About

Valerie + Ellie | queen bees
Welcome! I’m Valerie, and my daughter, Ellie, and I opened PepperLou Gifts in 2018. Our dream was to bring a unique gift shop to our neighborhood that highlights small businesses from our community, and across the United States. One of our favorite things is to discover specialty products when we travel to different regions of the country, like pottery from Alabama, art from Mississippi, and hand-painted oyster shells from South Carolina.
Ellie is a joyful young lady who has special needs, and PepperLou Gifts is a place that she takes ownership in and can contribute to after high school. Ellie loves cheeseburgers with pickles, musicals, and her older brothers. She likes to choose bright and fun items to put in “Ellie’s Corner,” a part of the store that our younger customers love! Ellie chose to name the shop after our two sweet cats, Pepper and Pixie Lou who she adores. When Ellie isn’t in school, you can often find her in the back, behind the barn door, so make sure to say hi!
Speaking of the barn door … long before there was PepperLou Gifts, there was Alek Stocker Interiors. Alek Stocker is the design business that we created in 2011, and ever since then our team has worked tirelessly to create warm and inviting spaces for a variety of clients by listening to their wants and needs. A lot of creativity takes place behind that barn door, so if you’re in need of rearranging, refreshing, or starting from scratch, simply let us know and we can help!
We’re so glad you’ve stopped by to visit. Take your time looking around and make sure to pop by again soon! There’s always something new to see.
Blessings,
Valerie