Beyond Paper
Kathy Krassner -- Gifts and Dec, 3/3/2011 1:23:40 AM
Stationery companies are adding complementary gift items to their lines
- creating great cross-merchandising opportunities for retailers.
AN INCREASING NUMBER OF STATIONERY COMPANIES AREN'T JUST CARRYING PAPER PRODUCTS ANYMORE.
Rather, they've taken the designs that have worked so well on items such as greeting cards, notepads and invitations, and successfully translated them into everything from wine glasses and water bottles to laptop cases and lip balm -- providing a profitable "one-stop-shopping" opportunity for many types of retailers.
Although initially best known for its collection of social stationery and invitations, Anna Griffin Inc. now also offers fabric accessories for the home, office and personal luxury. Some of the company's newest items include iPhone cases, shoe bags, cosmetic bags and totes. "It is still all about beautiful paper at Anna Griffin Inc., only now you can get coordinating accessories to go with it," states Anna Griffin, president. The company first expanded into the fabric-accessories market in 2008, offering laminated fabric accessories for crafting and home office.
|
Carmen iPad and iPhone cases feature colorful fabric patterns. $20 and $15, respectively. Anna Griffin Inc. 888.817.8170. www.annagriffin.com |
 |
 |
"Born to be wild" wild watermelon lip balm has an SPF of 15. $5. Anne Taintor, Inc. 888.491.6467. www.annetaintor.com |
|
The iota chic line includes accessories such as cosmetic cases, jewelry pouches, laptop sleeves and totes. $12-$50. iota. 970.927.1033. www.everyiota.com |
 |
 |
Jonathan Adler thermal mugs are shown in new patterns for spring. $14.95 each. Lifeguard Press. 800.992.3006. www.lifeguardpress.com |
|
Dishwasher-safe wine glass reads: "Save the earth - it's the only planet with wine." Gift boxed. $15. Mary Phillips Designs. 800.825.4575. www.maryphillipsdesigns.com
|
 |
Feeling a void in the industry, Dabney Lee Woglam, founder and president of dabney lee inc. launched the dabney lee AT HOME line in May 2007. "There was such a void of really fun personalized items in the wholesale industry, and I wanted to offer a high-end product to take us to the next level," she says. The AT HOME line currently includes Lucite home and desk accessories such as serving trays, recipe boxes, drink coasters, cupcake stands and more. "We pair our well-known patterns with bright monograms and combine them with Lucite for a ‘wow' piece," says Woglom.
Expanding into gifts was a natural progression for Lifeguard Press, according to Todd Ferrier, president. "We started expanding in 2009 when we outlined opportunities for deeper product categories with the licenses we were working with," he says. Among the non-paper gift items available from Lifeguard Press are laptop sleeves, totes, water bottles, melamine tableware, trays and umbrellas.
Punch Studio just launched a new line of decorative plaques with inspirational sentiments; however, the company is not new to the giftware area. "Even though Punch Studio may be considered a traditional stationery company, we have always offered non-paper gift items. In fact, our monogram and decorative crystal paperweights have been some of our best-selling items for quite a few years," states Benita Sanserino, national sales manager and key accounts. She notes that soap in packaging is another popular gift category for the company.
Although Anne Taintor has become well known for her greeting cards and stationery-related items, her first product back in 1985 was a pin with a collage on it. Today, Anne Taintor Inc. carries a variety of gifts ranging from shot glasses and luggage tags to soap, tissue boxes and nail files - all featuring the company's signature style of wry text juxtaposed with images of idealized women from the 1930s, '40s and '50s.
 |
dabney lee stationery items, including a Lucite cupcake stand, letter tray and blotter set, complement the line. $100-$150. dabney lee AT HOME. 718.596.4169. |
|
"My Special Day" plate and gift-boxed mug coordinate with paper tableware. $19.95 and $11.95. Design Design Inc. 800.334.3348. www.designdesign.us
|
 |
Mary Phillips Designs also offers a selection of gift items featuring fun and sometimes edgy quotes. The non-gift items include collapsible coozies, individually boxed wine glasses and framed art - the latter which was the company's first product before it began producing paper items such as greeting cards, notepads and cocktail napkins. Although the napkins remain the company's number-one seller, its wine glasses are also top sellers. CEO/Artist Mary Phillips says she chose to add barware to her line because it's a "fun product" and that by adding a fun quote to it for a fun occasion ... "makes a great time for those using them. Who doesn't have fun cocktailing?"
Beyond Paper Stores
Taking their lines beyond paper has helped to open up new retail channels for many of these stationery manufacturers.
"When we first launched the AT HOME line, it was mostly paper stores that carried it," says Woglom. "However, we are now in stores like Bloomingdale's and Saks, and it has been really fun to see the opportunities that non-paper items have created for us."
Conversely, the expansion of gift items into paper lines has also been a boon to stationery retailers. "It's great when we have a stationery customer who realizes that they can order AT HOME items in patterns they have loved for years," says Woglom.
It seems that carrying complementary stationery and gift lines is a winwin situation for just about any store. "I cannot think of accounts that just carry paper or just non-paper items, outside of some of the online custom stationery businesses," Lifeguard Press's Ferrier remarks.
Griffin of Anna Griffin also notes that most of her retailers carry a mixture of product. "All of the lines come in coordinating patterns, so they make a fabulous merchandising statement."
Mix It Up In Displays
One of the benefits of carrying both paper and non-paper items from the same company is that it makes it simple for retailers to create coordinated, attractive displays.
"Because we design collections using similar or coordinating surface patterns on our stationery and gift items, it is not hard to create a beautiful boutique story," comments Punch Studio's Sanserino. "For example, a set of our nested boxes are great stacked to add height, and then have one or two opened to hold and show off a selection of complementing gifts and stationery."
"We definitely encourage stores to cross-merchandise our paper and non-paper items, and we see that they love making a ‘story' or group display in this fashion," remarks Phillips of Mary Phillips Designs. "I think it creates a fun theme, gets the customers laughing and offers up a fantastic array of gift items for the shopper to choose from. It's fun to mix up and pair up gift items - especially when they bring a laugh to the person buying it!"
|
Inspired Life wall plaques have a gold chain and an easel back. Two sizes available, $7 and $10. Punch Studio. 310.390.9900. www.punchstudio.com |
Tower of Soap includes a matching flower-shaped bath puff, two paperwrapped scented bars and a gift tag. $9. Lady Jayne Ltd. 800.274.7685. www.ladyjayneltd.com |
|
Observes Ferrier of Lifeguard Press: "Often, stores will have certain items in two locations. They will merchandise the line together, and then take a product segment and merchandise that again with like items."
Some companies, such as Anne Taintor Inc., also offer display racks that allow both paper and non-paper items to be merchandised together - providing a one-stop-shopping area for an easy one-stop-shopping experience.
We would love your feedback!
-
Direct from Market: Atlanta
Jul 20, 2011 -
Direct from Market: National Stationery Show
May 22, 2011 -
More Than Plates
Apr 12, 2012 -
Product Wire
Jul 22, 2010 -
Direct from Market: Atlanta
Jul 11, 2008
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
