March/April 2008 "Hot Topic" Responses:

What are you doing to make your store more “green”?

Members of the National Stationery Show Delegates program share their thoughts.

“To conserve energy, Paper Potpourri is in the process of changing over our light bulbs to Energy Star light bulbs. We recycle our incoming cardboard shipping boxes, as well as all discarded paper, as part of our citywide recycling program, which has a pickup every two weeks. As our main focus is invitations, we carry two recycled-paper lines and are searching for more. All of our ink cartridges are recycled through Cartridge World, which has a free pickup and delivery service. We are presently in the process of researching eco-friendly cleaning products to use at our site.”

Elaine A. Barker, Owner
Paper Potpourri, Haverhill, MA

“We are in the process of setting up a system in the store for disposing of paper waste. The plain paper and corrugated already goes to the recycling plant, but we are looking into the metallic stocks and other paper that seems to build up. Also, our bottles and cans (and there are many) are traded in for deposits, which are then sent to build wells in Africa. We are reading all the material we can find on recycled paper; but, I must say, the information is confusing at best. Is recycled paper really environmentally friendly with all the bleach used in processing it? Is wood less sustainable than cotton? Ask anyone in the wood industry up here, and you get an interesting answer. We will be doing a lot of research this winter. We will be looking for ‘green’ products at the N.Y. Intl. Gift Fair in February and at the National Stationery Show in May, but I hope that by then we will be better educated, so we can assist our customers with their questions and redirect them away from media trends to really eco-friendly products.”

Jean Betses, Owner
Village Paperie, Kennebunkport, ME

“Going green has been a cakewalk in some ways, and a challenge in others. Here in Minnesota – the land of recycling – anything that can go in the recycling bin does. Paper runs through the fax machine front and back when appropriate; vendors who produce absurdly long proofs (i.e., separate proof cover sheets for each individual part) get frequent phone calls suggesting they consolidate the process. Our in-house design work is typically proofed in PDF form, via e-mail, which eliminates the paper element all together. The one area we haven’t had luck going ‘green’ has been in lighting. Every energy-efficient bulb I’ve tried has cast light tones that mess with our ink and color matching. Guess that one will have to wait. And, as always, we love to offer ‘green’ lines of quality. Crane’s and Studio Olivine are our favorites: the first as a 100 percent cotton line; the second as an elegant, post-consumer, letterpress invitations line. Any time beauty and responsible consumerism merge, it’s a win-win for all.”

Cinda Baxter, Owner
DETAILS, INK., Minneapolis, MN

“We have brought in some lines of invitations that are all recycled paper and have sent out e-mails to all of our existing invitation suppliers asking them to list the options in their albums that feature recycled paper. That way, we'll be able to provide a list for our customers interested in honoring the ‘green’ in their wedding planning. We have made adjustments in our gift shipping supplies, only using biodegradable packaging ‘popcorn’ or newsprint paper for stuffing. No more of the plastic popcorn for us! And, we've changed to more energy-efficient light bulbs in all of our store lighting. Every little bit helps.”

Gayle O'Donnell, Owner
All About Weddings, Tukwila, WA

“Our largest ‘waste’ item is cardboard. We have found a company that, for a fee cheaper than our traditional waste-removal service, will pick up and recycle our cardboard. We are also looking into mounting photoelectric cells along the perimeter of our store's plate-glass window. We plan to utilize the power captured to run our air conditioner during the summer.”

Bob Furlong, President
Copley Flair, Inc., Boston, MA

“We do regular things like keeping thermostats set low, trying to minimize on wrapping and packaging, and recycling where we can. For retail, we carry a line of soy candles and stationery with soy inks; and we did a big display using little tin trash buckets as props, with fake green grass and emphasizing products that have peace signs, etc. It was pretty catchy and was received well.”

Ann Nevills, Owner
CLIX Photographs & Savables, Crystal Lake, IL

January/February 2008 "Hot Topic" Responses:

“How do you educate your staff?

Members of the National Stationery Show Delegates program share their thoughts.

“We educate our staff by subscribing to and loaning out trade magazines so they will be able to keep up with trends and new ideas. We also do weekly lunches together around the conference table and discuss not only our relationships with each other and how we can support each other, but also our customers and how we can individually cater to their requests. It is always interesting how certain employees are drawn towards different customers.”

