Apr 16, 2013

Paramus Store’s Success Was in the CardsBy Joan VerdonNorthJersey.com

Paramus, NJ – Gregory and Diane Kechejian sell hundreds of greeting cards for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and other occasions in their store in Paramus Park. But none of those cards is exactly right for the milestone they are marking this week.

The Kechejians are owners of Gregory’s Hallmark, the top independently owned seller of Hallmark cards in North Jersey. At a time when the financial world is saying sympathy cards are in order for the printed greetings industry, the Kechejians are accepting congratulations for staying alive in a category becoming increasingly rare — a mom-and-pop card store located in a North Jersey mall.

When the Kechejians opened their store at Paramus Park in 1983, all of the five major malls in Bergen and Passaic counties had at least one, and in some cases two, independently owned card stores. Now they’re the last one remaining. Bergen Town Center no longer has a card shop, Westfield Garden State Plaza and Willowbrook malls have corporately owned Hallmark stores, and The Shops at Riverside has a Papyrus card store, a national chain.

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