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Retailers, it’s time to revamp your stores with innovative, inspirational, and imaginative designs you can only find at the 63rd annual National Stationery Show, which runs Sunday, May 17 to Wednesday, May 20 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Center. According to George Little Management (GLM), a dmg world media business, 1,100 companies, including 300 new exhibitors, will showcase stationery and more.
We have the inside scoop on companies showing for the first time—read on to learn more about their exciting products. Also, don’t miss our profile on a well-known company that got its start at the show.
To pre-register for the show, call 800/272-SHOWor visit www.nationalstationeryshow.com.
Show highlights
In addition to the Best Product Awards and LOUIE Awards, the show has myriad must-see events.
DAILY DEMONSTRATIONS
These 45-minute demos take place in the Demo Theater on the exposition floor.
Sunday, May 17
• 11:30 a.m. “Creating Apparel Displays from Paper.” Presenter: Sherri-Aynn Collins, CEO/artist, Darling Mummy. Retailer: Paper Twist, Charlotte, North Carolina.
• 2:30 p.m. “Creating Unique Wedding Favors.” Presenter: Christian Fulghum, vice president, Midori Inc. Retailer: To be determined.
Monday, May 18
• 11:30 a.m. “Creating Japanese-Style Gift Wraps.” Presenter: Vicki Mihara Avery, CEO, Mountain Valley Paper Company Inc. Retailer: To be determined.
• 2:30 p.m. “Creating Romantic Holiday Décor with Ribbons.” Presenter: Eliot Raffit, president, Raffit Ribbons. Retailer: Kate’s Paperie, New York, New York.
Tuesday, May 19
• 11:30 a.m. “Creating Eco-Friendly Invites and Favors.” Presenter: Joan Schnee, president and founder, Green Paper Company. Retailer: Grace Cole, Scribe Paper, South Hamilton, Massachusetts, and Marblehead, Massachusetts.
• 2:30 p.m. “Creating Artistic Napkin Folds.” Presenter: Mark Hawbecker, trade show coordinator, Caspari Inc. Retailer: To be determined.
SEMINARS
Each seminar is $20 in advance and $30 on-site.
Sunday, May 17
• 10 a.m. “Top Trends for 2009.” Sarah Schwartz, editor-in-chief, Stationery Trends.
• 12 p.m. “Going Green Gradually and Gorgeously.” Linda Cahan, retail visual merchandising expert, Cahan & Company.
• 4 p.m. “Teach & Learn Retail Forum: Build Business in 2009.” Patricia Norins, publisher, Gift Shop.
Monday, May 18
• 10 a.m. “Top Trends for 2009.” Sarah Schwartz.
• 12 p.m. “Move Upward with Free Exposure and In-Store Promotions.” Carolyn Howard-Johnson, retailer and author.
• 4 p.m. “Teach & Learn Retail Forum: Marketing and Promotional Strategies.” Patricia Norins.
Tuesday, May 19
• 10 a.m. “Grow Your Business Online for No $$$.” Speaker: Carolyn Howard-Johnson.
• 12 p.m. “Repurpose Your Current Merchandise to Stimulate Party Sales.” Speaker: Maureen Barten, president, Purple Q Productions.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Party at the Rainbow Room
Sunday, May 17, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Rainbow Room, Rockefeller Center
$65 individuals, $800 corporate tables of 10
20th Annual LOUIE Awards
Monday, May 18, 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The Capitale, 130 Bowery at Grand Street
For sponsorship opportunities and tickets, con-
tact the Greeting Card Association at 202/393-1778
or www.greetingcard.org.
WATCH & LEARN DEMONSTRATIONS
Sunday, May 17
• 1 p.m. “Gift Packaging Like a Pro.” Juanita Lewis, manager, UCLA Hospital Gift Shop.
• 4 p.m. “Affordable Props for Easy, Effective Displays.” Linda Cahan.
Monday, May 18
• 1 p.m. “Affordable Props for Easy, Effective Displays.”
• 4 p.m. “Beautiful, Bountiful Bows.” Juanita Lewis.
Tuesday, May 19
• 1 p.m. “Eco-Friendly, Unique Gift Wrapping and Package Toppers for Add-on Sales.” Juanita Lewis.
• 4 p.m. “Gift Packaging Like a Pro.”