Laura Kelly, Owner
Funky Monkey Paperie, Apex, NC

“The stationery business is a complicated one for training. There are so many aspects to really cover that I tell all new staff that the learning curve is a long one and takes a commitment to time. It truly takes six months to feel comfortable with all aspects there are to learn. I'm a firm believer in the ‘tortoise-approach.’ Learning one step at a time is key. Go slow and be sure!

Step 1. Learn the geography-stock, checking in merchandise, paper flow, check out and our important focus on customer service.
Step 2. Writing orders, wording etiquette, design and learning information on individual company requirements takes one-on-one time with me, usually after store hours. The ’buddy’ system helps to have new staff work with experienced staff, too.
Step 3. Every day is review, review, review until it is learned. Lots of ‘pats on the back’ go a long way. And then, I continue to share all new information that keeps coming!

Biggest lessons – There are no shortcuts. It all takes time, patience, attention to every little detail, the ability to ‘listen’ and to satisfy every single customer.”

Carole Davis, Owner
Marjie Allon fine stationery, Pittsburgh, PA

“Staff education is critical. We share every bit of information we get from manufacturers with our entire staff. This helps to keep everyone up to date. We also share magazine articles with staff; many times I have read an article that may be from, let’s say, Fortune magazine, but it's relevant to what we do - e.g., customer service - so we have all staff read it. We also like when manufacturers visit the store; this gives the staff more insight into the product and gives them a chance to ask questions. We review new products with the staff and let them know why we brought this item into the store and how it can benefit the consumers.”

Paige Quillin, Owner
Greetings and Salutations?Alexandria, VA

“I educate my staff though a combination of leading by example and one-on-one teaching of product lines, using quizzes. I try always to act the part I want my employees to emulate. I am friendly with our customers, exact in my calculations, aware of ways I can make their shopping experience with us a good one and fair in all of my actions. As for one-on-one training, we go over a category (i.e., stationery, wedding, holiday) in each session. We talk about each company we carry, where they are in the price ranges, what their quality is like and how easy the company is to deal with. (Companies, take notice!) Then, I give them some time (usually over a couple of days) for them to look at the books in depth – read the additional information pages and get a feel for the product. After that, I give them a bit of a quiz. For example, the last quiz (holidays) asked for: 1) 50 non-religious cards from one specific company with no return address but with liners; 2) 150 religious cards with return address and liners from another specific company; and 3) 25 whimsical cards with attachments, return address and no liners from any company we have. I also have them place a fictional order for themselves from any company; that way I see what they like and where they will gravitate. They are asked to give me the company and the page number, and to price the order. This is very informal and there is no pressure – I stress that this is a learning tool. From the answers, I learn what they have retained and what I need to go over further. My staff loves to compare their holiday choices (everyone does the holiday quiz) and rarely do they pick the same cards. This works well because everyone learns differently, and I can then tailor my additional teaching to each staff member.”

Jean Betses, Owner
Village Paperie, Kennebunkport, ME

“As we – and the industry – continue to grow and grow, it is difficult to have enough staff, let alone ‘educated staff.’ In general, I have new staff work with my long-timers in the actual process of placing orders. The next step is to have them actually write orders, with a trained staffer at their elbow to direct them. There is so much to know, so many nuances, that immediate involvement is the best tool.”

Ben Whitley, Stationery Manager
Bering’s, Houston, TX

“There are many areas to train in our business. We have gifts, which are fairly easy and processes are in place to accommodate those practices. Selling pens and helping clients develop invitations and wedding invites is a different thing. I find it very difficult training my staff for the custom-invitation business. First, they need to be updated on proper protocols in etiquette. Then, there are current trends that influence brides and their decisions, so they need to learn those. I find that you might find a good salesperson that just doesn't get the invitation part; so, there seems to be a certain personality for this part of the business. Regardless, I think it takes several months for that right person to get it. If you have part-time staff, it becomes even more difficult and takes twice as long to train. Maintaining good staff is so important once you have found the right people.”

