The Paper Fold

Golden Gems was brought to life in a St. Louis living room by sisters Susan Logsdon and Amanda Helman. Despite these humble beginnings, this brazen lifestyle brand distinguished itself right out of the wholesale gate, buoyed by its larger-than-life mission to inspire us all to live life unapologetically, on our own terms. Thus at trade shows, it was impossible to miss this colorful, pithy array of stationery and gifts emblazoned with empowering phrases like "Not Here For You" or "Take Up Space." Meanwhile its free giveaway — hot pink totes warning of "Cool Sh*t Inside" with a catalog tucked wi...

Crane came to life alongside America — and like America, it's had quite a challenging 2024. Actually, make that a few challenging years. This is actually the second episode of The Paper Fold covering Crane; my first dealt with its previous owner, Mohawk Fine Papers, having to move the entire Crane operation from its North Adams, Massachusetts, facility, opened in 1799, to Cohoes, New York, during lockdown in 2020. The Crane story reignited last February as Mohawk Fine Papers was being acquired by the International Fedrigoni Group, owned by Bain Capital, a Boston-based private investment firm, and BC Partners, a British int...

You've most likely already seen designs from Sammy Gorin, and just not known it. This young New York-based artist and musician has quickly made a name for herself in stationery and gifts by turning pop culture moments into fantastically fun and funny art prints, stickers, cards, and pens. But rather than satirizing the topical domain with, say, a spellbindingly clever Taylor Swift sticker, Sammy Rich recently found herself in the social media spotlight. Owed over $25,000 by the retailer Francesca's and unable to get a response, Sammy (alongside several other makers in the same situation) shot herself a l...

For this paper nerd, there are few pleasures in life akin to traveling to market and discovering a standout stationery brand fairly fresh out of the gate. Bromstad Printing Co. was just such a find last month at the *Noted Expo in San Francisco. That's the stationery community's annual wholesale meet-up put on by The Greeting Card Association. The fun kicks off the night before with the Louie Awards, AKA the Academy Awards for greeting cards.Bromstad Printing's distinctive risograph designs earned owner and operator Talia Bromstad six Louie Award finalist nods, incredibly rare for a newbie...

No matter the brilliance of your offerings, hitting your brand stride takes time. For Alex Gagné of Chez Gagné, reaching her 10th anniversary is the ultimate validation — but that doesn't mean this fantastic founder is slowing down anytime soon.This LA house of design debuted a decade back with just letterpress cards, but has since evolved into a thriving indie lifestyle brand. Every last SKU, from Hand Job Hand Lotion to I Hate Everyone Rocks Glasses, unites beneath the Chez Gagné maxim, "If you can't make it nice, make it funny."Alex shares how she painsta...

Record stores have a day (April 20), independent bookstores have a day (April 27), and even independent pet stores have a day (September 28). But what about the independent card and gift shop? Thanks to my incredible guest today, now they do!Kristina Burkey of Calliope Paperie in Natick, Massachusetts, is the founder of International Stationery Store Day, celebrated the first Saturday in August. This year's is August 3. As Kristina describes it, International Stationery Store Day has a simple mission of celebrating and lifting up "the most special specialty store: the
paper shop!” Frankly, it's about time. These inde...

What does it mean to be a disruptor? For Lauren Miele of KushKards, it means getting people to talk about you when you are not around. And that's precisely how *I* first heard about this cannabis-tinged brand at its National Stationery Show debut in early 2020. There, KushKards distinguished itself out of the gate by winning Best New Product for its Polka Pot Gift Bag — an enormous accomplishment not just as a newbie but also a sign of the quick inroads she made in our sometimes rather traditional community.Meanwhile, Lauren didn't just bring cannabis to stationery and gif...

Every picture tells a story — unless you are Shannon Martin, of course: Her pictures tell your stories as well. Now celebrating 20 years in business, Shannon Martin Design's signature sepia creations have attained a definite ubiquity and immediate recognition. That's no easy task, and Shannon takes us behind the scenes to share how she consistently churns out distinctive designs by turns heartfelt and humorous — AKA, the Lay's potato chip of greeting cards.As an OG stationery maker, Shannon's wholesale strategy is as polished as her designs; once a retailer commits to stock this range, it's typically the start of a l...

Like all my guests, Dominique Schurman is a paper nerd .... but one with a most distinguished stationery pedigree! In 1950, her father Marcel founded Schurman Fine Papers, which, informed by his global "treasure hunts," brought exquisite stationery artistry and bespoke paper traditions to American shelves. Meanwhile, her mother Margrit opened the first PAPYRUS store in Berkeley, California, in 1973. That one exclusive stationery shop would grow to over 450 stores throughout the US and Canada. Dominique joined the family business in 1982, so when she founded NIQUEA.D in 2020, she drew on decades of wisdom gained from her many sourcing trips as well...

Can a maker make the world a better place, one gorgeous, handmade sheet of Fair Trade paper at a time? For Chisty Asper, the answer is a resounding yes — and her efforts involve so much more than simply donating a small percentage of her profits to charity. Instead, every last Paper Baristas offering is brewed to do good by careful, complicated design.This Iowa house of paper has a lofty mission: Leave this earth better than its current state — emotionally, culturally and spiritually. By deeply aligning with IJM, a global non-profit that partners with communities to end modern...

