Urban Mercantile

Wedding invitations: book one

The day is finally approaching when a fantasy I've had for years finally morphs into reality. It's the day we offer custom wedding announcements at the store! We have such great cards on our shelves (if I do say so myself), that we are often asked about custom work.  We've  done some in the past, but I wanted to create an easy and fun process for the most common request, wedding invitations.

So Book One arrived a little bit ago, from my girls at Chewing the Cud, Viola and Joy. This sweet and talented team and I have been working together for months to hatch a plan to offer custom wedding invitations exclusively at Egg & the Urban Merc and showcase samples in real-life ensembles. I'm thrilled with what they've created and can't wait to start taking orders.

The Cud cards are letter-pressed with exquisite designs ranging from thematic to whimsical to traditional. And each have a modern slant so appropriate for our customers. A series of styles are ready to pick from and a palette of delish colors add a personal touch, thus creating a made-to-order invite ensemble.

In the coming months, I'll post about Book Two, Three, and maybe even Four. Stay tuned. I'm working with only San Francisco-based presses, because I want to keep it local. Plus, they're just cool.

Bound goods

We've expanded our stationery lines to include other paper and bound goods like journals, photo frames, address books, and albums. The stationery segment of our business has grown every year since opening. Not only are our customers falling in love with paper again, these products also make great gifts. And thanks to a terrific company from Canada we've been able to source these high quality goods at a reasonable price. Quebec's Pierre Belvedere manufactures the line designed by Semi Colon. The color assortment is vast, but I've selected the juicy colors that sell well for us, like lime, orange, hot pink, and sky blue. The neutral shades are handsome and consistently sell well (great for guys), like black, brown, grey, and sand. The linen covers are exquisitely bound and the papers inside are rich and creamy. Prices start at just $10.00. I "stole" a few journals and albums from the store to keep on hand at home for those last minute thank-you or birthday gifts I'd otherwise be running around frantically for, just in case. . .

What's in the window this week?

Scrambled. Scattered. Out of sorts. Behind the eight ball. Yep, that's what I've been feeling. I don't know what's gotten into me. Could it be Summer? Could it be this nice weather Mother Nature is treating her beloved San Franciscans to that has put me in such a state? We've been busier than usual this Summer and that in turn leaves little time to process shipment, blog, and be the on-top-of-it kind of person I enjoying being 90 percent of the time.

Two big surprise hits in the store this week are worthy of mention. First, these silky pillows that I ordered way back when in January are finally here and delighting passers by in the our window. I customized these pillow designs with a manufacturer at the Atlanta show. The palette of ivory, petrol bleu, and browns have wide appeal for our customers. The unique embroidered and embellished designs are kicky without being distracting. Sizes available are 16x16in, 18x18in, and 11x21in. Prices range from $28.00 to $38.00.

Next, the furniture I blogged about after ICFF has come in and several designs sold out immediately (thanks to big windows for display!). We've already received a reorder (thanks to a prompt shipping program from the manufacturer!). And we've already had a few special orders for items that we're not stocking. Our shoppers are really taking notice of this simple furniture with an eco-friendly focus. Color me thrilled. Pieces like the kid's stools and magazine racks run about $68.00, with the larger pieces starting at $198.00.

Who's your daddy? More dude gifts. . .

Reminders aren't necessary for our savvy shoppers, right? So I don't need to mention that Father's Day approaches. But if you need a nudge, here are a couple more ideas for fathers or any other dudes in your world. In our little neighborhood most of the fathers I see are under 40. These younger, hipper dads want cool stuff. For example, the wallets shown here are printed with old textile images. They look a little like tattoos to me. There's a snake skin design, as well as an Asian sea image and a dragon. Each are $39.00 and designed by D.L. Rhein. Today I sold one of these wallets to a teenage girl who promptly put her change from the sale into it and tossed it in her purse. I guess they have broader appeal than I expected, but who wouldn't dig them?

