One of the first things I received when I began my current job here at Nashville Wraps was an Arona Khan DVD on wrapping tricks. According to Harpers & Queen (Harper’s Bazaar UK), Arona was the first gift wrapping consultant. I’ve been a fan of hers ever since. Now that the biggest gift-wrapping season of the year is fast approaching, I thought you might like to know how you can wrap like a pro too.
I contacted Arona, who lives in England, and asked her to tell us how she got started gift-wrapping and to share some of her favorite tips.
Hope you enjoy Arona’s professional wrapping tips:
Years later, I became the author of Wrap It Up (out of print), presenter of three DVDs and host of www.aronakhan.com where you can watch videos of my quick and easy gift-wrapping techniques. Perfect for a quick fix or an inexpensive and speedy staff training lesson!
I love to share my tips and techniques at seminars, demonstrations, training courses and other events. My work has taken me across the States, around the UK, to Europe, and to Japan where I have been introduced as the world’s foremost gift wrapping expert!
So how did it all begin? I was looking for a change of career and a friend suggested I should write a book on gift wrapping. Later at a cocktail party, he met the sales director of a publishing house. To cut a long story short, this publishing house printed Wrap It Up a few months later.
Soon after, I set up my consultancy. My first job was designing a display for an exhibitor at a trade show. I also gave demonstrations in their booth. These proved to be so popular you couldn’t get down the aisle because of the large crowds interested in wrapping tips! My new career was well on its way.
My tips, techniques and merchandising ideas help retailers increase sales and generate repeat business. At www.aronakhan.com you can view up to 3 videos free of charge. Then, if you need to know a specific technique, you can watch Pay to View videos as often as you like for up to a week or a month.
If you’ve ever had the problem of the paper being slightly too short to go around a gift, my ‘Cheat Pleat’ is a must! See how to ‘extend’ the sheet of gift wrap and create a feature on the top of your gift. This is a great way to mix patterns, colors and designs – and use up leftover paper. For gifts that are mailed or packed in a suitcase, I will show how to add a flat finishing touch using scraps of wrap.
The very popular ‘Pouch’ technique (pictured above) has the wow factor! Although I demonstrate how to wrap a DVD, it is perfect for awkward shapes, books, CDs, jewelry, clothing and boxes.
If wrapping bottles nearly drives you to drink, take a look at my stress-free techniques. If you are keen on recycling or on a tight budget, you may also like to dress the gift with a bow tie made from snippets of paper.
A number of these demonstrations are also available on DVDs. You can purchase these from my website. In the U.S., you can view them online. Note prices are in British currency and will be converted to U.S. dollars at checkout.
If you are looking to increase sales and create a niche in your market, try some of these superb wrapping techniques from Arona. These ideas combined with Nashville Wraps beautiful gift wrap and ribbons will have your customers coming back time and again!
Kathy Green
Packaging Consultant
Nashville Wraps
