The Paper Fold

Today's a first for TPF, namely, I’m dropping this episode in conjunction with a product drop — but this is no ordinary product. In fact, it’s more of a special project. It’s a collaboration, but it’s not like the ones where you see one brand with a little x between them and whoever they’ve partnered with. Like those, it’s limited edition, but unlike those, it brings nine different makers from all...

International travel may be off the table for now, but for the first episode of our new season, Jason Arbuckle of J. Falkner swings by America to chat from London! J. Falkner may be the only range I've come across that so closely associates itself with a city: in this case, colorful, sunny Palm Beach. Receiving one of these cards is the card equivalent of catching up with a dear friend over cockta...

National Stationery Show (NSS) first opened its doors in 1945, and although we didn’t know at the time, its February 2020 edition was its final run. On July 27, Emerald announced that the National Stationery Show brand was being retired, and my social media feeds were almost instantaneously filled with fond reminiscences and, let’s be honest, no small amount of angst.  Undoubtedly, we are all deal...

If you play any sort of role in stationery, no visit to AmericasMart or Dallas Market Center is complete without a visit to the Daniel Richards showroom there. There you'll find top brands like Rifle Paper Co. alongside quirkier indie ranges like Sapling Press, all irresistibly merchandised to perfection. For small makers, it's a dream come true to be selected for one of Dan Collier's showrooms or...

Earlier this week, NY NOW announced plans to create a single stationery destination within its famed market. This reimagined stationery collection will be part of a re-branded Gift + Stationery section and, as a result, the National Stationery Show brand will be retired. So as that news sinks in, and as we all prepare for an August with no NY NOW, I have the distinct pleasure of hosting a longtime...

We've all had a few stomach-dropping moments these past months — something was cancelled, someone was cancelled, or maybe you got some bad news that left you gasping for breath. For me personally, this happened one morning in late April when I logged onto Facebook to see myself tagged in a friend’s post about Crane Stationery closing permanently. Had I been wearing pearls, I would have been clutch...

As you've hopefully heard, there’s a huge can’t-miss industry event this week, courtesy of the Greeting Card Association. Noted: A Focus on Diversity is Thursday, July 16, and during it, nine Black makers will "pitch" their greeting card line to a pitch panel comprised of top retailers and, hopefully, you. The pitch panel features Vanessa Raptopoulos, Awesome Brooklyn; Chandra Greer, Greer Chicago...

I can't take credit for the phrase, "Paper peeps are the best peeps," but this check-in with my dear friend Karla Ebrahimi reminded me of its inherent truth. Karla is the face behind Sky of Blue Cards, a Menlo Park, California, house of stationery offering an exquisite array of letterpress cards as well as the magnificent LetterBox subscription box. Watching the increasing intensity with which Kar...

You may know George White as president and COO of Up With Paper and UWP Luxe — these are fantastic, award-winning houses of pop-up cards renowned for their complex engineering and beautiful rendered artwork. But I invited George here because he's also president of The Greeting Card Association (GCA), and to say that organization has had a crazy year is a huge understatement. The GCA was to hold th...

Watching makers successfully navigate their small brands first through a pandemic, and then civil unrest, has been unexpectedly heartening. While huge names in retail are closing their doors forever, small brands are emerging, if not unscathed, then at least relatively intact. And few have been more inspiring to me to witness in real time than Shayna Norwood of Steel Petal Press. Those entering it...

Please welcome Robert Maricich, CEO of International Market Centers (IMC). Bob, as he prefers, is widely recognized as one of the home furnishings industry’s most Innovative leaders — he founded and built IMC into an exhibition space powerhouse with more than 20 million square feet of world-class B2B exhibition space. Its campuses include both AmericasMart Atlanta and World Market Center Las Vegas...

I am in just in awe of all Ryan and Juliana Kissick of San Francisco's Good Juju Ink have done since going into quarantine in San Francisco with their 1-year-old daughter. First, in mid-March, as the world seemed to be falling apart, Ryan helped countless other small business owners by creating an amazingly concise, invaluable guide for navigating these times, hereafter to only be referred to as T...