Lush letterpress you can afford to love

…without scrimping on the materials you love. Choose from a variety of papers, including Crane’s 100% recycled cotton tree-free Lettra paper. Customize your selection with your choice of inks and typestyles. Designers’ Fine Press was born with the idea that impeccable designs impressed into fine papers (aka letterpress) should be available at a more affordable price, without sacrificing the materials and quality that set letterpress apart from the rest.

Designers’ Fine Press offers lush invitation canvases which include 100% cotton Crane Lettra, Arturo Fine Italian Papers and Wood. Their average letterpress wedding suite is $7.59 each (suggested retail for 100 sets of invitations, reply cards and printed envelopes). Their delightful collection reflects the range of styles and letterpress inspiration of the four designers who share their same vision – Cat Seto, Margot Madison, Emily Gallardo and Alice Jacobs.

Green is the new black

Designers’ Fine Press uses Crane’s 300 gsm and ultra-thick 600 gsm Lettra papers to provide touchable, luxurious invitations that are made from 100% cotton, tree-free paper. Lettra is made with cotton that is 100% recovered from the textile and garment industry which would otherwise find its way into a landfill. Letterpress lovers and environmentalists alike will enjoy this stunning and environmentally responsible canvas.

Schedule a consultation with Annie to view this lovely collection, including the new Weddings 10 album and a completely refreshed creative library, boasting hundreds of ways to create a totally custom, totally YOU, letterpress invitation.

Decadent. That’s the one word I would use to describe Midori ribbon. With French double-faced satins, organdy, dupioni silk, gros grain, velvet, velvet satin, custom tidings ribbon and more, you’ll never be without the perfect ribbon ever again. Midori also offers gorgeous handmade gift wrap and boxes.

Midori started on a kitchen table in 1989, created by its founder coincidentally sharing the same name. Having grown up in Japan, where gift giving is both an art form and an important social obligation, Midori had a simple idea: to bring the beautiful fabric ribbon she knew as a girl to the United States. The beginnings were very modest and anything but certain: Midori recalls thinking that if the ribbon idea didn’t work out; she would just have a big garage sale. The company thrived, and quickly outgrew her little house.

Aya, her then 8-year-old daughter, while growing up along side the prospering company, went on to blaze her own path as a successful dancer and actress. Mother and daughter travelled parallel paths for years until fate guided them to a convergence, and an opportunity arose. In 2010 Aya Sumika and Trevor John bought MIDORI Inc.

The creative husband and wife duo, inseparable since 15 years old, had a vision that flooded their minds on how to build on top of the 22-year old foundation of extraordinary quality, precise color palette, and superb customer service: to organically grow in the direction of a completely unique lifestyle brand. While passionately pouring their hearts into this experience they are on a mission to continue to make the world a place to celebrate difference, and encourage creativity.

Midori = Green. Midori is aware of all aspects of their company’s environmental impact, including product safety. They routinely test their product, inspect production facilities, and follow a policy of respect for humanity, respect for animals, and respect for the environment. Their handmade Gift Wrap, made in India is a great example. Each sheet is created from 100% recycled cotton using skilled hand labor and techniques practiced for hundreds of years. Not only does their Gift Wrap reduce waste; sustaining our planet, it also employs the community while preserving an age-old craft. Midori and their partnering retailers look forward to continuing in the pursuit of introducing products that are beautiful and environmentally friendly that customers will love and feel good about.

It’s hard to find adequate words to describe Curly Girl Design…they are consistently a favorite among our customers due to their witty and heartfelt expressions that seem to find the perfect words for every occasion. When I first met Leigh, the designer, and stumbled upon this line of cards at the 2008 National Stationery Show, I literally started crying (just a little bit) in her booth because I was so happy to find such an awesome company that was exactly what we needed to compliment our already-awesome collection of greetings. They stand out in a crowd, make you laugh and cry at the same time, and are perfect for every occasion. Her colorful designs and perfectly-phrased messages deliver not just a card but a keepsake. I actually have three of them framed and hanging on my wall at home.

To get a sense of how cool Leigh and Curly Girl Design are, check out her blog. Trust me, you’ll love them as much as we do!

