The colorful isles of a New York gift show bustle with excited buyers as Whitney Denson clutches a shimmering Christmas ornament.
As the owner of Five Ten Gifts, a small boutique in Palo Alto, Denson is always looking for unique items to provide for her customers for the holiday season.
A 1983 graduate of Paly, Denson attended the University of California, Davis, then transferred to University of California, San Diego. Later, she started working at Peet’s Coffee and then traveled to Europe.
“They were not going to hold my position because I was going traveling (so) I said, ‘I’m gonna go,’” Denson said. “I’ve always loved Europe, and I’ve always loved design. So I always wanted to go and spend time in Paris, see museums and fashion and all of that.”
After Denson’s overseas travels, she said she encourages people who graduate from Paly to travel around the world.
“You get a different perspective, and you find out that we’re not so different from one another,” Denson said. “You find out different ways of living, different ways of dressing, different ways of everything. And you just see the world differently.”
After she came back to the US, Whitney said she worked for an event design firm before opening Five Ten Gifts in 2006.
“There were certain parts (of the event design firm) that I really loved like the design-driven elements, and I knew the vendors from working at the design firm, so I thought I’d just bring it all together,” Denson said. “Palo Alto didn’t have a store that I thought offered that, so I went ahead and tried that.”
There were other benefits to settling in Palo Alto for Denson besides the lack of competition, including what she calls a lovely lifestyle and numerous opportunities.
“It’s been nice to stay in a place I love — the amenities, the weather, proximity to San Francisco, the beach,” Denson said. “Professionally, it’s been nice to be a part of local companies like Peets and the local design company.”
Whitney said she has observed many changes in the community and experienced many ups and downs throughout the years.
“Palo Alto has slowly changed since opening—things stayed fairly consistent until the pandemic which led to abandon(ed) office spaces and downtown struggling,” Denson said. “We hope (it) will get better, but at times (it’s) hard to be optimistic.”
Denson said she also loves to contribute to the community and help others.
“I like to be involved with the city to help downtown stay clean and vibrant, and I try to be involved in local charities that may need help with fundraising,” Denson said. “I volunteer at St. Elizabeth Seton School and offer time and items from the store in their silent auctions and golf tournaments.”
In addition to helping the community, Denson said she especially loves shopping for gifts, even in far places like New York, to restock her business.
“You go to shows at convention centers or large venues, and everyone has their products,” Denson said. “People will come and want to show you their line.”
Despite the interesting wares, the job isn’t all easy. Denson said running a shop requires having a multitude of skills.
“It’s not just one thing,” Denson said. “You have to buy. You have to keep up the store, keep up your storefront marketing, do your books, do your banking. There’s a lot of stuff that’s maybe not as fun.”
Denson’s advice to high school students is although you may encounter ups and downs, you should always go with the flow in life.
“Be a person of yes,” Denson said. “‘Yes, I’ll try this. Yes, I’ll go there. Yes, I’ll do this. Yes, I’ll meet them. Grab whatever you can out there.”
