Meet Grace Bouldin Cowan | Founder, Birthday Buds

We had the good fortune of connecting with Grace Bouldin Cowan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Grace, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started Birthday Buds when my kids were toddlers. I was spending almost every Saturday morning at a park or a skating rink or gymnastics gym going dutifully with a gift in hand to a party for a child that already had so much. I’d just stopped working in my career and was volunteering with an organization that worked with young families who were struggling financially. At one of those birthday parties I mentioned how ridiculous this whole process felt. My friend Pauline agreed and said her son, Theo was about to turn 3. She asked if I knew of a family from my volunteer work that had a child with a birthday near Theo’s. I found one…and his name was Javon.

I asked Javon’s mom what essentials he needed and what type of toys he was into. She sent me a list and Birthday Buds was born.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I graduated from college with a degree in Radio/Television/Film Communications. I worked for a couple of radio stations before realizing I wanted to follow my love of live music. I went to work for a booking agency and that led me to the concerts industry. At 26 I started a concert promotions business with a business partner called Sound Events. We produced and promoted live concerts all over the Southeast with some of the biggest bands of that time. We were just young enough (and naive) to not have the fear that often holds people from jumping into something enormous. We were 100% responsible for every dollar and every decision, with no guarantee of income. We made so many mistakes…many that we didn’t realize until years later. But we learned from every single one of them. We also learned how to do most ever single job on site and how to improvise and solve problems under extreme pressure. Most importantly we learned that every single problem can be resolved. Stressing about problems doesn’t fix them, it only makes them more complicated. That has been the driving force in everything I do to this day.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live at the beach, so I have friends visiting often! We typically start with dinner at High Thyme or Home Team or Fishcamp on Sullivans Island. And then onto the Dinghy for drinks and then over to the Windjammer for live music on IOP.
We always do one night downtown. Happy hour at Salty Mikes-they have pickle shots! Chubby Fish is one of my favorites in Charleston as is the new XO Brasserie. And then on to music and dancing at The Commodore.

For shopping I love Hampden, you can go there every week and there are always new things. GoldBug and their new sister store, Ship of Fools are also great for finding unique clothing.

I love all things history. My favorite places to take visiting guests are The International African American Museum, The Gibbes Museum, McLeod Plantation-they give the history from every perspective. I also love to do road trips up to Georgetown to Hobcaw Barony and to Beaufort to visit St. Helena. The Penn Center on St. Helena is an incredible asset to the Lowcountry.

The most amazing things for friends to see is the water. Going by boat to see Capers, Dewees and Morris Island is, for me why this place is so unique and special. The birds, dolphins and amazing beauty that we get to surround ourselves with daily is what makes living here magical.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There is a saying that says something like, “Being a new mom is like being pushed out of an airplane without a parachute and then when you hit the ground you still need to go and get groceries.” What that doesn’t mention is that there are other moms on the ground that help you get up and keep going. During my daughter’s toddler years I spent so much time with other parents. Sitting for hours at playdates, birthday parties and classes. The people I spent that time with became my best friends and my most important support group. We were all in the same time of life and going through the same struggles. They were my biggest social, mental and physical support system.

Website: https://birthdaybuds.org

Instagram: @birthdaybud