Eight years under my belt. Today marks the beginning of my ninth year as an entrepreneur. Somehow when I wasn’t looking I turned into a grownup. This definitely warrants a cupcake. Let me try to describe the feeling I had driving to the shop today, as one of my favorite songs came on and my emotions bounced around from accomplishment and nostalgia, to humility and grace; I have to say the overwhelming feeling in my heart was one of unparalleled thankfulness. The road we independent business owners travel is a long one, and it’s one not often understood by those who haven’t walked every terrifying-yet-eternally-optimistic step of it. Regardless, this is a road paved with stones laid by those who have believed in, challenged, supported, and worked with us, pushed us to grow, and who have given us high fives when we’ve surpassed critical milestones. We’ve all heard the statistics- only 44% of small businesses survive the first four years (according to the SBA), and a mere 34% are still up and running after 8 years. Yikes. How the hell did I make it this far? I’m either doing something right or I’m extremely lucky (no doubt, it’s a bit of both).

So today, I couldn’t help but smile as I listened to Eric Hutchinson sing:

I don’t wanna work anymore

I just wanna live instead

Everyone is sayin’ I’m all grown up

I’ve come a long way but I’m not there yet

And while “I don’t wanna work anymore” isn’t exactly true per se, I don’t feel like what I do is work most of the time- because I LOVE IT. This is my version of “living instead”. Every day that I come to the shop is a day that I choose my path. Don’t get me wrong, owning a business isn’t exactly Rainbow Hour all day every day (there’s an hour every morning at home when Ryan’s solar-powered prism in his bedroom window dances rainbows across our upstairs walls- and obviously nothing can go wrong during Rainbow Hour).

As I reflect today on where we’ve been, I think back to the dark days of 2007-2008 when we were still so new, the economy tanked, and we went into unimaginable debt just to keep our heads above water (debt that became solely my responsibility when both of my business partners bailed by 2010). Our financials were terrible but I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving my baby- the entity I had created from the ground up- the store I put so much of myself into, from the name, to the logo design, to the interior of the shop itself (everything from lighting to flooring to countertops to the “Biscotti” color of the walls), to the product lines I hand-picked, to the customer relationships I cultivated and nurtured, to the interns and employees I trained…and the list goes on.

Against my instincts, but because I was completely broke and had to figure out how to pay the bills during those tough times, I interviewed for jobs elsewhere. I lost sleep. When I did sleep, I had these weird recurring dreams where I was working late at the shop but the lightbulbs were all burnt out. I heart-wrenchingly debated selling the business. But I stayed. I amassed large amounts of credit card debt. I didn’t take vacations. I didn’t take sick days. I worked Saturdays and Mondays. I filled one sparse order after another; I hoped and prayed that somehow we would survive. And somehow we did. Slowly but surely, the economy started to recover and sales began climbing again. In early 2011, I forced myself to get out into the world and connect with other fellow business owners, young professionals, and community members. I did some free design work just to build community liaisons and get my work out there. I participated in events, joined committees, and supported organizations I believed in. I stopped fighting against upgrading my software and finally learned the Adobe Creative Suite (how did I go so long without doing that?!) I slowly made my way back into the black.

And here I am, on September 3, 2013, so thrilled that I stuck it out long enough to experience the past two years of exponential growth. And now, eight years after The Envelope was born I’m thinking of creative ways to expand and reinvent myself (do I hear a re-brand in my future? Hmmm…) I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you out there who have traveled this road with me. You continue to inspire me. You are the life blood of this business, and you allow me to do what I love by believing in me. Namaste. I’m in it for the long haul, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. As Eric says, “I’ve come a long way, but I’m not there yet…”

*Special thanks to Charity at Charity K Photography for this image

With the societal trend toward whatever is better, faster, and smarter, I’ve noticed (and I’m sure I’m not the only one) a decline in the overall quality of goods and services in the marketplace. It’s become evident that as big box retailers work themselves into a frenzy trying to keep up with the curve while keeping their prices down, many of them aren’t able to maintain the overall quality that consumers are used to, and– on the heels of one of the worst economic times in decades– have come to demand. Consumers are more discerning than ever, and you’d better believe they’re choosy about where to spend their hard-earned dollars. This is where the “shop local” movement comes into play. If people are going to spend money, they want to feel confident in the places they choose to spend it.

Fortunately for the Dayton market, if there’s one thing we do well it’s produce quality local businesses that are run by people who believe in a hands-on work ethic and know what it means to stand behind their brand. They simply have to in order to survive in a marketplace that is more demanding than ever. A handful of local companies with which I’m familiar have managed to do exactly that: Esther Price (family owned and operated), South Park Tavern (best pizza in Dayton), the Oakwood Club (the owner still hand cuts the meat), and Dorothy Lane Market (best customer service policy pretty much anywhere) are a few shining examples of local spots that consistently get it right.

