Gift Shop Plus Summer 2024

Summer 2024 Spotlight Awards Voices: Honorees talk inspiration, sustainability and collaborations

We kicked off 2024 by introducing 12 incredible visionaries in gift and stationery, including retailers, manufacturers, designers, sales managers and executives. Their stories are as diverse as our industry, and we want to continue to share their expertise and narratives with all of you. We asked, they answered, and each issue we’ll share with you some of their new insights.

What inspired you to choose a career in the gift/stationery industry?

ANDY MEEHAN (President, Greeting Card Association (GCA), & Consultant): I couldn’t resist the temptation to dive into a world where creativity meets the hilarity of British wit. Later, I learned about the great aspects of all types of artwork and other editorial that goes into creating great greeting cards!

CARLOS LLANSO (CEO, Legacy Publishing): Necessity they say is the mother of invention. In business, necessity sometimes emerges in a problem that needs to be solved or an expense that needs to be mitigated. Fresh out of the military, in
1991, I was the sales manager for my father-in-law’s book manufacturing business. We called it book manufacturing even though what we really did then, as we still do now, is fix books. Around that same time, we started calling it a Book Hospital. We still do. That business is Dunn & Company. And Dunn & Company is the largest Book Hospital in the world.

We fix books for most publishers and most book manufacturers in the world. Back in the early ‘90s, Dunn was converting about half a million hardcover books to paperback every month. Think of this as cosmetic surgery (as opposed to the misprints, typos, defective bindings, warping covers and all the other more ‘trauma(tic)’ repairs we fix every day. Publishers have hardcover books that are not selling anymore. Publishers still have a paperback market and demand for those hardcover books. They send Dunn the hardbacks, we print new paper covers, strip the hardcovers off and bind the naked book blocks into the new paper cover. Inventory salvaged, title saved and the publisher gets a new paper back at a fraction of the cost of printing and binding a brand new paperback edition.

My father-in-law came up with the process of doing this in the ‘70s and we still do it, mostly, the same way. But, every time you convert a book, you are left with two pieces of board — the front and the back cover of the book become a trashy byproduct of an otherwise brilliant, eco-friendly, profitable process.

ANGIE PFIEFER (Vice President of Sales, Mud Pie): Mud Pie is the first company I’ve worked for in the gift and stationery industry. I was really drawn to the fact that it is a female-owned and -operated company. I knew the brand, I had purchased the product many times before, and was just overall really excited about the prospect of working with Marcia Miller. I remember after I interviewed and got the job offer, thinking to myself, ‘Wow, this is the perfect fit. I’m going to retire here.’

JANINE KWOH (Owner and Designer, Kwohtations): I stumbled into the stationery industry. I don’t have any formal art training, and I actually started out my career in private equity, which is about as far from making greeting cards as you can get. I began making greeting cards as a hobby and eventually started selling them on Etsy and at local craft fairs as a side business. Over time, Kwohtations has not only grown into my full-time job, but making greeting cards has become the best way I’ve found to advocate, build connections and community, and help others feel less alone — or reach out to others when it’s hard to find the right words.

JOURDAIN FOSTER (Sales and Customer Service Manager, Simply Southern): I’ve harbored a deep passion for fashion and staying on top of trends. Witnessing the transformation of something initially met with skepticism or curiosity and seeing that turn into the latest craze in the blink of an eye fills me with excitement. The ever-evolving nature of the industry ensures that there’s always something new.

TOSHA GREBE PEARSON (Vice President of Sales, Road Runners West): The gift industry has always been exciting for me. When I was a sophomore in high school, I was hired at my local gift shop. The first summer I worked for the gift shop, I was asked by the buyers of the store if I would attend the Dallas Market Center as a buyer for the children’s department. Of course I went! I was blown away at market by the millions of products and the many choices you have to make to bring into a ‘small town’ Texas gift shop. When the products arrived, I was given the responsibility to also sell them to my friends and customers. I had a lot riding on the choices I made at market. When I went to college, my life goal was to be a mom and own a gift shop. In 1997, I bought my first gift shop from my mother. In 2007, I closed my store and stepped over into the rep side of the industry, and in 2012 I partnered up with Road Runners.

With growing concerns about environmental sustainability, how do you incorporate eco- friendly practices into your business?

ANDY MEEHAN: I am working with my clients to stay abreast of what practical steps they can adopt, and with my work as the president of the Greeting Card Association we are staying currently and advocating as necessary to the various states currently adopting or considering EPR (Extended Producer) regulations.

JANICE CHRISTENSEN (President, nora fleming): The very idea of nora fleming is sustainable — instead of having multiple pieces, you can just use one and then change out the decorative mini. We love the concept for its simplicity and as a modern way to celebrate occasions. We are also careful to relay our commitment to sustainability to our suppliers so we can partner together to make the process as ecologically friendly as possible.

JANINE KWOH: I’m committed to integrating eco- friendly practices into our products and packaging as much as possible. For example, our envelopes are made from 100% Recycled PCW, and our shipping mailers are also 100% recycled. I often reuse shipping boxes and packing material. Last year, I started shipping retail orders with cards ‘naked’ (without poly sleeves). For wholesale orders, while I’m still using poly sleeves, I’m closely monitoring and interested in ongoing industry discussions about potential eco- friendly alternatives.

