On this first day of the show I'm looking for new vendors, exhibitors that have not shown at this show before. The Stationery show is huge. It occupies the entire second floor of Javits. Again, like the International Contemporary Furniture Fair which is also at Javits at the same time, I walk every aisle. Sometimes new exhibitors are placed in a not-so-appropriate category, so it's worth it to me to stroll every aisle, looking for that misplaced gem.
This year the NSS exhibitors, at least the newest or most inspired veteran companies, showed off surprisingly fresh designs. In past years, much of the stationery looked confusingly similar. I think many new printers saw the success of early leaders in letterpress and screen printing and decided to run with knock-off designs. I saw much less of that this year, and it's about time.
Also big this year was a broader push toward eco-friendly operations. In the past, many vendors printed on recycled paper stock and used soy-based inks. That was all good and fine. . . then. Now several of the vendors I ordered from are using power off the grid or the paper mills they buy paper from are working off the grid. Some of these printers and mills are using water power or wind power to operate their studios and factories instead of electricity (or as an adjunct to electricity). This was very encouraging news. At our store now, it's pretty safe for us to say when asked about which cards are printed on recycled or post-consumer recycled paper, that we can confidently affirm that virtually all of our cards are printed on the eco-friendly papers using eco-friendly inks by folks that are taking pretty big steps to leave a smaller carbon footprint.
This being my first Stationery Show as a blogger. I made a critical error. I did not take nearly enough pictures. Lesson learned. It wasn't until I went through my orders (and I ordered a lot!) and reviewed vendor websites that I realized my mistake. So I'll include a few shots and include links for those of you who want to dig deeper. The upside is that I can take specific product shots when the goods arrive in the store and post them a little later.
In no particular order. . . here goes. Discovering Susan Conner of SusyJack put a big smile on my face. Susan has a broad line of goods which are inspired and fresh. I enjoy buying goods from talent like her because she offers more than just cards. Susan really thinks about how her designs are sold and used by today's shops and consumers. Expect to see her line of screen printed cards, wall art, and pins in the store shortly.
Pearl & Marmalade of Chicago displayed a great collection of vintage-y modern cards. Look for two- and three-hit letterpress cards with graphic appeal.
From Seattle, Benjamin Paul featured a beautiful collection of koi fish cards that I thought would be a nice diversion from some of the botanical motifs we tend to have a lot of in the store. As well, I ordered calendars which will be a no-brainer gift over the holidays.
SoCal-based Tiselle showcased a few edgy cards with skulls intertwined in brocade graphics. From afar they appear sweet, but up close they're something different altogether. Owner and designer Tiany Wang did not look the type to design cards with skulls in them, but I don't ask questions. I just buy what I like.
Also from Los Angeles was Dee & Lala (ampersands are big among the stationery lot). Their cards feature original graphics of animals. The thing I liked is that they use a odd-sized card (not the typical A4). The gentle creatures on the cards will endear young and old.
Sweetbeets, from Ontario, Canada displayed a small collection of clever cards. They're pretty specifically depicting images appropriate for new baby cards and early birthdays. It will be interesting if these cards can dethrone our leaders in this category.
I'll post about more new stationery finds in the next day or two. As well, I'll feature some of our veteran vendors.
Comments