Attention new Buyers: Don’t Miss this!
Pre-Show New Buyer Webinar
Tuesday, May 5, 1-2 p.m.
This webinar for first-time show attendees is packed with tips on what to bring, how to place orders, following up with exhibitors, and more. All participants receive online access to GLM’s New Buyer Handbook. For more information, contact Patti Stracher at 914-421-3394 or patti_stracher@glmshows.com.
NSS Exclusive: New Faces
These companies, all first-time exhibitors at the National Stationery Show, impressed us with positive attitudes, determination, and unique products.
Tachits
www.tachits.com
678/296-3582
Booth #1552
It’s happened to everyone: You bring a gift to a party and add it to a heaping pile on the table. Inevitably, when it’s time for the birthday boy or girl to open presents, the accompanying greeting card you so carefully chose has mysteriously disappeared.
You’ve tried obvious, though unattractive ways to remedy this. Admit it: You’ve been guilty of plastering the card to the box with gobs of tape.
Stress no more. There is finally a smart solution, thanks to an ingenious invention from sisters Regina Samuel and Christi Burton. Tachits are gift adornments that add flair and keep cards in place. They are attached to gifts in the same way that sticky
bows are—simply remove the backing and affix to the gift, then clamp the card to the Tachit.
“When cards are misplaced, it’s frustrating, and it makes it really difficult to write thank-you notes,” says Regina. “We’ve all experienced it personally.”
Christi knew it was time to take action while working part-time at Paper Affair, a stationery store in Atlanta, Georgia. “She noticed a definite gap in the industry,” says Regina. “There just wasn’t a way to keep cards and gifts together.”
In December 2007, the sisters partnered with a design consultant and searched online for manufacturers capable of materializing their ideas. They also conceptualized a name and slogan for their product (“Just a Tachit...and never lose a card again!”).
Regina and Christi created a collection of metal and rubber Tachits that coordinate well with plain giftwrap. “That’s the nice thing about Tachits, especially now with the economy the way it is,” says Regina. “People can buy an inexpensive or plain bag
and then buy a Tachit and add something creative to it.”
Current Tachit options include flowers, stars, cupcakes, and holiday- and baby-themed designs. According to Regina, many of the company’s current retailers
say customers have been so happy with the Tachits they receive that they save them and reuse them.
Christi used her connections at Paper Affair to test out some early ideas and get
advice. “We knew everyone at Paper Affair so well through Christi, and we were
lucky to get some valuable feedback from the store manager,” says Regina.
The sisters then made a bold move and sent some Tachits to author and industry expert Robyn Spizman. Robyn was so thrilled that she featured Regina and Christi’s Tachits when she appeared on the Today Show. “It was huge for us!” says Regina.
Although the sisters have previously exhibited in Atlanta, this will be their first National Stationery Show. “We are going to take advantage of having a huge arena of people to give feedback on our new designs,” says Regina. “We’re confident that Tachits are such a helpful, necessary part of the gift industry that they’ll do well at the show.”
As of now, the sisters have retail customers in the Southeast; they hope to expand their territory at the show. “We’ve developed a brand-new display with a variety of 48 Tachits on it that is compact enough to sit on top of a counter,” says Regina. “It’s colorful, eye-catching, and explanatory, and will be really easy for anyone to come into our booth and place an order.”
Sugar Paper
www.sugarpaper.com
310/277-7804
Booth # 2864-2866
Best friends and designers Chelsea Shukov and Jamie Grobecker are self-proclaimed traditionalists. Inspired by style icons such as Audrey Hepburn, they prefer the classics to the trendy.
Chelsea and Jamie also appreciate the artistry of fine stationery. Some of their favor-
ite designs come from time-honored companies. However, the friends feel that many
established, high-end stationery companies leave something to be desired for younger women. After all, stationery is an extension of personal style, and fashionable 30-somethings don’t want to date themselves.
This gap in the industry led Chelsea and Jamie to dabble with their own creations. The result was Sugar Paper, a letterpress company with a fresh take on classic ideas.
The two professional graphic designers got their start by crafting invitations for friends in the Los Angeles, California-area. “All of a sudden we had more ‘work’ doing favors than we did in our real jobs,” says Chelsea, who says she and Jamie stumbled
upon their Sugar Paper opportunity by chance. “We had often been told growing up that a career in art was nearly impossible. It turns out that a career in art found us.”
