When Trudy and her husband, David Abood bought Chalifour's Flowers in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1976, they knew almost nothing about the flower business. The shop wasn't part of a lifelong dream. It was simply the only business they could afford to buy.
With more determination than experience, the young couple learned the floral business on the job. To make the business purchase possible, they immediately sold the shop's delivery van. For months, David pedaled a 10-speed bicycle across Manchester delivering flowers while Trudy and David worked tirelessly until they had earned enough to buy the van back. Their willingness to embrace uncertainty, outwork the odds, and learn as they went became the foundation of a family business that, fifty years later, continues to thrive.
Years later, that same flower shop became the birthplace of GourmetGiftBaskets.com. Working in the basement of Chalifour's Flowers, Ryan and Jeff Abood began assembling gourmet gift baskets for local customers. Inspired by the success of those early creations, Ryan spent the following year building what would become GourmetGiftBaskets.com. The company officially launched in November 2002 with a vision of bringing handcrafted gifts to customers nationwide while preserving the same values his parents had established more than two decades earlier.
Please join us in congratulating Trudy on this remarkable 50-year career milestone and thanking her for the dedication, perseverance, and customer-first spirit that continue to inspire our family and our company every day.
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