museums&MORE Spring 2016

Editor’s Letter: The Great Paper Chase By Sam Ujvary

When I was growing up, Take Your Daughter To Work Day was something of an anticipatory holiday. My mom worked in hospital administration, and every year the hospital had a book fair that simultaneously ran with this get-out-of-school event. My sister and I were allowed one item and every year, without fail, I opted for a notebook or planner. What’s a 9-year-old need a planner for? Pages…with lines.

To this day I have more blank notebooks than I do anything else; each colorful, beautifully crafted notebook patiently waiting for the perfect task to fulfill its notebook destiny.

Researching this Stationer’s Dream article was diverting to say the least. I spent hours getting lost in the National Stationery Show website and becoming more and more engulfed in the stories and products of these companies that meticulously print every greeting card, every planner, and, of course, every notebook. At a massive show like this, there is quite literally something for everyone. Whether holiday-specific cards are your forte, majestic and endearing animals, or general colors and patterns to offset specific themes within a shop, there is no shortage of product to inspire sales.

Things we see at the show reverberate throughout the year; in fashion, in gifts and in stationery. Products we’ve been gawking at lately involve animals in one way or another. The printed animal is so versatile in this sense; dinosaur fossils that reference someone’s age, Miss you all yeti” and “Sorry I was crabby” puns, and virtually any other animal can be considered a spirit animal making it perfect to be printed on a catch-all card or pad of paper.

As someone who still writes out everything on paper first, it’s thrilling to see the creative frisson of these companies permeate the show floor. Each one leaves a proverbial paper trail in this ever-evolving gift industry, and they’ve got a perfect product for your store.

Sam Ujvary

Sam is the managing editor of Gift Shop Pets, Museums & More and Party & Halloween Retailer, and is a contributing editor for Gift Shop Magazine. She has a copywriting background and has been in publishing for six years.