An Inspired Chat with Cassie Davis

We recently had the chance to connect with Cassie Davis and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cassie, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I think the thing I am most proud of building that no one necessarily sees is the changes within the hearts of so many shoppers that shop our stores, market, and stay in our Airbnbs; The Inn Above The Store. Our ultimate goal is to create change, lasting change, that results in a better world. A world that loves our neighbors better, here and all across the globe.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! I am Cassie Davis, Founder of Gifts That Give Back, Stores, Market and Roadshow. Above everything I am a follower of Jesus, a wife, and a mom to 3 amazing kids.

Years ago, during the Christmas season of 2016, I decided I wanted to try something new. Why not host a Christmas shopping market selling gifts that would give back! Gifts that would help the ones who created and sold them instead of hurting them, as so many of our purchases unfortunately do. This first market was held in my home with 5 vendors set up throughout. We helped adopting families, artisans in Kenya, and Compassion International. And people showed up! Since then the market has grown to 65+ makers, food trucks and live music and is held in a beautiful event barn in the Hocking Hills. This year will be our 10th annual market and we see no end in sight.

Then during the pandemic, when it made virtually no sense to start a new business, my husband and I took a leap of faith and started a mobile shop selling fair trade and ethically made products to empower more and more artisans. Our mobile market would become the Gifts That Give Back Roadshow. The plan was to take it to outdoor markets and sell world changing products year round. So we masked up as the world reopened and sold!

The mobile shop was a hit and would, in a very short time, lead to purchasing and opening one storefront with an airbnb on the second floor that would help support the store below……and then in time a second storefront with another upstairs airbnb.

What makes us unique is the items we offer. At Gifts That Give Back we are all about empowering makers, both here and across the globe. Every single item you purchase at our stores is created by the hands of someone rescued out of the grip of poverty and given a dignified job. Every single item you purchase at our annual vendor market is handmade by a local maker that is helping a cause near and dear to their individual hearts.

At Gifts That Give back you are always shopping with purpose!

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I remember the image of a young child face down, drowned, a result of the toddler trying to escape Syria with his family. That was the image that changed my entire world view. How was it fair that this precious child of God and his family were so desperate to escape their situation in their home that this was a better outcome? The grief, the despair, that I saw within the eyes of these Syrian refugees broke my heart in a way that caused me to act. I could not sit back and do nothing as my brothers and sisters in Christ suffered. I may be one person but we can each do something. And we must!

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me where true strength comes from. When I am weak I find my strength in God alone. When my heart breaks, my empathy for others grows. When I fail, it forces me to try harder. We always learn more in the valleys than we do on the mountain tops. And those valleys make the mountain top moments that much more profound.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
One hundred percent. What you see is what you get. I will be real with you and I pray that you feel comfortable enough to always be real with me. Transparency is life giving, healing, and transformative.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope they tell a story of radical generosity. I want people to remember me as someone who, with her family, gave without ceasing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://giftsthatgivebackevent.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/giftsthatgivebackevent, instagram.com/theinnabovethestore
• Facebook: facebook.com/giftsthatgiveback, facebook.com/theinnabovethestore
• Other: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/569043590106294034?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=22534bba-d117-4a25-80c1-2f435262eb07

  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1184002649448282118?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=ed5bb75f-098c-47b5-b2ae-913022834af0

Image Credits
justine tuhy photography