Sidney Carrier always wanted to be a party planner. But the nurse and mother of two said her busy schedule didn’t allow her the time.
“I always had a passion for it in the back of my head,” Carrier says.
But after throwing her daughter’s Madeline-themed birthday party—entitled “Oui, Oui She’s 3!”—the idea for her business, The Box Babe, really started brewing. Carrier gained a lot of traction on TikTok from posting about the party, and soon, a friend asked if she could package everything from that birthday in a box and ship it to them. After seeking advice from her friend who owns Bleu Table Events, which creates luxury charcuterie boxes and grazing tables, she was motivated to put things into motion. Her daughter’s birthday party was this past March, and Carrier officially kicked things off in May.
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“Thinking out of the box is really what I’m good at,” Carrier says.
The Box Babe offers a selection of themed party boxes and event decor, available for pickup or shipping. For the holiday season, Carrier has assembled an Elf-inspired box. Inside, shoppers will find a collection of peppermint cups, elf hats, plates and a party banner. A set of napkins playfully lists the four main food groups of elves: “Candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.”
Recently, Carrier also partnered up with Something Borrowed Blooms to create elegant and fun holiday tablescapes. Carrier supplies all the necessary utensils and decorations for the dinner, while Something Borrowed Blooms supplies the flowers and tapers.
Carrier says she’s been excited for the season because her baby boy recently turned 1—with a “The Little Drummer Boy”-themed celebration, of course. She purchased giant nutcrackers for the event, and Santa Claus made an appearance.
Carrier is currently operating her business out of her house, but she already has her eye on expansion—she hopes to upgrade to either a storefront or warehouse to house all of the supplies she needs for party planning.
“It literally looks like The Box Babe exploded in my dining room,” she says.
Carrier collects inventory from all over—she has a wholesale account for Meri Meri and Bonjour Fête goodies, and she’s also always browsing HomeGoods and T.J.Maxx, Target, Amazon and Walmart for hidden gems. Carrier says she can’t help picking up something cute if she sees it in stores.
“I just have to have it,” she says.
Earlier this year, Carrier submitted an application to Shark Tank and was able to pitch her idea to the show’s producers. While she didn’t make it on TV, she made it to the second out of three rounds. Considering she had only been in business for a short while, she says they encouraged her to apply next year.
As a young business owner, Carrier always tries to fill her cup. She says that a Mary Poppins-style birthday party takes the cake as her favorite one she’s done. She says she cried when a string quartet played “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”
Getting to see the pictures from children’s birthday parties makes her tear up, too. As a nurse, special family moments have always been her passion, and with this business, she’s been able to connect with moms.
“Serving others is my passion,” she says. “It fills my cup to help others.”
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There aren’t set business hours for The Box Babe, so any interested customers can reach out when they want to order a box.
“Call me, beep me if you wanna reach me,” Carrier says, quoting the Kim Possible theme song.
Find more info or purchase a box here, or glimpse the brand’s past parties on Facebook.