Nice gesture: Mac grad launches online ‘bespoke’ gift marketplace
Gesture Shop offers isolated creative industry an outlet for gift-giving amid the pandemic
Rotimi Fadiya isn’t afraid to admit he’s not the greatest giftgiver.
He struggles to find ways to communicate that he cares for those in his life, and when it comes to buying presents, the McMaster University alumnus says he worries he’ll get someone a “poor gift.”
Aiming to solve that problem for others, while supporting the creative industry that has been stifled by the pandemic, Fadiya has launched the Gesture Shop.
The web-based startup is an online marketplace for “bespoke” (or personalized) gifts — but of the digital kind.
Fadiya said the idea for the shop was something he’d sat on for a “little while” but it really came together this past summer.
As people were unable to get together, he began noticing patterns of people giving personalized gifts, such as ordering food for a friend on their birthday or getting a stream of cars to drive by a family member’s home and honk for them on a special occasion.
He also saw what a “tough spot” the creative industry was in with restrictions and having to modify their offerings.
“Between those two things, that was kind of how the idea coalesced itself,” said Fadiya.
Taking a leave from his day-today job in tech consulting to build out the platform, the Gesture Shop officially launched in December.
As opposed to a mug with someone’s face on it or a customized calendar, Gesture Shop offers “gestures” such as custom pet and couple portraits as well as personalized songs and poems.
“It brings together creatives from poets and writers to artists and videographers and it allows them to offer really customized gift offerings to consumers,” said Fadiya.
One of those creatives is Aaron Daniel, a Hamilton-based wedding videographer.
“It allows (creatives) to offer really customized gift offerings to consumers.” ROTIMI FADIYA ENTREPRENEUR
Through the shop, he’s offering personalized engagement films.
With the pandemic causing clients to cancel and reschedule, Daniel said the revenue streams have become “questionable” amid COVID-19 restrictions. It’s also presented challenges for creatives like himself to put their work out into the world.
But Gesture Shop gives those working in the creative industry a new platform to reach a broader audience, said Daniel.
“It also gives us a nice and smooth transactional way to continue to create,” said Daniel. “Whereas without something easily accessible for both creatives and buyers, it’s a bit tougher to convey our messages in these isolated times.”
With the customized gift offerings, Fadiya said the shop empowers people to “better express themselves” even if they aren’t creative — an issue he also faces.
“You have the chance to express yourself to somebody else and communicate feelings through creative media in a really personalized and authentic way,” he said.
At the same time, they’re also able to support their community — a notion that has been continually pushed through a pandemic that has shuttered local businesses.
Fadiya is hopeful that part of the platform will grow.
“I think there is a great opportunity for this symbiotic ecosystem where people feel more connected to those they care about but also to their community by supporting the artists in their area,” he said.