Good Grief, what a great name for a business. And the fun carries right through to their online gifting platform that offers curated care packages for life's twists and turns. Co-founders Melissa Jenski (on the left) and Kristin Mortensen, better known as Mel and Kris, are a sister duo here to make life suck a little less – their copy is so superb I can’t help but to use some of it here. From chronic illness to divorce to infertility, Mel and Kris know first-hand life can be messy, difficult and downright unfair. After tirelessly searching for empathy care packages and coming up short, they decided to take things into our own hands, and we’re glad they did. A few of their highlights from 2021 include partnering with 60+ amazing vendors, landing their first corporate gifting gig, donating hundreds to charities, partnering with 10 women to offer add-on services and bringing comfort to hundreds of people.
With 10 scenarios and 70 curations to choose from, they've got the goods for healing and self-care, whether you wanna show up for someone who’s suffering from a breakup or divorce, infertility, cancer, job loss, the loss of a loved one, mental health issues, a miscarriage or postpartum depression. And with gift boxes named “Dead People Suck,” “Bitch I AM Relaxed,” “Color Me F*ucking Calm,” “All Cats (and Dogs) Go to Heaven,” “Chemo Queen,” “Honey, Let that Shit Go,” “The Hot Young Widows Club,” and “Damn You, Universe!,” you get the picture that this sister duo know how to spark joy and add laughter while achieving their vision of being a vehicle for meaningful dialogue and connection, contributing to a fundamental shift in how we, as a society, deal with trauma and adversity.
Their vision is to create a community that shines a light on small, woman-owned businesses. They also prioritize purpose as much as profit. Each quarter they choose a new non-profit to partner with and give 5% of their revenue to support their mission to do good shit. Could we love Mel and Kris any more?
That’s why I’m thrilled that relatively new mama Mel will share their story with us on 4.7, sharing for them both, as Kris brings her unique set of skills to the business from another time zone. And we’re psyched to gather on the patio at Alexander Pertusini’s Chile Line Brewery, Santa Fe’s first purveyor of locally brewed smoked beers, which adjoins his dad Lino's place, Pizzeria and Trattoria da Lino. So, plan to order some fantastic food, grab a drink and schmooze between 6:30 and 7, before we kick off Story Time around 7 PM, followed by time for more schmoozing. Yippee!!!
PARKING NOTE: Chile Line only has a few spaces, so plan to park across the street on Johnson, within the UPS or FedEx parking lots off Guadalupe or at the Taco Foundation after 6:30.