Bene Gifts is a small, New York based company that prides itself in providing its customers with the finest selection of rare, uniquely designed and beautifully crafted, international gift items. Founder Gene Khalyapin, Art Director Yuki Kawakami and Site Editor J.T. Waite have combined their international expertise and their love of things exotic and beautiful to create a store for the most imaginative and discerning of shoppers. Bene Gifts – where you can always find something special for that special someone!

When Gene was asked what inspired him to create a shopping experience like Bene Gifts, he said: “It was my 10th birthday. We weren’t exactly poor, but we weren’t rich either, so presents in my family often had to be both practical and useful. Most years it was the same: shoes, a woolen sweater or a new backpack for school – things given with love, but rooted in necessity. On my 10th birthday my grandfather gave me something special. I remember the look in his eyes, as I tore away at the wrapping paper. When I opened the box, my heart almost stopped. It wasn’t another sweater, it wasn’t something for school, it was a toy! A sleek silver airplane that could actually fly! It wasn’t useful. It wasn’t practical. And it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I still remember the feeling when I opened that box. And I knew that one day I wanted to share that feeling with others.”