NY NOW Podcast

The Paper Plane Cocktail Hour: A Jill of All Trades

• Season 1 • Episode 89

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If you work in the gift industry, you’ve probably heard of Occasionette. You may have also noticed that in less than a decade, they have opened some wildly popular shopping destinations in the Philadelphia area. Identified as one of the region’s 100 fastest growing businesses in both 2019 and 2020, owner and creative director Sara Villari shares some of the secrets of her success with Amy and Sarah. Maybe it was her architecture degree, or maybe her dedication to open calls for vendors and integrating lines from makers of color that makes this woman-owned business most worthy of its City of Brotherly Love addresses.  Listen in and hear for yourself!  

RESOURCES   
| Guest Website: 
https://www.occasionette.com/       

| NY NOW: 
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| NY NOW Podcast Page: 
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Website: nynow.com
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Amy Loewenberg:

Hello everyone and welcome to the paper plane cocktail hour. I am one of your hosts Amy Lowenberg, senior relations manager for New York now, community spotlight podcaster and all around retailer advocate. My focus is to bring you important information, conversations and perspectives from both sides of the aisle.

Sarah Schwartz:

And I am your co host Sarah, the paper nerd. I am the founding editor and editor in chief of stationary trends magazine. I also write about stationery on my site, the paper nerd and I even host another monthly podcast on the topic, the paper fold. I've been covering the stationery and gift industry since 1997. But Never did I imagined that I'd one day be covering the market here in the virtual space.

Amy Loewenberg:

So throughout 2022 Sara and I will be raising our glasses alongside our pencils as we share stories, compare notes, and celebrate three of our all time favorite topics stationary connection and cocktails.

Sarah Schwartz:

Cheers. So longtime deeper planes listeners are probably aware that we divided 2022 into phases. In the first quarter, we examined members of our community in their initial phase of their careers. And in May we move to the next phase, the middle stage, which as we discussed can be just as challenging as getting established. And as we shift into fall, we shift into our final stage maturity.

Amy Loewenberg:

Of course, these are the more established brands that everyone looks up to and aspires to be as they continue on their own trajectories. In the case of retailers, these are brands with not just one but several thriving stores which is the case here So Sara, why don't you spell who are having for cocktails on this sultry September evening.

Sarah Schwartz:

Gladly. Amy. Sara Villari is the owner and creative director of Occasionette at an award winning gift and card shop with multiple locations in the Philadelphia area. Occasionette at ranked among the 100 fastest growing businesses in the Philadelphia region in both 2019 and 2020. However, Sarah didn't just go into retail with the Eyes Wide Shut and proceed to thrive. Prior to opening her first occasion at in 2013. Sara was one of the very first employees@etsy.com Yeah, working as a community manager for the E commerce site. Talk about being on the ground floor. Sarah also holds a degree in architecture from the University of Virginia which she definitely makes good use of in envisioning her spaces. When she's not at work. You can usually find her giggling with her toddler or digging in her gardens.

Amy Loewenberg:

So it's really easy to see that our past experiences created the secret sauce. That is occasionette, as you will soon hear. Sara is passionate about our business or community and her industry for teams and our neighbors have embraced supported and celebrated both her and occasion at walk into her stores and your wallet will be buzzing for some action as mine definitely was. And let's not overlook our beloved Philly in all of its splendor.

Sarah Schwartz:

Absolutely, I love Philadelphia and I actually have a very personal connection to the city. My mother grew up there and actually would have gone to the same high school as Wilt Chamberlain had her family not moved out of the burbs. However, my grandparents apartment on Conshohocken Avenue was a second home to me growing up, and I have so many great memories of chopping South Street with my mom. To me, it always seemed to have, you know, a certain East Coast sophistication that's enhanced by a big touch of Midwestern kindness. It really is the city of brotherly love.