Eileen Hays Wallace, Owner
Write-On Sarasota, Sarasota, FL

“Education is a multilayered process, beginning with the very first day. Each new hire is sent home with a thorough Employee Manual that goes beyond just store policy to basic definitions of terms used in the business, in stationery ordering and in processing open-stock orders, as well as mock-ups of all our paperwork. They’re asked to return it 30 days later – no sooner. If they need to refer back to it later, there’s always a copy at the front counter. From there, it’s a matter of stepping up through the various stages of order and product processing. They begin with UPS, learning how to check a custom order against the original paperwork and an open-stock order against our records – allowing them to become familiar with the nuances of each. As different orders come in, I explain what it is they’re looking at, what makes it unique, and how to best explain it to others. Just as I do with customers, I tell the story behind each line, understanding that ‘romancing the product’ begins at home. After mastering that, they’re trained to write customer orders, beginning with the most simple, basic lines, relying on their familiarity with the terms and paperwork they’ve used on check-ins. Bit by bit, they’re moved ‘up the ladder’ to more complex orders, as I feel appropriate. Whenever possible, I ask reps to visit with new hires, answering whatever questions they might have while helping forge the attitude that this is a team effort, from vendor to store to customer. When product updates arrive, we all go over the info and/or samples together, to be sure everyone’s on the same page. It’s a lengthy process, since I’m very particular about orders being perfect. Typically, it will take a good employee (with no prior experience) about three months before I’ll turn them loose on a wedding-invitation order. By then, I know they have the process down, are able to advise on etiquette with accuracy, and can explain any product we have on the shelf with confidence and poise. This kind of dedication to them has paid off tenfold; rarely (and I do mean RARELY) do we have an employee for less than several years.”

Cinda Baxter, Owner
Details, Ink., Minneapolis, MN

November/December 2007 “Hot Topic” Responses:

How do you attract corporate customers?

“Quite often, our initial contact comes from social customers – they might be corporate owners, employees, spouses or, in some cases, clients of the corporations themselves. In fact, our best corporate account began with a wedding-invitation order several years ago. The groom was so impressed by our attention to detail and level of excellence, he fired the marketing firm they'd been using, had us completely redesign their logo, then hired us to roll out all the printed materials that followed. It's been a wonderful experience and has resulted in word-of-mouth that continues to bring new customers our way. It's a win-win all the way around.”

Cinda Baxter, Owner
DETAILS, INK., Minneapolis, MN

“Corporate clients often start as happy, satisfied customers with the personal attention and service we offer. They know we will make the extra effort to go to their office or stay after hours to work with them. A ‘we can do it' approach to any small or large request maintains and builds the relationship (even when it means getting 25 placecards to Idaho in 48 hours).”

Carole Davis, Owner
Marjie Allon fine stationery. Pittsburgh, PA

“For big jobs – invitations, announcements, holiday cards – we find that over the past two or three years, it has become harder to attract corporate customers, except for jobs that need to be done in a hurry. Many of them have developed in-house design and/or print capabilities – or they have friends who are graphic designers and need the work – and others have cut budgets. And, in our area of Los Angeles/Hollywood, corporations have creative people in their own offices, too. So, we have changed our strategy this year. For example, we have always sent out sample packets for holiday time and find that companies like William Arthur, Crane's and Checkerboard are more than willing to provide samples for us. We are not going to send to our past big clients this year, but rather to smaller companies that we think need our help more. We are a small company, and we know how nice is is to have help offered to us; and we find response from smaller companies is often much more positive. This year, we are also working earlier than usual on custom, in-house, exclusive designs that we will mail or e-mail out to a select list, looking forward to 2008. Even if we don't design and print for them, we sell them the ingredients and even a few ideas ... and they come back because they can count on us. If the idea is right, we will do the entire job. If not, we haven't lost anything but staff time, and we've had the fun of creating something!”

Edie Frere, Owner/President
Landis Gifts & Stationery, Los Angeles, CA

“I belong to two chamber-of-commerce groups and try to attend as many events that they have, e.g., Business After Hours, etc. I have a goal to find at least one new account at each event. I also take part in the Annual Chamber Business Expo – this is a GREAT way to promote one's products to many corporate attendees in one day. I also carry brochures and business information with me no matter where I go – you never can tell when you might run into someone that could be a new corporate customer. Once in a great while, if time permits, I will do some cold calling. When I do a bridal order, the bride and groom generally will let me know who they work for, and I ask if I can send information to their company for future mailings.”

