Stationery Trends Magazine

A Strong Showing

By Sarah Schwartz, Editor The 63rd edition of the National Stationery Show (NSS) has come and gone, and like every edition, it left its indelible mark. Its noted convention-like atmosphere, plenty of gorgeous product — as well as lots of orders being written — nearly eclipsed the fact that many exhibitors did not attend, resulting in a smaller show floor than previous years. Those that got the most of it did so with the goal of making the most of it. Take Carrie Castino of Finest Invitations, a division of Stationery Express, Belleville, Mich. “My best unexpected find was how many people did come to the show to exhibit,” she commented. “I know times are tough and it is not easy to make a marketing decision to spend money with the economy the way it is. But I applaud those that did. Frankly, I was…  » Read more

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Designer Profile: Leigh Standley

By Sarah Schwartz, Editor In the 1990s, many companies debuted a line of greeting cards, tasted some success and tried the licensing route with varying degrees of success. The market became clogged, and as the economy deflated, the number of vendors traversing this heady path slowed to almost a standstill. But fortunately some designers are bucking this trend, among them Leigh Standley of Curly Girl. The line is distinguished by its freewheeling style and pithy nuggets of wisdom; even a staffer's business card reads on back, “Her laughter precedes her like a reputation.” The six-year-old Belmont, Mass., company experienced a somewhat meteoric rise, garnering a 2006 LOUIE as well as several licensees. But the 32-year-old dynamo didn't stop there, opening a 600-square-foot retail shop, while at the same time halting new licensing deals. Stationery Trends interviewed the St. Louis native to learn about the road…  » Read more

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Summer 2009 Editor’s Letter

By Sarah Schwartz, Editor It's been said there are a million stories in New York City. Well, there are a million design stories in the stationery and gift industries too, most of them informed by personal and family histories. This became clear to me while working on this issue's designer profile, Leigh Standley, the cheerful visionary behind Curly Girl Design. Leigh was all set to leave for college to carve out a career in the dramatic arts when her mother gently suggested she consider visual design instead. If not for her mother's intervention, this industry, and not the theatre world, would have lost a rising star. But not only are our life choices shaped by family, so too are our all-important design aesthetics. I consider mine one of my most cherished possessions, and thrive from being exposed to anything that allows it to mutate and…  » Read more

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Sibling Revelry

By Amanda Avutu, Special to Stationery Trends The proverbial sky might be falling outside, but inside the stationery boutique Paper Doll, located in Chicago's Wicker Park, the mood is pure jubilation. After all, there are countless reasons to celebrate every day — a beautiful milk-headed baby was just born, someone's matriarch lived to see her 93rd year, two odd ducks became one odd couple. Run by sisters Stacy Swett, 40, and Kelly Swett Riordan, 37, Paper Doll's loft-like space is a 1,200-square-foot homage to cuteness in all its varieties, be it vintage, modern or miscellaneous. In addition to boxed stationery, greeting cards and custom stationery, the shop also embraces celebratory accoutrements like hand-picked gifts, artist-designed T-shirts, themed journals, whimsical dog paintings and tiny scented candles. Whether Brit Pop or Big Band, Indie Rock or Motown, the music's always pulsing and the venerable house Pug, Maude,…  » Read more

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Success by Design

By Sarah Schwartz, Editor Retailers have been hit hard by the recession. Recent statistics speak volumes: About 148,000 stores closed their doors permanently in 2008, and 73,000 more were projected to close in the first half in 2009, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers in New York. That's a lot of dreams down the drain! Stationery Trends sent an e-blast inquiring what approaches its retail readership were taking to combat the recession. Many respondents, like Hanna Shaner of Inscriptions in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., attack the problem on many fronts. “We are doing everything! E-mailing clients with discounts as they're available from vendors; more customer service; free addressing on in-house printing; advertising and just trying to be more responsive and creative. It is also very important to be sensitive to cost, and to offer a variety of prices for clients.” Retail, Reinterpreted Many…  » Read more

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