Amy McCusker, founder of online retailer WeeBox

affordable gifts, so people would still be able to buy presents for family and friends. I also put a focus on wellbeing, from books and candles to bath products and beautiful hot water bottles and scarves that are like blankets which you can wrap up in.

I didn’t sell as many Christmas decorations as usual and I also found that instead of scented candles, we sold a lot more incense, which is less costly.

What’s selling well now?

I make a calendar every year with my illustrations and it always sells incredibly well, as do my framed prints. Other super sellers have been books (those about nature, mindfulness and creativity fly out) and scarves. I also stock beautiful knitted hand warmers from a small, local supplier called Knatty Knitters, and I can’t get enough of those in. “I’m proud of the little shop that I opened on a whim six years ago, which has now become a much-loved feature in the town”

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?

I love the variety. I mostly have staff running the day-to-day business in the shop now. I spend more time in my studio, as both have grown so much in recent years. I still enjoy going into the shop and making new displays and chatting with all our regulars. And I love ordering and searching new ranges to sell.

And the most challenging?

I sometimes struggle with the amount of work I have to do - and the fact that it’s never done!

What’s your product business moment?

One of my card ranges (the Vitamin Sea Collection) got in the finals of the Best Art Range category of the Henries 2021 Progressive Greetings Awards and I was very proud of that. But mostly, I’m proud of the little shop that I opened on a whim six years ago, which has now become a much-loved feature in the town.

Selling my own range of cards, prints and gifts has made my shop truly unique. In the past two years, I’ve also started to sell my work wholesale. It’s now in shops and visitor centres around the UK, but the Onneke shop is the only place that sells the full collection.

All Onneke’s illustrations are drawn on an iPad with an Apple pencil

Spreading Scottish joy

Clare Turner talks to Amy McCusker, founder of online retailer WeeBox

Why did you launch WeeBox?

I tried to send my brother Scottish gifts from home after his move to Australia in 2016, and discovered it wasn’t so easy! Scottish hampers did not have the quality or range of products that I knew I would handpick.

So, I set to work with my husband Gerard and three wee boys to lovingly design and curate a ‘wee box’ of Scottish joy. From this, WeeBox was born.

I shipped the first WeeBox in January 2017. Since then, we have spread Scottish happiness to more than 25 countries, won six international awards, and helped more than 350 small Scottish makers reach a global audience. Each month, we share our WeeBox with thousands of subscribers who make up our WeeBox Clan: a community of like-minded Scots and Scots-at-heart.

Describe your range.

Each month we share five or six gifts centred around a specific Scottish theme. These can be gifts to wear, gifts to display in the home, something to eat or drink, or items to experience and use to learn about Scotland.

We curate our gifts from Scottish suppliers, many of which are small businesses who wouldn’t usually be able to share their items with such a large audience. We’re also very proud to have worked with Scottish social enterprises. It’s important to us that by working with these makers and sharing their gifts with our subscribers, we are giving back to Scotland too.

How do you find products?

We are always looking for new partnerships and treasures for our WeeBoxes. We enjoy visiting Scotland’s Trade Fair and the Royal Highland Show to discover new makers and make contacts with makers from all over Scotland.

Many makers reach out to us directly on social media or by email, and we are always excited to open a conversation to create a productive partnership in a way that works well for us as well as them.

What sets you apart from other online gift retailers?

The monthly subscription aspect of WeeBox creates a sense of community for our subscribers, many of whom are very active on social media. Our social media presence - as well as the additional items we offer such as our Spotify WeeSounds Playlists, virtual tours and WeeBlether magazine - make a full experience for subscribers, so they are receiving much more than just gifts in their WeeBox.

We also recently introduced our WeeBox Emporium, which is an opportunity for customers to buy individual items from past WeeBoxes. This has

“We are always looking for new partnerships and treasures for our WeeBoxes”

proved very popular and is definitely something we will continue to do in the future.

We communicate often with our customers across a range of platforms. We host giveaways with suppliers who have featured in WeeBox, which not only holds the interest of our followers but also helps to grow the audience of the maker. We have also adapted our email marketing approach over the past few months to make sure it’s as interactive and entertaining as possible.

And we take our commitment to Scotland’s environment seriously, ensuring we drive electric cars, and minimise waste and single-use packaging. WeeBox is made from 100% recycled cardboard and postage bags are 100% compostable too.

What’s your proudest business moment?

When we launched our very own WeeBox tartan, chosen by our subscribers and created by Highland Tartan Rebels’ Prickly Thistle. Our WeeBox story is now woven into the fabric of Scotland.

Whats next for WeeBox?

We are constantly looking for ways to make the WeeBox experience even better for our subscribers. We have lots of exciting plans for 2023: new partnerships, a ‘Win a trip for two to Scotland’, providing WeeBoxes for the BAFTA LA Burns Bash hosted by [Scottish TV presenter] Ross King… the list goes on!