Elaine A. Barker, Owner
Paper Potpourri, Haverhill, MA

“I try to attract corporate customers any way I can. Whenever men are in the store and I'm engaged in a conversation about their business, I always ask if they give corporate gifts and, if so, remind them that we have things for all budgets. I always refer to small and large products, so they get the gist that we cover all price categories. If there is a group of women that are businesspeople, I do the same thing and ask them to give me their corporate contact; then I contact that person. A friend of mine has also given me the local attorney listing, which we use to do mailings.”

Eileen Hays Wallace, Owner
Write-On Sarasota, Sarasota, FL

“Most of our corporate business has been on the gift side of CLIX. We have done some stationery business for open-house/new-biz things, but our biggest success is in developing unique gift boxes for holiday parties. It depends on the budget, of course, but we start working on it in early summer, before all the major gift shows are over. We often include handmade items, which require sufficient lead time. The wrapping is customized for their colors, etc. When the holiday shopping is in full swing, we put together pre-priced gift boxes that are 'grab and go' ready for the last-minute shopper on the way to a gift exchange, etc.”

Ann Nevills, Owner
CLIX Photographs & Savables, Crystal Lake, IL

“Our corporate business has grown out of our ‘regular' customers who work in the corporate world. They see what we can do for them on the personal side, and we go the extra step to tell them what we can do on the business side as well. This has been very successful for us. Another avenue has been our involvement with community. We have donated our services and such to nonprofit agencies, which in turn gets our name out there. Through this involvement, we meet members of the board of directors who have their hand in the corporate world. Bottom line is that the positive word-of-mouth in all communities – business, nonprofit and social – brings in more business.”

Shara Danziger, Owner
Shara's Paperie, Memphis, TN

September/October 2007 “Hot Topic” Responses:

“What was your favorite new product at the recent National Stationery Show?”

“It is too hard to pick just one product from the show so here are two: I just loved Wine-O Cards . These are foldover counter cards in round shapes with a hole in the center, which are meant to put over the neck of a wine bottle. I, for one, hate covering my beautiful wine bottle and label with a bag. This is a great alternative! They are festive and interesting and your message will be inside the card. I look forward to the summer ‘house party' gifting season; I know these will fly off the shelves! I also love PSA Essentials' two-color inkpads for their stampers. I actually passed by the booth, but when I got to use one in the area where we wrote thank-you notes to the troops, they went right onto my list to buy for the fourth quarter! This brings the stamper a whole new look. Very innovative.”

Jean Betses, Owner
Village Paperie, Kennebunkport , ME

“My favorite new product was the multicolor self-inking stamper by PSA Essentials . For particular brides who want everything they do to match their wedding color scheme, I can see that product having a great place in our store and pleasing our customers. The more we can provide easy customization opportunities for customers the better; and these are very modern and fun in their appearance.”

Gayle O'Donnell. Owner
All About Weddings. Tukwila , WA

“I love it when I accidently discover a line that I was unaware of. I walk the aisles constantly on the lookout for something new for my store. While taking a 10-minute lunch break at the back of the show floor, I happened to be sitting near a young man wearing a necktie with lacrosse sticks. I asked him about it, and he said that his company has a booth of sports items. After inquiring about lacrosse designs on paper goods, he gave me more information. I had been planning to go immediately to the other side of the building, but took a quick trip down the aisle where the ChalkTalk Sports booth was located. I finally left there after spending about 30 minutes and over $1,000 on lacrosse gift items and products, which began selling immediately! I have a gift, stationery and card store, and am thrilled with this recent discovery. The product shipped immediately and accurately – everyone is a winner!”

Monica Bloodsworth, Owner
The Paper Shop, Timonium , MD

“My favorite new product was a brand new greeting card company name U-ey (pronounced yoo-ey). This is a slang term for turning a vehicle in a u-shaped course. Open the card and printed on the inside left is the format of a postcard. You mail the card to an individual and encourage them to tear along the card's fold (perforated) and mail half of the card back to you as a postcard. Thus, creating a u-ey correspondence. Send a card to someone who never sends cards to you and thus encourage them to do so.”