And when you get it right repeatedly and treat your valued customers as though they are in fact valuable, you will earn customers for life. When you deliver incredible products and service, you will not only earn repeat business but free promotion (this is what’s known as a win-win). On the flip side, if you promise something outstanding and you fall flat, you’re worse off than if you hadn’t promised anything in the first place. Marketing rule #87: happy customers will tell their friends; unhappy people will tell everyone.

I recently visited a privately-owned steak house in Chicago that is one of the oldest and most esteemed of its kind in the city. I like to check out independent restaurants whenever possible, and if there’s one thing I love to indulge in, it’s a decent steak, so I was pretty excited about this place after hearing all the hype and reading rave reviews. I should have taken it as a bad sign when the waiter brought A1 with my steak…and I *sheepishly* had to use it because the steak was completely tasteless. I had never before been to a prime steakhouse that even had A1 on the premises, much less delivered it with the meal. Fail.

Just like a great steak doesn’t need A1 to make it taste “good”, quality shops and restaurants don’t need anything fancy to make them look good- if they actually are good, it’s evident. Businesses that deliver something awesome know it; they put themselves out there for the world to see and what you see is what you get. And just like with a perfectly-prepared steak, even if you have to pay a little more for it, what you get time and time again with your local favorites is amazing service, exceptional products and a guarantee that you’ll leave happy- that’s precisely why they’re your favorites in the first place.

As the entrepreneur of a local niche boutique, I’m proud to say The Envelope has been referred to as “the only place to go for invitations” in Dayton by many of our loyal customers (I know because they tell me). When you shop with us, you know exactly what you’re going to get. The one thing I’ve stood behind, no matter what, is that we will go above and beyond to make sure our customers want to keep coming back to us. I take pride in what I do, in the people who represent my business, and in our reputation in the Dayton market. I’m fully invested. On the rare occasion when a customer has been unhappy, I have literally lost sleep trying to figure out a way to make it right for them.

I believe that exceptional quality speaks for itself, and I know that we don’t need to add any bells and whistles or special promotions to make it look like we’re a cut above the rest. I offer unique designs and products, personal (sometimes quirky) customer service, and a promise that you’ll leave happy. I don’t offer A1. It’s simply not necessary.

It’s been a long time since I cried over paper. And before you go thinking I’m a big ninny, I can assure you that it doesn’t happen very often, but when it DOES, there’s a pretty good reason for it. In fact, the last time was in New York City at the National Stationery Show when I first discovered what’s become one of our best-selling greeting card lines Curly Girl Design. I was slightly embarrassed to be on the verge of tears standing in the middle of a total stranger’s booth, but I was so in love with the creativity and beauty of her designs, coupled with the unique sentiments expressed on Leigh’s cards that I couldn’t help myself and I got a little misty. That was in 2008.

So today when I opened the mail and saw a thick hand-addressed envelope and several bundles of invitations tied up with string, it was so different than anything I had received in so long…and again, I couldn’t help myself. I thought, “THIS is why I keep doing this. Because sometimes people take the time to actually pick up a pen.”* I know, I know, you want to know what it was, right? It was a beautiful sampling of invitations from a company called Borrowed & Blue (there was even an invitation that looked almost identical to the telegram invitation I did a few months ago)…see, we’re even on the same wavelength! This wonderful bundle of goodies was all the things I like: natural kraft paper, unique designs (i.e. envelope liners that were maps or pages out of books), and gorgeous packaging. It was exquisitely marketed. I mean, the wedding “album” she was promoting is actually an unfinished oak wooden box with chip-board pages boasting 22 different wedding invitation designs. The paper swatches come in a muslin bag, for goodness sake. My heart was racing. I couldn’t wait to order it.

I’ve been asking myself lately if paper is dead, or potentially dying…and it’s a valid question. Look around. With the prevalence of Facebook and Evites, most people find it difficult to muster up the energy to even think about going to the store to pick out a printed invitation, then address and mail them. In fact, I’d bet most of you don’t even know your friends’ mailing addresses, hmmmm? That’s what I thought. But I also think people are somewhat blind to the fabulous paper creations that are available. Take a look at these samples and then tell me you would rather get (yet another) Facebook invite. They’re breathtaking.

So as long as paper still makes my heart go pitter patter, I’m going to keep doing this. Because as evidenced by the fact that I’m still here doing what I love seven years after I opened this place, it seems I’m not the only one who feels that way. #paperlove 🙂

For more information on how to get your hands on these and other fun printed creations, here’s where to find us.

