Charleston Living Magazine Nov-Dec 2021

tomer base and local following. According to
Jenn, they wanted to have items for “someone
with three dollars to spend or $300 to spend.”
“We love to help everyone find that
special gift. We decided that we would carry
items that not only a child with their allowance
could come in and purchase, but also
those looking for high-end gifts and jewelry,”
Jenn said.
The story of Bubbles’ existence is as
unique as the store itself. When Jenn’s daughter,
Mary Brennan, was a tween, she couldn’t
find the fashionable yet age-appropriate
clothing and accessories that would help her
transition into teendom. So, she started to
seek out suppliers they could partner with.
At 11 years old, Mary Brennan was the
primary buyer for the business, traveling to Atlanta
and New York to visit markets and place
orders. Even though the other employees make
suggestions, “every item is carefully chosen and
Mary Brennan-approved,” Jenn said.
And how did the shop get its name?
When Mary Brennan was a toddler, she
went to a tea shop with her grandparents but
asked for asked “bubbles” instead of tea. Her
grandparents figured out she wanted Sprite.
And from that moment on, Bubbles became
her nickname. So, it was only natural that it
would be the name of the shop, too.
After a couple of years of hosting successful
pop-up shops around the Lowcountry,
the mother-and-daughter team started toying
with the idea of a brick-and-mortar store.
Located in the Market at Mill Creek
shopping center on Highway 41, Bubbles is
just a stone’s throw from Mount Pleasant’s
Dunes West neighborhood and burgeoning
development in the Wando area. As a real estate
developer, Jenn knew better than anyone
that the shop’s location would be a key factor in
its success. “When [the shopping center] was
under construction, I knew there was a need to
offer the local community somewhere to purchase
a gift,” she said. “The shop is located 10
miles from any other retail stores. It truly has a
sense of community in its location.”
In its two years as a physical shop, Bubbles
has been awarded multiple Best of Mount
Pleasant and Best of Charleston awards. Jenn
credits a lot of that success to her work family,
consistency when it comes to quality of
the merchandise and the copious amount of
research she and her daughter conduct before
introducing a product into the store.
Everyone who works at Bubbles made
a point to keep the shop customer-focused,
even in the face of the pandemic.
“During COVID, we would do home
deliveries. Just because we were required to
be closed didn’t mean those birthdays and
anniversaries stopped,” said Jenn. “It was like
we were elves dropping off gifts at doors and
texting when it was delivered. It added a bit
of fun during such hard times.”
The holiday season has traditionally
been generous to Bubbles’ bottom line because
that’s the time of year when everyone
is looking for that perfect gift. Bubbles also
has monogramming services that are perfect
for personalizing birthday, hostess, wedding
party or baby shower gifts.
“I love our community,” Jenn said. “Pre-
COVID, we had late shopping hours on
Thursday nights, with bubbles and mimosas.
We would also feature our local artisans. They
would set up shop in the store and introduce
the community to their craft. We had sweetgrass
basket workshops, earring-making workshops,
and painting workshops.”
Keep up with them on social media
@bubblesgiftshoppe for announcements about
workshops coming back to the shop and photos
of items in stock. •
(Opposite) Gifts from local artists are all around
the store; (Above) Jenn Wilkinson and her daughter
Mary Brennan Wilkinson, who co-own Bubbles
Gift Shoppe; gifts of all kinds can be found at
Bubbles Gift Shoppe, including whimsical and
celebratory beverage coasters; gorgeous cutting
boards inscribed with Charleston and Mt. Pleasant.
November/December 2021 | 59