Starfish Award Winner: The Great Giftsby

By Kristen Hampshire

Giving back is a year-round focus at the Great Giftsby.

Giftsby gives Back

At Great Giftsby, things might be loud, but it’s also a happy place. Owner Elena Marrero says the store’s upbeat vibe spurs spontaneous dance parties and chorus lines of The Monkees’ “Daydream Believer.”


“You get lost in the merchandise and the experience, and it just feels good,” says Marrero. Her 25-year retail career eventually landed her at her father’s longtime shop Laska Gift, specializing in handmade beach sand and sea glass treasures. When the leased property was sold to developers planning a hotel, the next chapter was in order. Marrero’s mother happened upon The Great Giftsby three years ago. Marrero purchased it and later another shop up the road called Our House, and the rest is history.


“We are fortunate to have the opportunities and all-the-things, so I find it really important to help children in circumstances they can’t control to help them have a better life.” — Elena Marrero


For the kids

Giving back is never far from Marrero’s heart. An example of her giving nature is the annual Downtown Dunedin Mocktail Walk on Main Street, which she runs. The city’s bars and restaurants compete for bragging rights of the best non-alcoholic concoction. It benefits LAMPLighters, which helps Tampa’s homeless and at-risk children via Metropolitan Ministries and Joshua House.


The walk is Marrero’s brainchild. For $20, guests can hop from spot to spot at the September event. “It’s a win-win for everyone,” says Marrero. “It creates a really cool space for people who are alcohol-free to be included, and all the money we raise supports local homeless children and families.”



Year-Round Giving

Giving is also a year-round focus at Great Giftsby, which is also a member of the local food pantry and a sponsor at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay.


“It’s important to me to give back to kids who didn’t have a choice to be where they are in life,” Marrero says. “We are fortunate to have the opportunities and all-the-things, so I find it really important to help children in circumstances they can’t control to help them have a better life.”


Support from the community is inspiring, rounding back to why Marrero is a sales-driven philanthropist. “I break records with the relationships I build, the people who return and because of that, the way we can help our community,” she says.



Starfish Awards recognize companies in our industry that are making a difference through charitable donations and efforts. Know of a company that is deserving of an award? Submit a nomination at www.seasideretailer.com/starfish-award.