The Iittala Tools designed by Antonio Citterio and G.O. Löw are made in Finland of brushed stainless steel. These have been good sellers here since opening day. Handsome, dashing, and stylish they're a studly update to any bar and kitchen. The heavy handles fit well in bigger hands. The bottle opener is $42.00, the spreader is $35.00, and the cheese slicer is $55.00.

Dad's day approaches

So Father's Day is around the corner, right? What a tricky holiday it is for a lot of retailers. Not only are a lot of people already away for the summer (or enjoying more entertaining activities outdoors), but dads are also notoriously difficult to shop for. I thought I'd touch on a couple gift ideas for new and old dads alike that might inspire you as you shop for pops.

These lacquer boxes by Pacific Connections are clean and handsome, fitting attributes for the men in your life. A San Francisco-based company, Pacific Connections creates these stylish Asian-inspired boxes for a multitude of uses. The business card box shown in the foreground is $29.00, the cube is $37.00. Both boxes would tidy-up a desk or dresser in no time flat. Cards, clips, watches, and cufflinks, can be stowed in elegance.

National Stationery Show: day two

Thanks for your comments on recent posts, both through the blog and email messages. Day Two at NSS included meeting a few new vendors as well as reconnecting with existing vendors.

A terrific example of the new trend in eco-friendly production was a new exhibitor Bird Dog Press from Lyons, Colorado. Their studio and the mill which provides them paper operate off the grid when wind and water power provide enough juice. And their designs were fun and original. If only I had pictures to show you. My bad. When the goodies come into the store, I'll post some nice shots. I ordered coasters, monogram cards, and note sets.

From Los Angeles, Evil Ink showed off some super-hysterical cards. The "hook up" and the "break up" collection gave me the giggles. I only ordered a few cards from this collection, as some were a bit rough for our customers. Check out the collection online for a good laugh. They also displayed some very cool melamine plates (yep, I got a thing for melamine) with amazing graphics. I ordered a few sets. Again, no pics. Could I be more inept?

Urban Bark, another new vendor, does very nicely composed layered graphics. This technique is not  new or unique, it's just that they execute it very well.

New exhibitor, Ilee, showed beautiful florals and a terrific calendar. The line has a lot of breadth and obvious talent in their designs; not everything worked for me, but overall a very strong showing.

Returning stars, those vendors I've decided to continue with also made a strong showing. Most of these card-makers have been around for a few years and know the business by now. There's no evidence of boredom or a lack of inspiration in their work.

Stacey Pancake of Pancake and Franks, displayed several new designs. I picked up a few and reordered a few that always sell well. This line represents from San Francisco!

Also from the 'hood is Le Vu's line, Paper Ink Studio, a wonderfully lighthearted collection of cards. Always a strong seller in the store with sweet messages and endearing graphics. Le delivers the cards seconds after I place an order.

Two Trick Pony out of Milford, Massachusetts, offers original graphics featuring animals and botanicals, as well as strong geometrics. Also a strong seller in the store, I'm happy to continue on with them.

Hailing from Westville, New Jersey, the gals at Spruce Avenue continue to create inviting images and graphics on their screenprinted cards. A wonderful palette and unique illustrations make them an easy inclusion in our permanent collection.

Last year, I picked up the calendars from Pikku. This year I added pillows and wrapping paper from this entrepreneurial East Burke, Vermont couple. Their cards are elaborately constructed with the use of a sewing machine; though as much as I adore them, I don't think we could sell them. Pikku has that scandinasian look I'm a sucker for.

From Portland, Brian Reed's line, Old School Stationers consistently delights me. The new designs this year were very different from past years. I'm happy to see Brian expand his line. His cards and wall art impress the toddlers and the old timers alike. Beefy paper and bold inks capture our shoppers' attention

Canadian card line That Sky Blue also showed new designs that still call to me. Everything from the whimsical to the classical is available from these gals. A strong seller in the store, thus I'm anxiously awaiting delivery.

For today's post, last and certainly not least is Lucky Start Press. Sarah's collection of type only cards speak to me. I love type. Her clever idea of stacking related terms on an unfussy card make it easy for the less-eloquent card buyer. As well, the monograms are a strong seller for us.