PPB January 2020

P i nch Pr ov i s i ons L ife brings its own fair share of surprises, some of which include small, albeit inconvenient “emergencies.” From spilling coffee on your new shirt before an interview, to bolting out the door without putting on deodorant, to meeting friends with a stubborn, inconspicuous piece of lettuce stuck between your teeth. It happens to everyone, but sisters Stephanie and Jamie Kaplan, and their mother Georgette, found a creative solution for these tiny troubles—and one that prepares recipients to tackle these situations head-on when they arise. Pinch Provisions, an Elk Grove Village, Illinois-based supplier, specializes in personal care kits and emergency essentials that offer the utility of drugstore products with a luxury feel and experience. It was an idea that was sparked accidentally, as most lightbulb moments are, when Stephanie, now Pinch Provision’s creative director, decided to make a bespoke gift for Jamie, now the company’s chief financial officer, when she landed her first job in investment banking in 2003. Seated around their family’s antique, claw-foot kitchen table, with Georgette, now Pinch Provision’s CEO, Stephanie presented her younger sister with a kit filled with products to “rescue her from life’s little she mergencies.” Jamie loved her gift, and the women loved the concept, but there was only one problem: it took three store visits and $60 to create the kit. Even still, they knew they were onto something, and a year later the trio launched their business. Over the past 16 years, the Pinch Provisions team has grown its roster of products in size, style and function. Its signature product, the Minimergency Kit for Her, includes 17 personal care and style essentials, such as a safety pin, adhesive bandages, a needle and thread, clear nail polish and polish remover, double-sided tape, stain remover, a deodorant towelette, pain reliever, dental floss, breath freshener, a nail file and lip balm. The items are packaged in a small, easy-to-carry pouch. The company, which is fairly new to the promotional products industry, has since sold millions of its kits, mostly at retail. Pinch kits are available in more than 4,000 locations, including Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, For Life’s Little ‘Emergencies’ Pinch Provisions creates “emergency” kits to provide relief when last-minute mishaps and blunders strike. by Danielle Renda 120 | JANUARY 2020 | CONNECT