Spring 2015

Shindig Paperie: A well-curated collection of paper and gift By Julie McCallum

Nestled in the heart of Fayetteville’s vibrant downtown shopping district, known as Block Street, Shindig Paperie houses a well-curated collection of paper and gift. Located in a historic bank building, the charming space with rustic wood floors, original wood beams and stone walls provides a canvas for their unique product mix.

Shindig Paperie employs three full-time staff members, including owner Trisha Logan, and four part-time college students.

“We’re located in a diverse college town, and our customers range from paper-loving professors, working women and young professionals, stay-at-home moms, crafters and high school students,” Logan said.  “We also try to feature local artists and lines to help foster our creative artisan scene.”

Logan says college students are frequent shoppers and she is glad to report that even though the shop has only been open for two years, she has seen the demand for high-quality paper products grow over that time.

“People are really interested in unique brands and enjoy the narratives of those lines,” Logan added.

They specialize in high-end wedding and occasion invitations from the finest letterpress lines in the country, as well as stationery and other paper products. The store also offers customized paper and party goods.

“We are pretty heavily focused on all things paper, but we do carefully curate a selection of non-paper gift items, candles and office accessories from lines we love,” said Logan.

When customers walk into Shindig Paperie, Logan wants them to feel uplifted by the beauty of the products in the store. They pride themselves in the compliments they get about the aesthetics of the store as well as the displays and the products. Their goal is to be a gathering place for people who appreciate the things they carry.

“We love to have conversations and make people feel at home and like they’re meeting kindred spirits,” Logan said.

When asked to describe their display and merchandising style, Logan says they try not to crowd the store too much, but instead carefully curate items. Aesthetics in displays take precedence over function and product type in their attempt to create simple and beautiful displays.

“I prefer the store to be arranged by color story. We constantly rotate our window displays and spend time coming up with color and seasonal concepts for them,” Logan said.

The windows have become a hit on social media, with pedestrians often stopping to take pictures and the pictures later showing up on Instagram and Twitter.

Shindig Paperie is fortunate to be part of a very active local retail community called the Block Street Merchants. It’s a grassroots collection of local shop owners on the street, and they all participate in cross-promotion, especially around the holidays.

“The Shop Local Saturday after Black Friday is a pretty huge event for us. Our town really loves to shop local and support local businesses, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that vibrant retail community here,” Logan said.

Of the challenges facing her business, Logan says the biggest one right now is their upcoming second location opening 30 minutes away in Bentonville, Arkansas. “We’re absolutely excited about the expansion, but we are going to experience growing pains,” she said.

Maintaining a high quality experience for custom invites and getting each detail perfect is a top priority for the staff at Shindig Paperie.

“There are about a million ways to mess up a wedding order, and we want each one to be perfect. When we’re in wedding season madness, it can be a challenge to give each order the attention to detail it demands. Not to brag, but I feel we’re pretty successful at that,” Logan said.

“We’re so humbled when a customer chooses us to handle their paper needs for a special occasion. We constantly remind ourselves that they have other choices that might be cheaper. As such, we do our best to honor the occasion by maintaining a high level of service and delivering a superior product,” she added.

When asked what the favorite part of owning her store was, Logan said that, without a doubt, it is the customers. “People who shop with us are fascinating,” she said. “Not a day goes by that I don’t meet someone interesting or engage in a great conversation. On top of that, we’re very often a part of momentous and special occasions in our customers’ lives, which is an amazing experience.”

Finally, Logan says she loves being part of their fantastic town. “It’s cool to feel like we’re a part of the things that keep Northwest Arkansas awesome,” she said.

—Shindig on Facebook … Twitter … Pinterest

Julie McCallum

Julie McCallum is publisher of Gift Shop Magazine. She is formerly the editor-in-chief of the publication, as well as editor of Museums & More, and she has more than 25 years experience in publishing.