Where You’ll Find The Perfect Gift For Any Occasion
Located on Main Street, Occasions is the perfect place to find the perfect gift.
Occasions has been serving the Starkville, Mississippi area since 1986. Owned by mother and daughter, Pat Johnson and Mandee Lewis, Occasions is a one-of-a-kind gift shop.
Johnson was born in Mississippi but grew up in Los Angeles, California. When it was time to move on to college, Johnson originally went to Mississippi University for Women. After some convincing from a relative, she made the switch to Mississippi State University.
“I had to get used to it,” said Johnson, “but I loved it there.”
She earned her degree in secondary education and did some practice teaching at Starkville High School. However, Johnson eventually knew that teaching was not her calling.
She moved on to a job with the Provost at MSU and held that position for 11 years. After a job in banking for almost 20 years was, Johnson soon after became part owner of Occasions with her daughter Mandee Lewis.
Lewis was living and working in Birmingham while her mother and boyfriend were still in Starkville. She moved back to Starkville and started work at Occasions. The former owner was looking to sell the store, and Lewis presented the idea to her mother.
“We were discussing it at lunch one day, and I said, ‘Why don’t we just buy it?’” Johnson said. In 2004, the duo took over the store and changed it quite a bit from the original. “We’ve really evolved into what we want to be,” Johnson said.
Fun Gifts on Main Street
The store values customer service and hopes to aid customers in finding the best gifts. They search daily for trends in the latest clothing, jewelry, and accessories. Lewis also does a lot of custom work for patrons of the store.
“Our main thing is personalization,” Johnson said.
Occasions has a variety of gifts to choose from. Picture frames, pottery by Lewis and other artists, beautiful items that can be engraved in-house, yard signs and other unique items are available.
Clothing and accessories are also found at the store and include everything from women’s dresses to comfy shorts and lounge wear.
Bid Day Goodies
They even have the perfect Bid Day gifts, which are personalized by Lewis.
“Bid day is like Christmas for us,” said Johnson. “We do so many different sorority items.” Delivering and placing special orders for Bid Day gifts, Occasions delivers thousands of gifts on Bid Day to each sorority house at Mississippi State University.
Special Events
If you’re looking for a fun outing with a group, Occasions offers paint parties. From birthday or bridal parties to sororities and Bunko groups, all are welcome to participate in the fun.
Johnson loves her customers and strives to give them a wonderful shopping experience.
“We welcome everyone to come out to our store,” said Johnson.
Contact Occasions
Occasions is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30p.m. For more information, please visit their website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
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