The Stationers Guild

Freedom of speech is guaranteed by our Constitution and this guarantee covers most everything from inspired and often extreme political views to the most banal and silly commentary.  Certainly, the age of mass media and the Internet has been a boon to “free” speech, but this freedom has produced more senseless chit-chat than reflection.  Context has been reduced to sound bites and self-appointed experts seem to be popping up everywhere.  Wikepedia has become the populist online ”reference”  where diversity of opinions and pop culture is more deemed more important than relevance and authority.   Improper wording of wedding invitations and the recommended use of websites and gift registries on these invitations are just a few examples of the crass culture that is corrupting wedding etiquette. 

As stationers, we take pride in guiding our clients toward the use of proper etiquette in the wording of wedding invitations.   Although many feel the need to “express themselves” or “make a statement” at their wedding, we have long held the view  that a wedding is a sacred ceremony with traditions that go back hundreds of years.  The use of proper etiquette is simply one of the many rituals or traditions that connects one’s wedding to similar weddings that have taken place over many generations.   By honoring those traditions, you show respect to your ancestors and the rituals that are associated with this most sacred ceremony.   

I recently came across the sad case of a bride-to-be who wished to change the correct wording of her wedding invitation because she seen different versions in “bridal magazines.”    Specifically, these bridal magazines recommended “half past five” rather than the correct designation of “half after five.”   Now for many, this would be a small thing, but to the bride-to-be, the authority for a properly worded wedding invitations was a bridal magazine.    Clearly upset, she told her stationer to change the wording on the invitation, despite the fact that no less of an authority as Crane & Co. and Julie Holcomb’s Wedding Invitation Handbook recommend “half after five” as the proper wording for a wedding that takes place at 5:30 p.m.

Perhaps, this is a minor detail in the overall scheme of things, but examples of improperly worded invitations in wedding magazines was deemed more important than getting it “right” for this prospective bride.

Sheila P. May
Therese Saint Clair

In what promises to be a fascinating story, a significantly downsized Swoozies appears to be emerging from bankruptcy and liquidation.  According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Gart Capital, a private equity firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado has formed a new company with the former co-founder of Swoozies, Kelly Plank-Dworkin, to re-open eight stores in the southeast and their online store.

The Atlanta-based Swoozies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 3 and closed 43 stores in 15 states.  The abrupt closure of Swoozies left many suppliers holding significant claims against the company which have now largely been written-off.    It is difficult to see what Gart Capital and Kelly Plank-Dworkin intend to do with the company since Swoozies stiffed so many creditors and its business model doesn’t seem to have legs.  Furthermore, the Internet is already crowded with online resellers and it is difficult to see how the Swoozies name will carry much weight in cyberspace.

Time will tell, but it is certainly a story worth following.

Just received an announcement that Jamie Ostrow has resurfaced and has set up shop in East Hampton, New York.  While her website in not yet up, Jamie has contacted many of her dealers to encourage them to order her new letterpress invitation album and stationery album.  Her holiday album is also available and we understand that she is also working on a Wedding Invitation Album. 

According to Jamie, she will be manufacturing on premises “so that we can control all phases of productions, from order taking through shipping.  Some of you know that for the last several years, we relied on outside printers, now we’re back on our own presses.”

The biggest change Jamie’s loyal customers will notice is that Jamie Ostrow has now moved to letterpress rather than engraving.  While her sharp design, contemporary font styles and very clever wording remain, letterpress will give her  invitations, stationery and holiday cards a “softer” edge.  Personally, I think her clients will be pleased. 

If you are interested in receiving more information about the Jamie Ostrow line, please email Jamie at jamie@jamieostrow.com

Richard W. May

Sheila and I had a most welcome opportunity to sit down with Kim Kreis of Sweet Pea Designs to discuss the launch of their new stationery and invitations album.  Her partner, Anne Johnson, was corralling clients who also wanted to take a peak at the new album that will be released toward the end of June.