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah, it is. It is it is and that's really special. Sarah, I totally agree with your statement as well on the east west coast. Excuse me, East Coast Midwest thing. It's a perfect description, not to mention all the great cultural institutions and incredible independent retailers there every time I get out there I just don't have enough time to see them all and I do try. But I did get to see occasion at and I definitely think it's time to bring her on, don't you think? Absolutely. All right. Let's get her on. Well, hey, Sarah, it's great to have you on the paper playing cocktail hour. Welcome.

Sara Villari:

Thanks for having me.

Amy Loewenberg:

I am going to dive right in. I know Sarah and I are eager to start this conversation Sarah with an H and I are very eager to start this conversation. Didn't with you. So, you know, I've been to the majority of your stores at this point, I had such a great time when I came to visit you a couple of years ago, we talked about so much that the one thing I remember was your occasion at open calls. And I know that our listeners are going to be really interested in hearing about this. So I know you started them in 2019. And that you established this program to streamline a way for artists and small businesses to submit their product lines for consideration for occasion, and who wouldn't want to be in one of your amazing shops? I mean, I could have spent my entire day there. I think I did. I think I did spend my entire day there. So I really want to hear about how this is going. So why don't you share? spill the tea? Yeah, so

Sara Villari:

you know, as before I opened my first shop, I was a vendor, I had a line of tea towels, and I sold to probably over 500 different independent stores around the country museum gift shops, you know, all sorts of things I exhibited in New York now. And you know, lots of I worked with a rep group, at one point, I did pretty much everything I could to try to expand my line on a wholesale basis. And I know from experience that's really hard to do. You know, you just need to catch buyers, you know, at the right point in their buying cycle. I know that's the case, resin occasion, net, and, you know, you just need to hit people, you know, the right place the right time, the right method, the right medium, you know, and I just kind of felt like, there were so many people reaching out to us, there are so many people reaching out to us who have great products, some are really great fit for our shops, some maybe not so much. But, you know, overall, I just was feeling a little overwhelmed by the idea that I really wanted to be able to respond to people, you know, because everyone deserves some kind of response, even if the product isn't right for my shops. And, you know, I really appreciate the time and energy that goes into reaching out to new, you know, potential wholesale clients, like occasion at but, you know, I just, it's, uh, you know, daily, we get hit with, you know, at least a half a dozen, you know, people out, you know, which is so flattering. I mean, I first and foremost, but, um, you know, I just kind of felt like I needed to systemize, and that's always my keyword, you know, I just want to systemize things. And so she does in 19, in the summer, we created open call, because we, you know, had gone to trade shows, we met with our reps and things, and I just felt like, there were so many lines that, you know, we were kind of missing, because, you know, they were getting buried in our submissions inbox, or, you know, it was people who were coming into the store, bless their hearts, you know, and leaving physical things. And it was just a lot of different, you know, cats to heard. And so we created open call, it's just a really simple like, basically a one page or a Google form, that artists submit online, and it kind of gathers everything all in one place. It sort of forces artists to actually give us all the information we need. You know, a lot of times people don't know what they don't know. And so, you know, we'll get a submission. But you know, the wholesale pricing isn't included, or we'll get a submission, but there's no mention of like, what the lead time might be, or, you know, what the minimum quantities to order are a little details like that. But yeah, if you've never wholesaled before, you might realize that that's very, very important information. And so, um, you know, we kind of think of it as a little bit of, you know, just training wheels, if it's something that people haven't done before, because the application really makes you sit and consider all of the different parts, you know, the things that we need to know, and we try to time it where it happens over the summer and the middle of the summer when, you know, like we're kind of finishing up our holiday buying for the shops for fourth quarter. And yeah, it's it's something I feel really passionately about, because it's my previous life. Um, yeah, I would have definitely applied to a kitchenette, open call. You know, I think it's really, I think it's one of the best things we do at occasion it Wow. And the second year, we ran it, we started our commitment to 50% of our buying budget for open call goes to bipoc makers and vendors. And so that's something that we are really excited about because it does give us a chance to work with bipoc makers. Yeah, and you know, we really, really love that. You know, in this way, just all kinds of lines don't get lost in the proverbial shuffle of, you know, people not knowing what email address to send things to Are you?