Chelsea and Jamie started developing the Sugar Paper line in 2002. The pair wanted to create a clear mission and style for Sugar Paper rather than jumping the gun and producing as many products as possible. “We took some time and said, ‘Who are we?’”says Chelsea. “We didn’t want to lose focus of what we represented in our work.” The care they put into their concept resulted in a neatly edited collection
of gorgeous letterpress products.
The Sugar Paper collection features illustrations inspired by bygone eras. The ’50s-like, candy-hued tones in the company’s subdued designs are a perfect match for its name. For a taste of Chelsea and Jamie’s style, one has to look to no further than their exquisitely designed website, which they created on their own.
“Our emphasis in what we create is quality,” says Chelsea. “We painstakingly labor over typefaces, paper choices, which Pantone colors to use, and how to find the perfect envelope for each stationery suite. Our clients are very sophisticated women who require only the best, which has been the backbone of our growth.”
The first Sugar Paper retail store, located on the west side of Los Angeles, opened in 2003. Chelsea says most of Sugar Paper’s customers are local affluent 30- to 40-year-old women—including some celebrities who appreciated the stylish stationery. Chelsea and Jamie later opened a second retail location in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Chelsea and Jamie are deeply committed to employing superior design processes and luxurious materials to create Sugar Paper’s top-quality stationery. “We have learned along the way that in order for our products to carry the Sugar Paper name, they must be the best—even if that means we have to create some of the elements from scratch,” says Chelsea. She adds that the company even makes its own envelopes, which are crafted of Italian and domestic paper. “We’ve found that envelopes tend
to be an often overlooked element, yet the most handled element of any stationery suite.”
Indeed, part of what makes Sugar Paper so special is that the company prints all of its meticulously made products in-house. “We tried once to send it out, but the quality we got back was so poor that we made the decision to grow that side of our business as well,” says Chelsea. She and Jamie used to manage their retail stores during the day and then do all their own letterpressing themselves at night; they
now have a press staff that is taught their style of deep-relief printing.
Because Chelsea and Jamie have experience buying for their own retail stores, they have insight into what retailers are looking for in these tough times. “We have a positive outlook on the economy and our business,” says Chelsea. “As buyers for a retail store, we’re having to be a little more thoughtful about what we’re choosing.”
This will be the first National Stationery Show that Chelsea and Jamie have attended as exhibitors rather than buyers. In fact, this will be the pair’s first time exhibiting at any trade show. As for their expectations, the team hopes to get Sugar Paper’s name out into the industry and break into the luxury stationery sector. Sugar Paper will debut its entire line, which includes custom stationery, wedding invitations, baby announcements, party invitations, holiday greetings, social stationery, calendars, coasters, and special-edition letterpress prints.
“We have never put our things out in the world—which can be nerve-racking if you think about it too much,” says Chelsea. “But we’re thrilled to be part of a creative community of fellow artists.”
One & Only Figures
www.claymyfigure.com
626/823-1841
Booth # 2165
Wendy Lee’s wedding was more than just the beginning of her marriage to her husband—it also was the birthplace of a bright idea for a successful company.
While planning her wedding four years ago, Wendy decided she wanted to top her cake with something unique. She searched for a topper that reflected her and her fiancé’s personalities, but was unable to find one. “Then I came across the idea
of making the cake topper that resembled us,” says Wendy. “I found a clay sculptor to sculpt a fully customized wedding cake topper.”
The custom topper was a hit with her family and guests. Wendy began promoting the idea among her friends, who turned to her for design ideas.
Wendy soon recognized that her skills presented a valuable opportunity to fill a gap in the wedding industry. She now designs and produces her own customized toppers under the name One & Only Figures. Customers simply have to send her a photo and description of what they want, and she can sculpt the couples out of clay for a truly one-of-a-kind topper. Her small, Rowland Heights, California-based business has expanded quickly in gift stores, wedding shops, and bakeries statewide.
Wendy recently added a “comic” option to her toppers, which makes the couples appear bobblehead-like with oversized heads and smaller bodies. The company also has a line of customized figures available for various occupations, special occasions, and sports teams.