As readers of the Stationers Guild News are aware, Sweet Pea Designs and Printswell decided to go their separate ways earlier this year.  The rather unsettling turn of events left some 2,000 dealers in the dark as to the plans of either company.  Fortunately, both companies resurfaced at the National Stationery Show and the world is a better place for it.  We wish them both well as they pursue their vision.

We had a chance to look at some of the preliminary pages of the new Sweet Pea Designs album that will begin to be distributed toward the end of June to dealers who have signed the new application form.   Instead of several albums, Sweet Pea has had the good sense to create a substantial album incorporating many new designs and their traditional “best sellers.”  Based on the sample pages we saw, the colors are far richer and the paper (#110) more substantial and bright than Sweet Pea’s old papers.  Rather than showing many samples in the old albums, the new album provides many more customization options and is laid out more rationally to assist in the visualization and customization process. 

Printing will now occur on the west coast, but we understand that deliveries will occur within 3 days anywhere in the United States.  Kim mentioned that Sweet Pea intends to be more selective with their dealers to insure that stationers who promote their brand will not be selling against other stores in the immediate vicinity.  This is a welcome relief to the proliferation of stationery products and greeting cards that seems to crop up on every street corner.   The Sweet Pea website is expected to be fully operational by the end of September for those who wish to promote Sweet Pea online.

It was good to see Kris and Anne in good spirits and on behalf of dealers everywhere, we are looking forward to seeing their great looking designs once again. 

Richard W. May
Therese Saint Clair

One of the more useful benefits of attending the National Stationery Show (“NSS”) is the opportunity to attend highly targeted seminars that fill our impressionable minds with the many things we can do with our store and provide a context for identifying new products and trends.  The 2010 NSS was no exception with daily “How-to” exhibits  ranging from making wedding favors to holiday wrap and tying bows.  In addition, there were educational seminars ranging from stationery trends to how to use social media tools to market your bricks-and-mortar store.

Being the geek that I am, I attended two social media seminars brilliantly hosted by Patricia Norins, of Specialty Retail Expert from Gift Shop Magazine and the enthusiastic and engaging Carolyn Howard-Johnson from How to do it Frugally Publishing.  Both seminars were targeted at those who wanted to find out more about Twitter, Facebook and Blogging or those that were sceptical and wanted to see what the fuss was all about.  Judging from some of the questions that were asked, I suspect that most people who attended were novices.

Personally, I think both speakers made a convincing case as to the merits of engaging in social media marketing.  Carolyn stressed the importance of connecting with your clients in this new digital medium in an open-handed and friendly manner that was less about promoting your business than being a part of your community.   Both speakers made the point that Facebook is a more relevant social platform for exchanging information with family and friends, while Twitter has become far more commercial and “immediate.”  I certainly agree with them on this point, but feel that both platforms should be used to creatively engage, build and sustain a loyal following of customers.  The idea is to befriend your digital audience and come across as a “real” human being with a sense of humor and personal  interests rather than the proverbial one-dimensional used car salesperson.

It is difficult to judge how many attendees will heed Carolyn’s and Patricia’s advice.  I suspect that the digital revolution remains an anathema  to most storefront retailers.   While many have gotten over the hurdle of having a website, this is not a medium where they feel comfortable  and most appear unwilling to make the effort to do more.  It is not difficult to get started as Carolyn and Patricia demonstrated, but it does take time and effort to build new skills and engage in the online debate. Frankly, it is fun and interesting once you get the hang of it. 

We all know that the Yellow Pages (“YP”) brings in little or no business, but many stationers continue to pay ridiculous fees to YP to highlight their store rather than spend the time using free social media tools to market their business.  Hard to understand, but sadly true.  For those out there who want to know if your store can be found online (no, you do not have to have a website!), please visit getlisted.org to see if you are on the right track.  A listing below 50% means you have some work to do.  This is a good litmus test to join the 21st century. 

Richard W. May
Thérèse Saint Clair