JOURDAIN FOSTER: Supporting animal conservation is a large part of Simply Southern’s mission. We offer numerous products aimed at raising awareness and generating funds for these causes. These endeavors mark substantial progress in our commitment to eco-conscious practices. Moreover, as leaders, it’s imperative that we lead by example, instilling in our team the importance of waste reduction. Among the steps we’ve taken are equipping our team with technology for their tasks to implement a paperless office environment and donating surplus samples to local charities at the end of each season.

MICHAEL SHAW (Sales Technology Director, Ganz Midwest-CBK): We now sell exclusively on the iPad and no longer print hard-copy catalogs.

This makes providing up to the minute eta dates and pricing much easier to manage while lightening the load for our reps and eliminating the extra expense associated with printing catalogs.

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How do you engage with your audience or customers to ensure your products meet their needs and desires?

ANDY MEEHAN: in short, looking and listening. Getting to visit as many creative retail stores as I can, and going to as many trade shows as I can (that equals ‘seeing’) and then talking to everyone and listening to anecdotes and diving into data that helps us see as clearly as possible what the future may bring.

JANICE CHRISTENSEN: We are in tune with our customers through our social media channels. Nora also does in-store signings so she is communicating directly with hundreds of customers to hear their stories. We also have
a close relationship with our partners and our retailers to ensure we’re hearing what people want and need.

JANINE KWOH: I’m often engaging with my customers to get their honest feedback on current products and ideas for what new designs would be valuable
to them. Much of this happens online through social media (mostly Instagram) and email newsletters. I also really treasure the in-person time I get with customers at wholesale trade shows and retail markets — it’s so helpful to chat with customers, and also to be able to observe what people gravitate towards. Last year, I conducted my first customer survey to better understand what draws people to Kwohtations, where I can make improvements to the products or overall purchasing experience, and what else they would like to see from Kwohtations. Based on the survey results, I’ve already made some changes, e.g. minimizing packaging for retail orders, and have more planned for this year.

CARLOS LLANSO: One of the most useful advantages of the increased use of technology in customer service and the buyer experience is the ability to get almost immediate feedback from customers, consumers and our sales force. The fact that we manufacture most of our products in house and that everything from product development and art acquisition to printing, manufacturing, warehousing and fulfillment are done in house gives us the ability
to test products, bring products to market and scale manufacturing in ways that allow us to meet the changing needs and desires of our customers quickly.

JOURDAIN FOSTER: Not only do I welcome feedback, but I also consider it essential from my team. With 14 representatives in the field daily interacting with customers and consumers, and although I spend considerable time on the road myself, I can’t be omnipresent. I heavily depend on the feedback from our representatives regarding consumer demands. The diversity of perspectives from individuals across the United States enriches this feedback. Additionally, I regularly meet with some of our top accounts on a monthly or bi-monthly basis to assess sell-through performance. After all, numbers speak volumes.

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Can you share your experience with collaborations within the industry? How important is community engagement to your brand?

TOSHA GREBE PEARSON: I am a firm believer in collaborations. Both in
working with other agencies, connecting reps with other reps from other territories and working with brands to collaborate together with other brands to bring new products to the marketplace. There is a place for competition, but collaborating is more exciting and rewarding to me. I have a group of women that I meet with several times a year to share success and questions. It is so helpful to have this group of women (that are friendly competitors) that I can come together with to get encouraged and help in areas I struggle with.

JOURDAIN FOSTER: Simply Southern partners with numerous nonprofit organizations to contribute to the community and environment. These causes are central to our mission. We enjoy collaborating with organizations that align with our values and resonate with our customers. Anticipating these partnerships, we aim to raise awareness for the causes and ignite enthusiasm among our customers, knowing that with each purchase, they are making a meaningful difference. This engagement allows our customers to be part of a larger movement.

ANGIE PFIEFER: Mud Pie values community engagement in a way that I’ve not seen in many places, and they’ve had long relationships with organizations like American Cancer Society, Operation Shower, March of Dimes and more. Since 2017, Mud Pie and the Marcia and Mark Miller Family Foundation have donated $850,000 to American Cancer Society in support of various causes that hit close to home for our Mud Pie family. I’m really proud to work for a company that holds these values and supports causes that are also important to me and my community.

JANICE CHRISTENSEN: Our partnerships and collaborations are so meaningful. We have had a long- standing partnership with JKAdams in Vermont. Their wood pieces add a great contrast to our stoneware and melamine bases. We also had a three-year partnership with the Fiesta Tableware company where they put holes into their Fiesta pieces and we created Fiesta- themed minis (dancing lady, teapot and disc pitcher). We have produced minis with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Character Arts) as well as Peeps (Just Born). We also have licensed NCAA football helmets for a variety of schools.

ANDY MEEHAN: Collaborations are like a good cup of tea — they’re best enjoyed with friends. Working with fellow creatives not only sparks inspiration but also strengthens our ties with the community. After all, there’s nothing quite like a bit of friendly competition to keep us on our toes. At the Greeting Card Association, we are all ‘competing’ for shelf spaces in the card aisle or the card fixtures but we are a very collaborative community.