Brooklyn—They were childhood friends, growing up only blocks from each other in Brooklyn.
And their friendship remained tight through the years.
“We have a lot of family ties. High school, kept in touch thru college, and then this idea came,” Riki Meris-Koulouroudis said.
Now, Effie and Riki are both moms to two beautiful girls and like many women, love to shop for them.
“We were out to lunch one day. We were talking about all these awesome things that we had bought our daughters or things we wanted to get and we also talked about how time consuming it would be to shop for your little girl and to find all these unique products,” Effie Sakellis explained.
Out of that conversation, came the idea of a subscription box.
Effie says they call it their happy mail.
A box that comes in the mail every month, filled with trinkets and goodies that little girls adore.
“We like to call it the magic of girlhood. We want to fill it with the girliest, sparkliest fun items,” Sakellis said.
Named after their daughters, The Em and Liz Boxes started shipping last August and sold out in their first month.
“When they see a package on their doorstep the excitement can’t even be explained. Don’t you love getting a package? I love getting my packages. I know exactly whats in them too, so imagine the element of surprise,” Meris-Koulouroudis said.
With a different theme every month, the demand for Em and Liz Boxes keeps growing.
Now, Riki and Effie are looking for a bigger space to work in.
“We started small and it’s taken over our homes. We’re grateful and we realized this is something that wasn’t out there yet,” the women said.
They’re about to launch their boys line, after a lot of requests from moms.
The childhood friends realize they may have cornered the market on something special.
And in the end, they are doing it all for their kids.
“He’s in preschool and he has a lot of little friends who have become subscribers. And my son comes home and tells me they bring their products to show in school. They brought the lip gloss mommy. The Eiffel Tower lip gloss and hes’ so proud and for me, it’s that,” Sakellis said.
“We’re also an example for them and I believe in that style of parenting, so I want my daughter to see me working,” Meris-Koulouroudis added.
A gift that’s even better than all the sparkles and unicorns in the world.
For more on how to order Em and Liz boxes, click here.
