Stationery Store Trends

Getting Stationery Sales (From page 29)

goods business disappear in the wake of COVID. It is returning as cancelled or postponed events are rescheduled. Amy Bass , owner of Nota Bene Fine Paper Boutique in Pittsburgh, Pa., said much of her wedding business is coming back. “Invitations are still popular—either the parents will insist on it, or the couple will want to do it because it sets such a tone. Not everyone wants to send an e-vite. We do invitations for birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers. We’re still really busy with weddings—[the invitation] really does set the tone for the event.” Bass has remained competitive in a largely digital world by “being one of the few remaining stationery stores. We do in-house printing—flat digital printing, so they can pick out a box of stationery and have it printed for them in one to two days. We do a lot of letter press, which is very popular. We do a lot of digital flat printing, which allows for bringing color into the design. None are done in-house—some of our popular lines are Bella Figura, Arzberger. We still do some Crane, and William Arthur, and Cramer Drive,” she explained.

Stationers find new vendors in different ways. “There used to be a big stationery show where new vendors would show up constantly. That’s almost nonexistent right now,” Bass said. “I rely more on our existing vendors expanding their lines. It’s very hard to find a brand-new vendor; existing vendors are really good at creating new products.” Richmond relies on trade magazines and finds many items through Faire.com—a wholesale website of independent makers. At Parcel, Laboz said they have eliminated all outside vendors; all the cards and paper sold are made in-house. (They also sell their products through Faire.com). Parcel’s brand is a mixture of modern and vintage. As far as best-sellers, Laboz said, “What works best for us is a little more heartfelt, sentimental, and nostalgic. We try to keep modern by touching on some updated phrasing or colors. We can acknowledge trends in subtle ways, but people look to us for the symbolic and sentimental. We don’t do overly cheeky, crass, political, or anything with foul language. We are touching on a lot of references from the past with our imagery. We do a lot with zodiac, tarot, constellations. We’ll embrace a trend when it applies to us—our younger customers are really into that. We have supportive imagery that makes us special in that category. We give a nod to what’s going on in the world in a subtle way—people look at our cards as more artful or subtle. Often people keep our cards as art—[we] do small art prints.”

Marty Garrison , owner of Paisley and Paper in Greenville, S.C., is noticing a few trends in her market: “Personalization is still key; desire for environmentally friendly paper; more color and custom logos in wedding suites; bringing together all pieces of a wedding suite, and artwork and stationery to make a cohesive brand for a couple’s big day,” she said. “These trends are making a big splash due to Instagram and Pinterest – so many ideas are compared and copied.” She noted their overall bestsellers include timeless products: “Note cards and notepaper that we can personalize. Our customers know the importance of writing a good thank you note for a gift, an interview, a dinner, or a party.” She noted she is always looking for new vendors. “We love our tried-and-true brands such as Arzberger, Crane, and Embossed Graphics, but sometimes we need to provide more of a selection. We love any stationery vendor who offer fine paper and beautiful designs. We scour the temporaries at Americas Mart, magazines and Faire all of the time. We also shop in other stationery stores when we are visiting different cities to see what they offer. Always keep your eyes open!”

Stationery retailers are quick to quash any rumors that handwritten correspondence is a thing of the past. “So many people feel like stationery and writing letters is dead. I always laugh because I’ve created two stores whose revenues definitely beg to differ!” Luna said. “Not everyone has to use and appreciate greeting cards, stationery, and own a collection of a million different fun pens. But for those of us who do, it brings so

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