To add to its presence in the wedding industry, One & Only Figures introduced a line of colorful towel cakes last year. “The cake is made from a 100-percent cotton wash cloth and is artfully wrapped to resemble a tasteful cake,” says Wendy. “They are
great for wedding favors, baby showers, and other occasions.” The towel cakes are available in slices, whole mini cakes, and heart-shaped mini cakes. With “flavors” such as Chocolate Cheese Cake, Strawberry Cake, and Lemon Cheese Cake, they
look good enough to eat.
One & Only Figures also has other treats, including cupcake towel cakes and cellophane-wrapped towels resembling pieces of swirled hard candy. And Wendy has a new design she’ll introduce at this year’s National Stationery Show. “We added new towel treats wrapped to look like ice cream cones,” she says.
As for Wendy’s show expectations, she is eager to connect with existing customers and develop new, long-term business relationships. “This is our first show that we will exhibit outside California,” says Wendy. The company has participated in a
number of wedding trade shows, but Wendy says the National Stationery Show will present new growth opportunities. “We are excited and happy to participate at the show. We can finally meet our customers on the East Coast and put the faces and
names together.”
NSS Success Story: Up With paper
With a 31-year-long running as an exhibitor, Up With Paper (800/852-7677 or www.upwithpaper.com) is hardly a newcomer to the National Stationery Show. In fact, the show served as a launching platform for this widely recognized company that specializes in pop-up greetings.
While Up With Paper’s booth size has certainly changed (it used to be just a small, 10- to 20-foot booth), the location surprisingly hasn’t. “We’ve always had that primary spot where we still are, in the front of the show, right in front of one of the
escalators,” says George White, president and COO of Up With Paper. Today, the company occupies a large five-booth exhibition space.
“We’ve always written orders at the show—and invariably a lot of them, as this is our biggest order-writing show—but in the early years we only had six or eight designs to sell,” says George. Up With Paper now offers more than a dozen lines. “The National Stationery Show has always served as a terrific launching point for us—we’ve launched Panoramics, Pop-Up Snow Globe Greetings and our pop-up book imprint, Jumping Jack Press, at the show in the last five years—and this year will be no
different, as we are introducing two new brands at the show: Turning Points greeting cards and Pop-Up Notepads.”
There are 28 everyday designs in the Turning Points card line. Each card measures 5.75” square and has elaborate designs that change through the use of pull-tabs and wheels. George says the company will give away free samples of Turning Points
cards at the booth (#3104) during the show.
Pop-Up Notepads have trendy graphics and pop-up elements. The company is introducing a convenient, space-saving corrugate counter display for retail stores that holds all nine designs. George attributes Up With Paper’s longtime success to the company’s understanding of paper engineering and ability to create products that sell well at retail. Dedication to retailers’ needs doesn’t hurt, either. “We still focus on the independent specialty retailer, and we still celebrate every new customer we find at the show,” he says.
George offers this advice for first-time exhibitors. “Bring your highest level of energy, and be ready to communicate why retailers should carry your product as opposed to the thousands of other cool brands exhibited at the show,” he says.
George recommends that retailers take the time to see everything. “Ask exhibitors why their product is right for your store—and how they will be supporting their products and their retailer partners.” He also says that retailers shouldn’t be intimidated by the down economy. “The best retailers, the ones with a keen eye for
product and who know their customers, will always do well, as will the manufacturers who understand retailer and consumer needs. The National Stationery Show will be a very good indicator to retailers as to who is in it for the long haul in the specialty market—who is continuing to invest for the future.”
Catching Up With The Founders
Rick Shaefer and Paul Zalon created Popshots (now known as Up With Paper in the U.S.) in 1977. Over the last three years, the pair has been researching LED and fiber-optic technology and obtaining patents for their inventions.
“After many years of pop-ups we were looking for something besides the paper engineering,” says Rick. They teamed up with Steven Josephson at Traffic Works (www.trafficworksinc.com), supplier of journals and other goods, to bring their ideas to production.
The team’s products include light-up greeting cards, photo frames, and journals. Current cards in a line called City Lights display skylines of New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles; San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and Washington, D.C. designs are in the works.
Light-up journals decorated with colorful graphic designs, such as bouquets of bright flowers and butterflies, are ideal for the tween market. Rick and Paul hope to add new stationery products and accessories to their line in the years to come.
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