kept on going and eventually someone I gave a basket to asked if I could make one for her to gift. It slowly started from there. In this stage, because of my health it was very sporadic orders. As I got better, it was hard to work in certain environments due to my brain status. With a nursing degree, I wasn’t ready to go into a high-paced profession. Working for myself, I could control the noise level, stimulation factors while being able to rest when I wasn’t feeling well. So, I started increasing my productivity in making gift boxes until I made it into an official business in the spring of 2022. These past few months I have been working on a new products and developing curated boxes to launch. This fall I have tried to partner with local businesses and artisans for over 85% of the products in the boxes! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say, being a small business, I have purposefully grown naturally and organically. This has made the process slower more than anything. I graduated with a BSN and so everything I have developed has been self-taught and learning through trial and error. While most companies have the director of marketing, someone designated for their website development, a photographer, a shipping and receiving director, inventory manager, financial and so on… I have learned and developed myself. I have loved growing and developing these skills. Like all startups, I have encountered processes that don’t work and so make micro adjustments to pivot along the way. I get up and am always excited about what I am doing. I have worked really hard in all my other jobs, hustling to fund this company. I’ll work and save up to buy the necessary items. I think also just splitting time between my other jobs to be self-funded, as well as how long it takes to save is what has slowed my timeline down significantly. It’s a stage and I know that it will be worth it in the end. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Rose Marie Boxes. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Rose Marie Boxes is a luxury gifting company. Rose marie is focused on gift boxes themed for corporations, individuals, and customizations. We partner with a local woodworker, who hand-makes every wooden box. Locally sourced products compromise nearly 85% of our inventory, from the boxes even down to the labels are made right here in grand rapids. A core value is to partner with local and small businesses first and foremost before sourcing elsewhere. Rose marie is not just about the gifting, but more so about the experience as a whole. Every product is thoughtfully chosen, and boxes are assembled with the utmost attention to detail. The unwrapping of a Rose Marie Box is meant to be a luxury packaging experience evoking positive associations and feelings. We hope that box is a memory marker for a moment when people felt seen and valued. I think what sets us apart is the quality of products in the boxes as well as the fact that it is a small business so we can work with each individual customer. I think another factor that sets us apart is that while it may increase prices, we do partner with local businesses, so people can feel proud of their purchase. I am the founder of Rose Marie Boxes, so right now my role is a little bit of everything. What I want the brand to be known for is creating opportunity for others to be seen, valued and encouraged. I am most excited about and have been in process of working to create a box-to-box program. I hope to have a percentage of every box sold go towards a donation gift box that will be given to people who are going through a hard circumstance such as a health journey, a loss or just need some encouragement. I have a lot of vision for Rose Marie that I am hoping to develop that will have an impact on a micro level and individual lives but also on a macro level and the community as a whole. 

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I definitely have mentors and supporters who have encouraged me and helped me get to where I am today. For starters, I would honor my parents. My mother quit her job to help take care of me when I was on bedrest. She was a superhero of a nurse, giving me bed baths and staying by my side, reading to me or just being there so I had company. I named the company after my mother, Rosemary. 

My dad, John, is a huge reason I am where I am as well. He would come home from work and lay next to me in my hospital bed just to be with me. I often didn’t talk much as I was in pain, but he would just be by my side. Then, as I got better over the years, he’d push me in the wheelchair when I couldn’t quite walk yet and take me out for car rides. He helped me keep my sanity by giving me a change of scenery. They are both huge servants. They have been incredible role models. Their lives have been marked by serving and blessing others, to this day, they go overseas to do medical missions 5x/year. Without their help, I don’t know what my healing journey would have been. 

Another person, who was a HUGE encourager in my health journey was Elsabe V, I call her Mama Elsabe. She would always be sending me texts of hope, praying for me and believing in miracles when I was at my worst. When you’re going through an intense medical illness or journey, it can be easy for people to get busy and go silent when the illness drags on and on, but mama Elsabe sent me a text every day and often those words of encouragement were my lifeline. 

I would say for my business, I wouldn’t be where I am without my aunt, my boyfriend and a dear friend, Amelia. My Aunt was the first to believe in me and give me a financial donation to get me started. The money she gave me, I was able to buy my first line of customized boxes and products. I had been in my room, thinking about the business and praying for a sign to encourage me to continue along the path I was on towards growing the business. When I came upstairs, my aunt had left a card on the counter and inside was a check to help me start out. I took that as my sign and never looked back or believing in the future of Rose Marie. Another lady who has been a huge part of this process is my friend, Amelia. Amelia has let me use some of her property where I work my business out of. Her generosity has been astounding. Finally, my boyfriend, Coleman. He has been one of the biggest fans; always pushing me, always processing with me and staying up late helping put together shipping boxes. He is the first to believe in me. The first one I shoot ideas past and the first one to help. I am so thankful to all these people and so many others who are major players in where Rose Marie is today 

Pricing:

• Custom boxes cost anywhere from $120-180 depending on the size
• 120
• 150
• 180

Contact Info:

• Website: http://rosemariebox.com