Mar 9, 2021

Share Your Story: Papillon Press

A father/daughter printmaking, stationery and design business places a priority on making the world a better place.

With so many retailers facing similar challenges right now, we encourage you to Share Your Story so we may share your story and help other independent retailers.

Papillon Press is truly a father/daughter printmaking, stationery, and design business, run by Vernon and Madeleine. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this company began in 2017 “with the dream of renewing historical patterns, and have expanded to create many of those, as well as our own original designs.”

“Many of these designs were originally created as ‘Domino Papers’, or used as endpapers in old books. After years of collecting bits and pieces of these patterns, we decided to bring them back into the light and make them accessible to the broader public,” shared Madeleine Wiering. “These patterns and images are then made into art prints, greeting cards, notebooks and more, often using our century-old letterpress. Every item we make has been carefully printed, trimmed, assembled, and packaged by us.”

Papillon Press primary focus is to help make the world a better place. “We try to do that in two main ways, bringing beauty into the world, and doing so in a way that doesn’t harm the earth or the people in it. We use sustainable methods of production, and try to reduce as much waste as we can, which means we also use recycled/ biodegradable materials (100% cotton paper, vegetable based inks, etc.),” shared Wiering.  Additionally, Papillon sources its items from environmentally ethical, and from those who also pay a fair living wage.

Merchandise from Papillon Press is sent retail-ready, and shops only need to place a tag and display products…”with minimal effort” Wiering noted.

To better assist retailers, this maker has moved its wholesale offerings to Faire. Wiering said this was done to speed up browsing and make placing orders easier and more streamlined.

Currently, Wiering emphasized that Papillon Press is using email and social media to communicate with customers effectively and those digital plans are a part of its marketing strategy moving forward.

Recently, Papillon Press launched a new offering. “We now offer convenient stiff-backed sleeves for our prints, making display easy,” Wiering said.

Wiering provided a few tips to retailers. “Display our notebooks near to large art prints of ours, to show the same design in different ways,” she said. “Our cards can mix and match with other makers’ items, or they can stand on their own.”

Every month, Wiering explained that Papillon Press donates 5% of its profits to a different organization. In the past it has donated to WMCAT, Lebanon Red Cross, YWCA and Kid’s Food Basket.

For more information, visit www.papillon-press.com.