Our Story

Give Me 3 is so much more than a gift store to me. It has become a new adventure, a place to serve my community, a creative outlet, and a space where relationships are built and memories are made. And, most importantly, it has become a family affair.

My family is at the heart of GM3. My husband, Dennis, our daughters Victoria and Olivia, and our son-in-law Jared are all a part of this journey with me. Victoria actually worked at GM3 while she was in college, and both girls help at the store whenever they can. I love that something that started as an unexpected new chapter for me has become something our whole family can be a part of.

Before GM3, my career looked very different. I spent 10 years in pharmaceutical sales and then 16 years teaching music—including elementary music and Talented Music—with Bossier Parish Schools. I had never dreamed of owning a store. It simply wasn't something I had ever imagined for myself.

But a few years before I purchased GM3, I began to feel like God was preparing me for a change. I didn't know what that change would look like or what He had in store for the next chapter of my life. I just knew I was entering a new season.

By 2024, I found myself in a very different place. My children were grown, I was an empty nester, and my husband, Dennis, was pursuing his dream of serving our community as a State Representative. I had spent so many years living the dream of raising my children, and suddenly I found myself asking, “What now?”

Then came Mahjong.

I decided to learn this game I had heard so much about, and I absolutely fell in love with it. Mahjong gave me something I didn't even realize I was missing. It gave me a social outlet, new friendships, and a sense of community during a season when my life was changing. Before long, I was teaching lessons and dreaming about having a small space of my own where people could come together to learn and play.

At the time, Give Me 3 was owned by my friend Tracey, and I was already a customer of the store. My daughter had also worked there while she was home from college. One day, I mentioned to Tracey how fun it would be to have a little Mahjong space on Douglas Drive alongside her and the other store owners we had come to know and love.

What neither of us knew was that God was already orchestrating something much bigger.

Tracey shared with me that she had been thinking about selling Give Me 3. And just one month later, we closed on the store.

On December 1, 2025, I officially became the owner of Give Me 3.

Looking back, I can see how God had been preparing me for this long before I knew what He was preparing me for. What I thought might be a small Mahjong dream became something so much bigger.

Today, I have the opportunity to combine so many of the things I love. We turned part of GM3 into a Mahjong room where I can teach lessons, host open play, and bring people together for Mahjong events. I get to be creative. I get to serve my community. I get to meet new people and love on the people God brings into my path. And I get to help someone find a meaningful gift for someone they love.

That is what I want Give Me 3 to be.

I want you to walk through our doors and feel joy. I want shopping here to be fun. I want you to feel welcomed, cared for, and truly served. Whether you're looking for the perfect gift, something special for yourself, or simply a place to connect with others, I hope you feel like you belong here.

I never set out to own a gift store. But sometimes the best adventures are the ones you never planned.

I am so grateful for this new chapter, for my family who gets to be a part of it, for the community that has welcomed me, and for the way God has brought it all together.

Welcome to Give Me 3. I'm so glad you're here.

Lauren Bamburg