Bob Furlong, President
Copley Flair, Inc., Boston , MA

“My favorite new product wasn't a product per se, but a production element – the Epson printers . I sincerely feel our industry is at a pivotal point, especially for independent brick-and-mortars who are trying to remain viable in an industry populated by Internet retailers, discounters, and vendors who sell direct to consumers. Those of us with the ability to create unique design have desperately needed the technological tools that would allow us to take ‘what's in our head' and turn it into reality – salable reality. From what I saw in the booth and what they have in the pipeline, it's obvious our dreams are finally coming true; technology has caught up with our needs and will continue to push forward.”

Cinda Baxter, Owner
Details, Ink, Minneapolis , MN

“By far my favorite new product was in the Waste Not Paper booth. They have introduced a line of A7 mailing boxes for wedding invitations and such. The colors that they are offering and fabulous, very trendy and up with the times. However they are also offering a white that works quite well for traditional brides looking for an untraditional presentation.”

Shara Danziger. Owner
Shara's Paperie, Memphis, TN

“Here is what I liked a lot:

• Pipo Press: Great-quality photo cards, especially for baby announcements, with the photo on one side of a card with rounded corners and the text on the other side – best quality of color photos I've seen and pretty reasonable, at around $3/card if you order 100. Interesting cultural combinations, too, such as birth signs (zodiac or oriental) combined with Hebrew lettering. I have no idea if this particular approach is important/upcoming/new, but it certainly is interesting. Nice to have rounded corners be standard, too.  
• Addressing program in the New Products section -- think it is part of Painted Hearts , but I can't remember. Very clever, graphic and cool, but unfortunately connected to an entire computer buy-in that, at $2,000+, wasn't where I wanted to put my money. Still, I liked it a lot. (Went to see it in the booth, but there was no demo set up, or at least I didn't see one. Perhaps if there had been an interactive printer demo, I might have given it more serious thought.) As an aside, the Epson booth was fantastic -- lots of hands-on demos, plus the seminar was terrific.
• Pierre Belvedere: Leather and bonded leather goods -- journals, etc. Bought quite a bit for fall. Great colors and simple design -- and they have followed up with a catalog of home-office things, as well as gorgeous boxes, that made me want everything in it. The latter wasn't at the show, but if I hadn't spent an hour in their booth talking with the salespeople, I would never have been sent the new catalog. So, a ‘double good.'
• Cast Paper Art: This is not a new company, but it's the only company that still prints on handmade papers (at least that I know of), AND their papers can be used to print business cards. We are getting asked for ‘green' invitations, cards, etc., more and more, so I bought their album and have paper samples to show to a local green wedding planner. A new twist to something we've seen for a number of years.

Basically, after 15 or so years of going to the show, not much is totally new, but parts of each line can be new. I loved the new show layout this year -- it was too easy in past years to get caught up in the new stuff and miss what is new in the other, older vendors. This new system made me keep a more open mind and, in fact, buy less but bring home more ideas. Also, because we have really good local reps, I try not to buy their lines at the show but do take a lot of notes. Plus, the crowd was more spread out this way, instead of having all of the retailers in the new section for the first three or four hours of the show, trying to all get into the same booths.”

Edie Frére, President
Landis Gifts & Stationery, Los Angeles , CA

“The National Stationery Show serves as a once-a-year opportunity for us to find a few new products and – hopefully – new sources for custom stationery. In 2006, we picked up the Prentiss Douthit custom book of sophisticated invitations, which has resulted in over $15,000 of sales in the 12 months since. This year, we purchased the Kelly Hughes Designs book, which features whimsical invitations and stationery, and our customer response has been great since we starting showing their products. Especially strong have been the cute placemats for kids. We also often find unusual new products we hadn't seen before; this year's hit for us has been the display of Yakety Sak gift bags that feature music and sounds appropriate for the occasion they celebrate. We work hard to intelligently shop the National Stationery Show, and our annual trip to New York in May never fails to provide new product and services that enhance our business.“

Chuck Helander, President
Helanders Stationers, Lake Forest , IL

“My favorite new item at the show was the YOROPEN . It has been a while since I have seen innovation in a pen. I think it is great for the aging consumer, and customers with arthritis love it! I also like the ease of right- or left-handedness and the ability to see what you are writing. I think the fact that it has a great range of prices makes it an easy sell. We have reordered our show order already.”

Sonia Deepak, Owner
Pulp, Los Angeles , CA