Amy Loewenberg:

Sure? Well, I mean, you're you just touched on so much. I mean, the first thing I want to say is just just the honest feedback to any new business owner or somebody who is literally just figuring out how to work, you know, make their way through this, this lifecycle of selling their, their, their products, their designs, and then guidance. I mean, there are so many different types of mentorship programs. And then there's some really incredible people in the industry, that do this for a living, because that's an element that really is that needs attention, especially as all these new businesses have developed over the last three years, right. So to be able to work with a professional, someone who's been through like yourself, like, so many aspects of that lifecycle and be able to share that is and give guidance is, is instrumental, you definitely jumped into that second area I wanted to talk about. So like, share some really great stories that you have, do you have any brands that that you've done some business with? A bipoc owner, or, you know, woman owned, or somebody who just literally like their first sale was to occasion at like, I think your shares share some news? Yeah, I think we have a little bit of everything. I mean, I think we, we definitely have some lines, where were their first wholesale customer. And that always feels really nice. Even when there is a little bit of a learning curve, it's really nice when you find an artist whose work, you know, really resonates with your customers. You know, even if there is a little bit of a learning curve, if they're, you know, open to trying to understand the why behind the suggestion that we're making, that's always really great. We have our offices in it's called the book building in South Philadelphia. And it's an old vocational technical high school that shuttered about 10 years ago, and was turned into artists and Creative Studios. And so are buying offices there. And the really fun thing about open call is we usually get at least a handful of submissions from within the building. It's a giant, giant building, I think there are several 100, you know, studios there. And so it's really fun to carry work from people who are just, you know, our neighbors. That's fantastic. in the most literal sense, our neighbor, we shared address, you know, and so that's pretty fun. That's been really, really great. And yeah, we've just found like, some really great, I think jewelry lines, we tend to have a knack for finding through open call, which is really nice. Because you could weed through jewelry, you know, whether online or through, you know, Instagram or at a show or whatever you can just, there's a lot a lot of jewelry out there. And so you know, needle in a haystack, it's really nice to, you know, when people find us and say, Hey, I think my jewelry is gonna be a good fit, and then they're right. And we love that. So that's always really, really nice, too.

Sarah Schwartz:

Yeah, I'd love the idea of open calls, I just think it gives makers nice, it's just sort of like a shot in the arm of confidence that you're just looking at their work that you're speaking with them, that you are giving them the time of day, it just really even if they're not a good fit, ultimately, you know, you've spoken to them about their business credibly and taking them seriously. And it just kind of like, wherever their path is going to take them. It helps them take it to the next level. So you know, I have card questions for you.

Amy Loewenberg:

Your news there, I was gonna jump in on the grading. I knew.

Sarah Schwartz:

Exactly, exactly. So several years back you wrote I know you you gave me you did a post I think it was when the paper was that still the paper Chronicles and it was so amazing. It was I think it was like some of your pics from shows. And I really enjoyed sharing it with my readers and and I just knew I'd never been to your stores. But I was like, Oh my gosh, this is phenomenal. Like I know, she just has such an incredible eye and I you know, I kind of go toe to toe with cardmakers all the time. And you know, they're always the questions I get over and over from them about like what retailers are looking for. They never end so I'm just going to ask you since I have since I have the pleasure of having you here. So I'm curious what format you sell I've heard of a lot of there's a lot of people that have moved away you know, solely a to solely blank. Some people still offer squares square postage is a little bit more now some retailers have moved away from that some are fine with it. Some sell stamps. I mean, it just seems like there's a million approaches and then Um, I also wanted to ask you, how do you merchandise and where do you fall in the Great card sleep debate? Do you use them too?

Amy Loewenberg:

That's a great question. Oh, these are all great questions. I'm trying to remember them all. So I can hit every one of them you have to write down one Sarah's question because at the same time

Sarah Schwartz:

any of them get by so you can start circle back if you don't mind you.

