Gift Thoughtfully and Creatively Year-Round with Local Women-Owned Business, Cheers in a Box

BY STROLL WILLOWSFORD STAFF WRITER LIA HOBEL

The hunt for a perfect gift to send can be daunting for anyone.

Luckily, there’s a local company just minutes away from the Willowsford neighborhood that can make sure a package delivery is one that exudes happiness. Cheers in a Box makes it easy to be thoughtful.

Jessica Shea is an Aldie resident and CEO of J Shea, an event strategy and design firm. Under her firm, she’s been in the business of event planning and gifting space for over 20 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person events were not possible, she pivoted and created Cheers in a Box. “The purpose of Cheers in a Box was to help businesses when employees were stuck at home and missing connection,” says Shea. “Sending a gift in the mail to say ‘Cheers’, that then led to a professionally facilitated virtual event became the focus. We also wanted to support other small businesses, by purchasing their products and highlighting their businesses to our clients, including local artisans, mixologists, and winemakers.

The pivot continues as many events are now back in person. “For anyone living in the neighborhood, we have on-trend and quality gift boxes for all occasions in life that are ready to ship within 24 hours when the order is placed on the website. For businesses we offer complete customization with a model that is similar to Build-ABear,” she explains. The gift boxes can be customized to fit your business’s needs virtually or you can make an appointment at the showroom in

Chantilly, just 15 minutes from the Greens & Grove. “Boxes can be customized with logos on various products and packaging,” says Shea.

When you visit Cheersinabox.com, the selection process is very easy to navigate. You can explore curated gift sets organized by occasion, or if designing your own box, you can use the box builder. Just select your box type in the first step and then peruse 150+ products specified under categories. There’s every event, season, hobby, and person in mind. Once you’re done building the box, you can add your personalized card and click complete to finalize and have the order started.

More than a “gift in a box” the savvy business team made up of event pros still offers those all-in-one virtual events for organizations who want to spread connect joyfully with their clients, staff, and attendees remotely. This not only brings the “tangible” fun gift in the mail but a thoughtfully-crafted virtual event experience to go along with it. A curated team of subject matter experts and a selection of themes to choose from deliver a flawless experience explains Shea.

New this spring, The Cheers in a Box Wine Club will launch and will offer small-production wines from all over the world delivered to your doorstep monthly. Shea encourages neighbors with a passion for a great wine to get on the email list to be one of the first to know at wine@cheersinabox.com. Currently, the Wine Club is licensed to sell and ship to Virginia, DC, Maryland and Florida.

Shea says she’s very passionate about supporting the community and the Stroll magazine is a wonderful platform to connect with neighbors and share what Cheers in a Box can offer them. “Sourcing a service or product from a neighbor is the definition of community to me, I am always referencing the magazine or texting Traci directly when I need a new vendor or service. Stroll Magazine is the perfect resource,” she adds.

Life At Home

In addition to running her businesses, Shea has a busy home life with three children and her husband Matthew. They have their son Davis (9), daughter Drew (7), and son Drake (4). “I’m a work hard/play hard kind of person who loves to focus on business during the week, and enjoy time with my family and friends on the weekends,” says Shea. “Matt and I have a mutual passion for wine (hence my excitement to extend Cheers in a Box into the wine industry!) and love to relax with the kids and a great bottle of Cab.” Shea also jokes about their secret obsession with karaoke which to their neighbors is not much of a secret anymore, she notes.

Learn more about Cheers in a Box at cheersinabox.com. You can also call Jessica directly at 703-254-4635 to order or for any questions. Follow along with Cheers in a Box on Facebook and Instagram @sendcheersinabox.