Making Waves
By Jessica Rivchin

With nearly 53 percent of Americans residing in or near coastal areas, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, it's no surprise that coastal-themed products have long been popular. Thanks in part to a rise in vacations, beach houses and destination weddings, the trend continues to evolve. In fact, the steady popularity of this merchandise was illustrated at the recent Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market, with the debut of a new “Coastal Lifestyles Collection” temporary section.

C.R. Gibson has long offered coastal-themed stationery products but continues to see a demand for new, updated products. In response to this need, the company released “Ocean's Edge” – a collection of stationery, notecards, journals, giftbags and more – with coastal artwork by artist Kathleen Denis. “We always have a coastal-themed line,” says Dennis O'Brien, director of product development.

Jason Lee, president of Lissom Design, cites red coral as a current trend within the beach theme. Lissom offers two beach-related collections – “Coastal Passion” and “Treasures from the Sea,” which Lee describes as “serene and vibrant.”

Molly Broadley, owner of Artful Sentiments, offers hand-block-printed stationery products with beach themes, as well as a line of coastal Christmas cards, for which Broadley found a surprisingly high demand. “Many retailers wanted coastal with a Christmas twist – mermaids with Christmas lights, lighthouses with wreathes, etc.”

Red Farm Studio, which specializes in beach-themed stationery and gift items, released 10 new coastal lines for 2007 and carries nautical picture frames, mugs, coasters, stationery and more, featuring shovels, pails and shells, says Steve Scott, executive v.p. Among Red Farm's coastal greeting card lines are “Art of the Sea” and “Bathing Beauties.”

There's a variety of reasons that the coastal trend continues to be popular, says Scott. “The coast is a destination location for vacations and weddings; plus, the beach means downtime, which is something that people in our society don't normally have.”

“I think these are just ‘feel good' images,” says Jane Browning, COO of Lifeguard Press, which has a large coastal offering through its Susan Wallace Barnes stationery collection. “It might be snowing where I am today, but this calendar or note on my desk helps take me to a better place.”

Clearly, coastal-themed stationery products are strong sellers, and creative displays can be great merchandising tools. Lee of Lissom Design suggests that retailers display beach-related stationery in a countertop assortment, while O'Brien of C.R. Gibson lists props and related merchandise as smart display options.

With a bright color palette, variety of product and fresh themes, it's no surprise that sales of coastal-themed products are making waves in the stationery business!

Left: Bound journal ($12.95) and scrapbook ($27) are part of the “Ocean's Edge” line from C.R. Gibson ( 800/243-6004).

Center: Hand-block-printed coastal holiday card ($4 each or 24/set of eight) is from Artful Sentiments (978/808-5739).

Right: Desk calendar ($18.95) is part of the Susan Wallace Barnes collection from Lifeguard Press (800/992-3006).