Spent the day wandering around the National Stationery Show with C, checking out all the great products, cards, stationery, and anything else that came to town this weekend.
Probably the most interesting item I saw was paper made from crushed rocks, which I have pictures and samples of to feature in a blog post later on. But what an amazing silky smooth texture this rock paper has! And the notebook I sampled with a fountain pen showed no bleed through, making this a very worthy possibility if you're looking for something to add to your lineup besides an Exaclair product. (The looks on the reps faces when I pulled out my vintage Sheaffer balance was priceless, and I was pleased when one of them mentioned that she loved blogs--thank you!).
More pictures to follow, as well as photos of the new Exaclair products (got to meet Karen Doherty, who showed us the dotWebbie, Softcover tablet, and the Rhodia Unlimited notebook with black and orange elastic closure) and the new Ecosystem notebooks (multicolors!).
RevolveR notebooks has some new colors in its lineups, love the orange!
Got to meet up with the guys from Contact Keepers (finally), and see their really great binder close up.
Paper flowers were popular, and lovely.
Wrist bracelets in different colors that are erasers as well as fashion statements.
Some nice recycled pens, made out of plastic bottles.
The Mead area, featuring some wonderful Beatles notebooks, a Justin Bieber notebook (bottom right), and a softcover featuring symbols of 3 of the Hallows from Harry Potter (upper left--the wand, the ring, and the cape for fans of the movie).
Zombie unicorn figurines from Tokidoki.
Thanks for the photos! It's great to get an idea of what's on display and how the booths are set up.
ReplyDeleteDitto! I wrote Crane asking if they'd recognize a general-interest market for premium stationery and fine writing goods.
ReplyDeleteEW, I like your enthusiasm. Jack/Youngstown
The Crane booth is always one of the largest, with lots of stationery samples to choose from. The problem would be the retailer buying a minimum order and wondering if it will sell out. I think they do recognize a general-interest market for quality goods--that seems to be the essence of Crane's business. Whether a store owner will stock it is the question, because if it doesn't sell it's a cost center not a profit maker.
ReplyDeleteJust as my friend C and I noticed that there wasn't a lot of snark at the Show this year. Last year seemed to have a few more vendors with snarky cards and stuff, this year seemed to be more unicorns and rainbows. It sells, and in this economy that's important.
Thanks, Jack! And Diane, the unicorns and rainbows thing is pretty funny. I wouldn't have figured those things would be especially popular. I guess kiddie stuff always is, though!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the report, Diane.:) I agree with you about Crane. I guess Clairefontaine, G. Lalo, Old Crown Mill fit the general-use category, too. I guess my kvetch is that I'd like to see more promotion from fine writing folks.
ReplyDeleteLocal stationers' inventories can be very thin; my local shop had no plain correspondence cards, and one plain letter set (sheets and envelopes). Plus, the guy was dripping hauteur so much I thought I'd need scuba gear to vamoose from there. I went online and found a good shop in Columbus (Ohio).
My personal guess is you gotta do a little homework to find something that suits you. My rough standard was: "Just enough stationery to say I give a hoot about what I'm communicating, and who I'm communicating with." Thanks again, Diane. Jack/Youngstown
Original Crown Mill, not Old Crown Mill. Jack/Youngstown
ReplyDelete