We were thrilled to partner with Laura Allen for the Alumni Association’s 12 Gifts of Hooville Holiday Gift Guide. We caught up with her to ask her about the story behind Allens Shortbread and all things UVA.
Tell us a little bit about how Allens Scottish Shortbread started.
My Scottish grandma launched a company called Laura’s Scottish Shortbread, which featured me at the age of 3 in a kilt on all of its advertisements. Though she sold the business to her partner nearly 40 years ago, I grew up with a strong awareness of Grandma’s dream deferred.
At 19, I helped my mother launch her own brand with Grandma’s heritage shortbread, and in both instances, the same problem arose: the business grew at an unexpectedly rapid pace, and became very difficult to manage in light of the other responsibilities on their plates!
I unknowingly inherited my grandmother’s deferred dream, and found a sense of destiny as I began to reimagine the branding of a new company. It seems to me that I had less choice in all of this than I myself ever realized! At age 3 with a kilt, I truly believe that my future plans began!
When you’re back on Grounds, what’s the one place you must visit?
I have a love affair with the UVA Gardens. They ignite a passion in my soul, and I feel more alive in them than I do in most other places in the area. The serpentine walls show up on the Birthday & Cherry Blossom & Chocolate Chip gift boxes.
What is your favorite UVA memory?
I got accepted into the graduate level creative writing workshops by submitting one of my pieces. My time around that table with writers has left a permanent longing in my life to continually exist within a community similar to the one I experienced in that division. It removed the isolation, and energized me to grow in my gifting because of the deadlines, the brilliance of our professors, and the energizing companionship of a dozen passionate scholars that experienced the world a bit differently than most. I truly ache for that part of my UVA days.
What’s one thing that you learned at UVA that you carry with you today?
Beauty matters. The Lawn speaks to that. Time spent on Grounds invites us to soak in a sort of majesty. The atmosphere encourages us to consider the value of space beyond function. Environments shape us, calling us higher, and UVA stirs a desire within me to create moments that wash myself and my children in wonder and loveliness.
How do you stay connected to UVA?
I have lived less than 10 minutes from Grounds for all but 1 year of my 18 years since graduating! I make an effort (not nearly enough of them these days) to stop and visit as frequently as possible. I generally end up spending Mother’s Day, Easter, and other key holidays in the beautiful Gardens. I also really love the hammocks and big lawn around Hereford. I bring my girls there from time to time to greet the blooming tree flowers. In truth, I frequent grounds most commonly by vehicle. We make a point of taking the long route home so we can drive through, and take the changing seasons in!