Elam’s Hallmark celebrates 30 years in Poway
When Guy Elam scouted a location for his family’s second Hallmark Gold Crown store, he chose an unlikely place: a dirt patch within a flood plain in Poway, an undeveloped city 30 years ago.
“It was such a rural kind of area, you had to have a lot of vision and confidence in the area,” said Elam, recalling the few businesses in Poway at the time.
He felt strongly that Poway would grow, and it did, with today’s population at approximately 50,000 residents and a unique character as a bustling city that holds onto its small-town, country feel.
The family, including Elam’s wife, Mary, was doubtful at first of the rural site, but today the Elams joke about this memory, as the Poway store has since become a thriving neighborhood card and gift store. The Elam’s Hallmark Gold Crown Poway store opened April 1, 1981 in the Poway Town and Country shopping center and continues to operate in the same location.
To thank the community for its support over the past 30 years, the Elam family is inviting the community to its Poway store for an anniversary celebration Friday, April 1. Festivities will include refreshments, door prizes, and several discounts and offers.
The entire Elam family — Guy, Mary, Christie Elam-Manry, and Scott Elam — all are involved in operating the family’s nine San Diego County Hallmark Gold Crown stores with over 100 employees.
