A popular Dallas-based shopping app has arrived to rescue gift giving in Fort Worth. Called Afloat, it's an on-demand app that allows gift-givers to send last-minute presents from local stores only.
Like Amazon, gifts will be delivered same- or next-day. Unlike Amazon, they'll be packaged and wrapped beautifully, and will include a handwritten note.
"Gifting is such a beautiful practice, and important for building and strengthening relationships of all kinds, but it often falls to the bottom of to-do lists," says founder Sarah-Allen Preston in a statement. "Afloat brings the best local shops right to your fingertips, making it seamless to gift thoughtfully on the go."
Afloat launched in Fort Worth at the end of October with 10 participating local boutiques:
- Moss Floral Design, a luxury floral design boutique
- Well Gifted, curator of custom, ready-to-ship gift boxes
- A Little Something Cookies, custom cookie bakery
- Brooke Wright Designs, chic women's apparel boutique
- Color Shout, an accessories shop specializing in sorority
- B Kids, a baby and children's boutique
- Fort Weekend, sleeping bags and playmats for babies and kids
- Lila & Hayes, children's clothing and pajama boutique
- Pink Petunia Baking Co., custom bakery from pastry chef Jackie Reyes
- HerStory Market, marketplace for luxury goods from women-led brands around the world
There are more to come, the company says.
"Afloat is passionate about supporting local shops to keep commerce, jobs, creativity, and curators in the local communities... [and] empowering them to compete among the rapidly growing, metasearch tech platforms," Preston says.
Users simply download the Afloat app or click on the website, shop a menu of gifts from local stores (organized by city and occasion), purchase, and send them directly to a recipient. The gifts are prepared, wrapped, and delivered on the same or next day. A $15 fee includes gift-wrapping, a handwritten note, and doorstep delivery. (Note that out-of-town deliveries are possible but will take longer.)
No more excuses for tardy birthday presents.
Photo courtesy of Afloat
Preston, a professional event planner in her 30s, says she got the idea for the app during two life-changing events: her divorce and her son's open-heart surgery.
Because she'd always loved to celebrate relationships, holidays, events, and milestones, she says, she wanted a way to express her gratitude personally for the outpouring of love she'd received from family and friends during her most difficult times.
Her solution was Afloat, to help people send meaningful gifts to friends and family for any occasion (not just the "good" occasions, she stresses) while also supporting local brick-and-mortar stores.
"I realized that there was no platform that existed to help me support those going through hard times like I had and celebrate the happy ones, too," she says. "So, I created it. And gifting became Afloat’s love language."
Preston, a Southern Methodist University grad who lives in Dallas, launched Afloat in 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri and then Dallas. The app powers up in Fort Worth and San Antonio this month, and will be in Houston, Nashville, and Atlanta by the end of the year, she says.
Preston says she hopes Fort Worth shoppers find it especially helpful during the stressful holiday season.
"It’s so important to gift thoughtfully, but during the holidays, it’s especially hard," she says. "Afloat makes it easy to send local gifts with a very personal touch to neighbors, teachers, friends, and family."
To help celebrate the launch, Preston has created the special promo code LOVECULTUREMAP for free delivery on introductory orders.
To download the app and shop, visit theafloatapp.com or follow along on Instagram @afloatlife.
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