*My skeptical friend Nick stopped by right after I received said package and was so UN-convinced that this was indeed a handwritten note that he went and got a magnifying glass to look more closely for discrepancies in the text, claiming that this was a printed font, not someone’s handwriting. He finally admitted he was wrong when we found there to be slight differences in the “o’s” and “e’s”, not to mention she ran a little close to the edge in a couple of spots. (And then I made him apologize for trying to rain on my parade.)

When was the last time you challenged yourself? I mean really challenged yourself. Have you ever reached for something that wasn’t even on your radar six months ago? Have you ever pushed yourself to do something that you didn’t think was possible? When was the last time you put yourself into a situation you weren’t comfortable with, to challenge yourself, to “do good” for some other cause, or maybe just to prove that you could? Innately, as humans, we tend to play it safe. We typically roam freely within the confines of our comfort zones and stick with what we know…because it’s safer that way. When we don’t take risks, we don’t have as much to lose. Or do we? I have a friend who once said he didn’t want to get to the end of his life and realize he had only lived the length of it…he wanted to live the WIDTH of it, too. Now I don’t know if that was his own quote or borrowed from some other wise soul, but think about it- that’s a valid point, isn’t it? Don’t just live your life the same way, one foot in front of the other, day in and day out. DO SOMETHING. Challenge yourself. Even if it’s scary, even if it’s new, even if it might be uncomfortable at first. Because if we aren’t challenging ourselves to reach our fullest potential, we’re missing out on so much. When we play it safe, we lose.

Sometimes we have to knuckle up.

I believe that in addition to personally challenging ourselves, we all have a social responsibility to each other, and to the city we call home. What that responsibility looks like varies depending on a lot of things: frame of mind, ability, desire to instigate positive change and growth… From where I sit, I believe that part of being a local entrepreneur is the inherent duty to be an active (and proactive) member of my community. I knew that by starting a business in this city I was making myself vulnerable. I was putting my livelihood solely in the hands of the people who live here, work here, play here…they got to decide whether or not to support me, and I humbly turned over the reigns to them, saying, “Here’s what I have to offer…you decide what it’s worth.” In that vein, I realized that as much as I rely on others for my continued growth and success, I wanted to give whatever I could back to the community that supports me.

I have viewed myself as a team player ever since I opened my doors in 2005, and over the past two years my desire to work toward the common good of the city and surrounding areas has only grown by leaps and bounds. I’ve gotten involved in numerous efforts, events and activities to show my support, and I’ve tried to bring to the table whatever time, energy, resources and talents I can possibly muster up.

Through those efforts, I’ve learned a lot about myself; I’ve pushed myself way beyond the limits of my wildest dreams… and I’ve just done it again. For the last three weeks, I’ve found myself a couple days a week at Drake’s Downtown Gym, taking boxing classes to prepare for what I’m sure will be one of the most challenging events of my life, both physically and emotionally. I have signed up to be part of the Knockout 2013 team, as a fighter in the second annual event put on by Dayton History and Drake’s Downtown Gym. The event will take place on March 2, 2013 at Memorial Hall, and is comprised of 9 match-ups. Is this crazy? Maybe. But it’s a challenge. I want to support Dayton History, Memorial Hall, Drake’s Gym (a fellow entrepreneur), the City of Dayton, and my teammates- in essence, I want to be part of something bigger than myself.

While I’ve been “knuckling up” the last few weeks, I’ve learned that nothing is impossible. And I’m just getting started. Once you push yourself outsides the limits of your comfort zone, you realize that you can do anything you put your mind to. Am I terrified of boxing one of my friends on March 2 in front of thousands of people? You bet. But just like rappelling down a 27-story building for Big Brothers Big Sisters last Fall, I’ve put my mind to it and I’m doing it. There’s no turning back. And I know that the next three months of training for this event will be an experience I will never forget. I’ll learn about myself, I’ll be doing something for a worthy cause, and I’ll be better for it.

Knuckle up. Challenge yourself. Give back. You might be surprised how good it feels to stretch your limits and start living the width of your life.

I borrowed the following excerpt from Joel and Lauren’s website because when it comes to the written word and witty expression, they simply can’t be outdone. These two are truly awesome people with such fun personalities, which I think is obvious from the poster of “typestaches” they created. We’ve been carrying their greeting cards in our shop since we met them several years back at the National Stationery Show and laughed so hard we cried. With that said, I leave you with a little background on the master minds behind Old Tom Foolery.

Old Tom Foolery is the brainchild of Joel Gryniewski and Lauren Weinblatt—two ad-industry vets who also happen to be married.