It's officially the spooky season, so I've got a triple treat! The actress Jennifer Love Hewitt drops in The Paper Fold along with the power duo that is 2021 Co. — Nicole Couto and Emily King — to talk all things Holiday Junkie. This refers of course to the ever-growing collection the three have collaborated on to celebrate the joy and magic of various holidays — but it's also a certain state of mind.For Jennifer, Halloween is a way of life; for 2021 Co., it is a fresh category through which their brand can bring us closer to those we love. Jennifer...

I really like Suzy Ultman’s chutzpah … and you will too, nerds! Suzy is a lifelong and prolific illustrator, card and stationery designer, toy creator, and bookmaker. The simultaneously sophisticated and simple objects that she brings to offbeat life delight young and old alike. Really, every last one of her playful creations — and even her much-loved Instagram feed — are but a medium through which she spins many a tale to her super-engaged audience. Now, on the heels of her vibrant letterpress card collab with the esteemed Egg Press, Suzy drops in The Paper Fold to share not just her st...

Where does stellar design begin and end? I used to think I knew the answer, but witnessing the ascension of Girl w/Knife, I've found myself rethinking that. Over the last several years, Elicia Castaldi has sliced not just a singular path through stationery, but home décor and even home design as well. Her stylish wake reveals that rewriting the rules to your own liking is simply a matter of confidence and vision — preferably accessorized with a pair of killer stilettos, of course.Extending as it does across many product segments, Girl w/Knife is both a l...

This month's dynamo guest is a trailblazer in countless senses of the word. Mary Engelbreit debuted at National Stationery Show in 1983 with just a dozen card designs and a decidedly under-decorated booth — but neither that quantity or the booth mattered. Mary paired her distinctive illustrations with clever messaging that transported viewers to an unexpected, charming place — and the world had never seen anything quite like it! Mary's cards caught the eye of a NY Magazine editor during that market, and a design empire was born. Today, having generated nearly 6,500 products and over $1 billion in lifetime retail sales, Mary s...

The sixth season of The Paper Fold kicks off on a new network — Evergreen — and a slightly different format, but just this once. Instead of focusing on stationery within commerce, I am examining instead stationery within activism, with an admittedly personal bent.When he was just 14, my nephew Sam Schwartz lost his first cousin, Alex Schachter, at the Parkland Massacre on February 14, 2018. In the ensuing years, both Alex’ dad Max Schachter, and Sam’s mom Gail Schwartz, my sister-in-law, have dedicated their lives to making sure no other families go through what they have. Several weeks back, Sam, now...

Stop what you are doing this instant, Nerds, and listen up to the newly crowned, Louie Award-winning Writer of the Year! Alyson O'Connor is one half of the decade-old Rust Belt Love Paperie (RBL) team — husband Nick is the other half — but she shapes our stationery community in a big way, all on her own.RBL's greeting cards spotlight the centuries-old letterpress medium exquisitely, and as such are gorgeous, artful creations in and of themselves — but their messaging elevates them into modern communication tools that hit you (and those you love) squarely in the feels.It's an...

Paper nerds, here's the second part of my interview with this one-of-a-kind stationery innovator and disrupter! @emilyonlife and I kick off discussing The Long Table Collective. The collective provides invaluable mentoring for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian artists & creative entrepreneurs as it attempts to even out the design playing field.Five ultra-lucky artists receive one year of professional mentoring in a small-group format, meeting virtually twice per month with Lisa Congdon and Emily. If you are interested in being a part, get on it: Applications close May 8!Through the collective, Emily has mentored Carlos Carmonamedina...

A decade ago, Emily McDowell of Emily McDowell Studio sparked a greeting card revolution and evolution with the release of her Empathy Collection. Her card reading, "There is no good card for this" was both an acknowledgment that the market didn't reflect real life, and a challenge to makers to begin doing just that.Emily's self-named stationery brand would eventually become Em & Friends; in 2022 it was acquired by Union Square Publishing, the publishing arm of Barnes & Noble. While she currently serves in a part-time consulting role, she is no longer an employee or part of its leadership.<...

For this extra-special episode, my Paper Planes Cocktail Hour Podcast co-host and I decided to try something different. For decades now, Amy Loewenberg and I passed like stationery ships in the night, walking the same shows and stationery shops. Ironically, we never really got acquainted until lockdown in 2020 — that's when we developed and starting churning out our NY NOW podcast once a month. While I have so enjoyed tag-teaming in our maker and retailer podcast interviews, we never turned the tables on each other ... until now that is.So, February finds me in the hot seat...

True progress may occur only at the macro level, but it begins on the micro level. Just ask Sadie Teper, founder of the feminist stationery and gift brand Twentysome Design. Her hand-lettered range draws big laughs as it voices our often unspoken thoughts — just ask her craft fair patrons, or the stores across the country that stock her. But beneath the humor, the message is always a positive, inclusive one, which is that much more powerful held in your hands. Thus one card reads, "I love watching you rise/Congrats on your promotion"; one of my favorite Twen...