"I've always enjoyed gift giving, giving that tangible beauty of a perfectly wrapped package,” explained Alixandria Wayne Weiland, co-founder of Little Something, an Omaha-based gift wrapping atelier. The road to this bespoke gift wrapping experience was an interesting one. Weiland fell into the gift wrap world with a part-time retail stint at a local department store. She and husband Nicholas, an engineer, both hop on board for the seasonal holiday swing each year. “A shift there is like living through an episode of the Golden Girls; it’s the funniest six hours of your life,” she laughed. Through this diverting side hustle, Weiland noticed a niche market, where customers wanted gift wrapping for their own packages, as well as their department store finds. Enter the seed of an idea for Little Something, as there’s just nothing like it in the Omaha market.
After starting small wrapping pieces for select friends and family, the couple felt strongly that there was room to grow into a small business. “I’m really interested in giving people a better gift wrapping option than what they can find at a retail store,” she said. That starts with interesting wrapping paper, including hard-to-find limited editions sourced from around the world. In fact, some of their chosen wrapping paper is even compostable, as another tenet that sets this operation apart is its embracing of sustainable materials. Little Something’s ribbon is all premium recycled satin, made from water bottles. Most of their product lines come from the U.K. or Australia, because they’re printing in more climate-friendly ways than what’s available stateside.
Beyond seamless, sustainable beauty, Little Something also works with local artists and prints some products locally. Digital artist and graphic designer Carly Frolio was their first partner. She shared, “Last summer, I designed a piece celebrating Omaha’s iconic neon signs through the years, which I sold as an art print.” Weiland came across it, loved the nod to Bronco’s Hamburgers, where she and Nicholas met as teenagers, and proposed a collaboration to feature the design on her wrapping paper for the holiday season. “It was an incredible honor to have my artwork featured in this way, and knowing that families used it to wrap gifts for their loved ones was truly heartwarming,” said Omaha-based Frolio.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Little Something is their signature verdant gift wrap trolley or display trolley. “I was lucky to have an engineer husband with a family of machinists so we could make this very labor-intensive project happen,” Weiland said. The custom-designed and crafted cart features Valspar’s Poker Green shade, “a vibrant, fun color,” she added. Brass accents are beautiful but still clean, “because we are selling aesthetic, and we wanted to draw people in,” she explained. The addition of this mobile gift wrapping station has allowed for growing clientele beyond their immediate circle. These days, due in part to the gorgeous gift wrapping trolley, most customers come from various pop-up and makers markets, such as Omaha’s Hutchfest (now Midwest Fest) and Love, the Locals in Lincoln.
As for the future, it’s looking bright, because there will always be the need to “show someone you love them with the perfect gift,” Weiland said. “Going forward, I’d love to have a small retail space and continue to collaborate with more local designers and artists,” she shared. Add that pretty, recycled satin bow to the top of a lovely, bespoke package, and Weiland truly does have a little something special.
For more information and to see their seasonal pop-up schedule, visit littlesomethingatelier.com.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Omaha Home Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