Back when Joel was wooing Lauren, he had a tough time finding cards that were: a) funny, b) letterpressed (they’re both suckers for a deep impression), and c) not so dainty as to make her question his masculinity. So they set out to make their own witty letterpress cards that would appeal to both sexes.

Old Tom Foolery launched its first line of “unsappy, uncrappy” greeting cards, The Footnotes Collection, at the National Stationery Show in 2008. Two years later, the company expanded its catalog with a premium, offset-printed line called The Headlines Collection.

We do custom.

This is where it all begins…Consistently over the past decade, I haven’t seen any one company rival the popularity of this custom design invitation line. Envelopments offers the ability to create your own one-of-a-kind invitation using layers of gorgeous card stock, original artwork, pocket folds, ribbon and more. Meet with one of our consultants to design the perfect invitation to represent the theme and colors of your wedding. Once you experience Envelopments, we’re pretty sure you won’t turn back!

Envelopments was recognized as America’s favorite Invitation (2000) on the Today Show “Ties the Knot” – the first reality TV wedding where the audience could go online to vote first for the couple then the honeymoon, dress, cake and the invitation. Today, the Envelopments brand is recognized as a leader in premium, quality, custom communiqués and their products are used by thousands of designers in all 50 states and 32 countries around the world. With more than 230 card stocks, papers, liners and envelopes and more than 90 shapes and sizes with signature names like Envelofolds®, Portable Pockets®, Pocket Folds® and more, the Envelopments products are a constantly changing collection of fresh ideas and innovative designs you can tailor to fit your event.

Check out the Envelopments blog for fresh inspiration!

Over 15 years ago, the founder of Paper Source was on a mission to buy natural raffia ribbon. Only available in large quantities, she purchased the bulk ribbon and set out to sell smaller portions of this natural product to other retailers. And thus, waste not paper was born.

Over the years, their focus expanded to include more environmentally friendly products. They may have been ahead of their time, but today Waste Not Paper is renewing their commitment to provide access to beautiful products without excess cost or waste.

BEAUTIFUL | Inspiring Merchandise In 2011, WNP introduced hundreds of new products. They launched heir Mid-Century Modern line, designed by their parent company, Paper Source. Featuring a strong aesthetic and color palette, this new collection is a throw-back to the classic, bold style of the 1950s.

FRIENDLY | Environmental Stewardship The majority of WNP products have always come from mills that have a commitment to the environment. It’s part of their core values (and ours!) to make choices and provide options to our customers that honor the world around us. Beauty and environmental responsibility can go hand-in-hand.

The foundation for WNP’s great products is paper. Their paper – the base for wrap, notes, stickers and more – is created domestically, which means it didn’t travel the world to get to you!

This paper comes from mills that practice responsible, sustainable forestry as certified by objective 3rd parties. Much of their product is created using renewable energy sources, such as hydro power or wind power.

The entire line of solid cards, envelopes and paper is produced without elemental chlorine (PCF). Their printers operate with reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) emission and recycle their ink waste. Many of their note sets are handmade from renewable content, usually cotton or bark fiber.

Eco-White, made of 100% recycled content with 30% PCW, is the base for their printed notes, wrap and bags. They also donate, reuse, and recycle all of our scrap paper. In addition, they have added new labels to their note sets and wrap which feature information about their recycled content.

Pretty cool, eh?

Simply put, this is one of our favorites.

From the first time I met the owner, Tom, at the National Stationery Show in 2006, we were sold on the quality and integrity of this company’s designs, finished products and unsurpassed customer service.

If you’re looking for beautiful card stock, unbelievable photo quality and gorgeous designs, Tag & Co. is the only designer to consider- they are absolutely flawless in their quality, and they will bend over backwards to create the perfect invitation or announcement for their customers. And Tom is a heck of a nice guy, to boot.

Having worked with Tag & Co. for over five years now, I knew I could count on them to come up with exactly what I was looking for last Fall when a loyal customer of ours (who had moved to Miami several years ago) called up and said, “Ok, Annie, I’m going to need stationery, birth announcements, and Christmas cards…I trust your judgment and I know you’ll come up with something amazing.” My first thought before I even hung up the phone was Tag & Co. In five years, I’ve never been disappointed in the quality of their stunning cards or their friendly willingness to help us create gorgeous announcements to fit any occasion. I sent them the photos for the birth announcements and holiday cards and asked Tom to come up with some options, and within a few days we had several of each to choose from.

I can’t stress enough how awesome these folks are to work with – they’re my first choice for my own correspondence, and I know you’ll be thrilled with them!