Q: Where are you located?
A: Our physical store is located in the charming California city of San Luis Obispo! We’re conveniently located off Highway 101, half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Trust us, you’ll love it here, so please come visit one day soon! Our address is 800 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 – we’re on the corner of Chorro + Palm Streets as you enter downtown, across from the Mission de Tolosa. You can’t miss us – we’re the ADORABLE historic building with the teal shutters.
Q: What products / services do you offer?
A: Our entertaining general store has a variety of items for purchase – local wine, gift baskets, greeting cards, host(ess) gifts, barware, gift wrap, workshops + classes, etc. Think of us as your one stop shop for all things celebrating & entertaining. During the holiday season, we turn into a magical holiday store with nearly 500 speciality ornaments and gifts galore!
Need rentals, a florist or a specialty cake? No problem, we have a rolodex of the best of the best who we can refer you to. Want a bit more help planning your event? Check out our Karson Butler Events page for full-service event planning inquiries. We help a limited number of companies + individuals near and far plan extraordinary guest experiences each year.
Q: I’m looking for the Crushed Grape gift baskets and was sent here. Help!
A: In early 2023 Amber + Emily bought the Crushed Grape’s gift basket business. Gretchen was looking to re-wire and we love the fact we could continue a nearly 40 year legacy of a female owned business here in SLO. We continue the tradition of supporting local wineries, farmers and artisans and we’ve of course put our own KBE signature spin on the business. The Crushed Grape was worked into our year-round gift offerings at Ah Louis Store – please visit our basket & gift bar to create your own custom gift basket or shop one of our pre-made options available! We ship nationwide!
Q: Do you have an online store & will you ship?
A: YES! We are happy to announce that we have just launched our online store for select products. We’ll be adding more and more products into our online inventory as we get comfortable with shipping nationwide. (Yes, sorry International friends, we’re currently only shipping within the USA right now, but never say never. We love you too.) Visit the online shop here. Please note – wine purchases are available for shipping within California and a few select states only.
Q: When will I get my stuff?
A: All orders will be processed within 48 hours. Shipping time varies based on location. We currently ship via USPS. Please contact us if you have a rush shipment or special need.
Q: Can I place an order for pick-up in the store?
A: Yes! Please order directly from the website and you’ll be prompted to select a date for pick-up. This is especially helpful for the #kbeballoonbar. Advanced notice on specialty balloons is greatly appreciated. Its never too early to start planning! Once we receive your order, we will reach out to confirm your preferred pick-up time!
Q: What are your store hours?
A: Our current Holiday 2023 Winter hours are:
- Mondays – CLOSED
- Tuesdays – 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Wednesdays – 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Thursdays – 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Fridays – 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Saturdays – 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Sundays – 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Q: Tell us about the parking situation.
A: The City of San Luis Obispo has a public parking garage NEXT DOOR to us at 842 Palm Street – 1st hour FREE is returning in November of 2023. There is second public parking garage one block away at 919 Palm Street too! For pick-ups, we have three spots in the 24-7 reserved paved parking adjacent to the building — entrance is on Chorro Street – look for the flower pots.
Q: Are you hiring?
A: Following us on Instagram is the best way to find out when we’re opening up our shop associate + event assistant pools. We’re always looking for bright talent to join the wonderful team of #kbewest! Resumes can be sent to hello@karsonbutlerevents.com
Q: Why a retail store?
A: There is always reason to celebrate… life’s occasions big + small are worthy of special attention. Our store is curated with products that help you do that – an incredible selection of local wine and gift baskets, greeting cards (because snail mail still rules), party supplies, host(ess) gifts, party accoutrements, custom stationery, and more! For those supporters following our adventures at Karson Butler Events for the past 16 years, we wanted to reach more of you in a tangible way. For our local SLO community, we felt a calling to bring this historic building back to life – to a time when it served as an important cornerstone in our city’s history. We understand that not every party needs to hire KBE (or any professional event planner for that matter), so how could we make a bigger difference in spreading joy beyond just our client events? We believe in the power of making someone laugh and smile – the world is a better place when all of us spread joy. Celebrating doesn’t need to be a big fancy party (don’t get us wrong, it certainly can be & we love those too!) but it can be something as simple as a thoughtful card or bottle of wine. We hope we’re helping make it easier for all of you to spread smiles via our entertaining general store. XOXO
Q: I can find products cheaper online. Why shop with you?
A: By shopping with us at the Ah Louis Store, you’re supporting a small, female owned (X2!) business. We believe that a world full of small business creates loving communities. We believe there’s still something special about brick & mortar shops – in the power of walking into a local business and interacting with shop owners and creatives. By shopping with us in person or online, you’re supporting those efforts. We in turn can support other small business owners and the circle continues – as we try to fill a majority of our shelves with products created by small businesses too. In California alone “3.7 million small businesses employ 6.7 million people and make a huge economic impact on our state” according to a post by our Downtown SLO Association recently. There is power in #shoppingsmall.
Q: What tips can you provide for environmentally friendly balloon purchases?
A: While we have postponed our balloon bar offerings for the moment, its important to note that high-quality latex balloons are made from 100% natural latex — not plastic. Our latex balloons are biodegradable, and decompose as fast as an oak leaf in your backyard. Latex balloons come from rubber trees. Latex is collected by cutting the tree’s bark, then catching the latex in a cup. Latex harvesting doesn’t hurt the tree & latex harvesting discourages deforestation because latex-producing trees are left intact. A tree can produce latex for up to 40 years. Not all balloons are made equal. In addition, we do not support the release of balloons into the sky. Be smart with your balloon disposable so that balloon fragments don’t end up in nature.