Amy Loewenberg:

So format wise first and foremost, we we sell mostly cards. We do sell, you know, some notepads and accessory items, um, but we sell primarily a two but that's just mostly because that's what is out there. And that's what most people are making. We don't I guess discriminate against different shape cart, you know, so we'll do seven we'll do square, and mostly I found that they're still selling because a lot of our cards I think don't end up in the mail. I think a lot of our cards are just handed and so all right. Good to know. Yeah, tape to a gift or something. I think a lot of our people are you know, seeing their people in person and giving them at events and things and so um, you know, we haven't whittled down you know, we're exclusively just selling it to or anything like that.

Sarah Schwartz:

I'm greeted dude are all your cards blank.

Amy Loewenberg:

So we try our darndest to have all our cards be blank mostly because then we can save customers frustration and just say oh, I'll save you the trouble of opening up every single one of the cards on our 800 card card wall and I'll just let you know that all of them are like I'm believers don't get me wrong, some people will still stand there and take every single card out but that's on them at that

Sarah Schwartz:

point, you know, it just makes them stay in your store longer and it just increases the likelihood that they're going to find something else that they like and build that and one

Amy Loewenberg:

day they'll learn but I really hard to sort of maintain only blank cards. And yeah, we do. I guess we have you know when we'll do a greeted card sometimes is we've loosened up a little bit when it comes to box holiday cards. I was gonna ask you about holiday yeah as long as the packaging is really like explicit about you know whether it's on the back or a little sticker on the front about you know, so and so number of cards message inside blah blah blah as long as it's very, very clear then were okay with a greeted ox holiday card. Because a lot of them you know are more traditional and really pretty and we found that we definitely have a you know, a client for a traditional greeted you know, and you can just sign your name in it and somebody holiday if you're sending 48 cards, that's all you wanted.

Sarah Schwartz:

A lot of a lot of people I don't think they know what to write in a holiday card. And so the greeted message like helps like I get the photo cards every year and sometimes I write messages to people on the back and sometimes I don't it just depends on how much time I have but I know that if I don't I haven't like considered you know I haven't committed you know an etiquette faux pa

Amy Loewenberg:

exactly. I do love to present as an idea. I know that photo cards are so popular but as someone who sells a lot of holiday box cards, what I've been doing because for a long time I was like a purist I was like no no no I'll never do photocards then I had a baby. And of course what I've been doing is I get little wallet size prints made of you know the baby and then I tuck it into the dress

Sarah Schwartz:

and then to be very common like when I had my daughter I think I got a letter press birth announcement and I just put like a little photo of her and you know people used to do that you still see it. Really I love that practice and yes once you have a child Yeah, it's all about photo at all. Right? It's all about like commemorating what they look like that year and then obviously once they've reached a certain age you're like you can look at them through the years and that is amazing.

Amy Loewenberg:

So am I hearing that you don't want me to put like a big face shot of me in your holiday card we don't

Sara Villari:

currently hang that on my fridge Amy

Sarah Schwartz:

let's get Amy's hairstyles year by year done it's a great theme and you can we visit every year you know I? I'm I very active with the greeting card association. They have their town halls every couple of weeks and you You know, whenever the card sleeve debate comes up, like if people will talk for 20 minutes, should I have them? Should I not have? Should I get ones? How are retailers displaying them? Like, what's your story?

Amy Loewenberg:

Great opportunity. So we only very, very, very recently have wavered a tiny bit on our chance on our stance on card sleeves. Um, we have been not without, I don't know, ecological guilt, but we have been very firmly planted in the corner of card sleeves serve a purpose, and we need them, you know, for our products. And so just the sheer volume of cards that we sell all of our cards, all of our stores feature a card well, very prominently. Gorgeous.

Sarah Schwartz:

Nice, I love a good card wall.

Amy Loewenberg:

Oh sir, you do it there'd be like a path of drool as you walked through it. I'm sure people slip all the time. They're like that way until you see the Chestnut Hill store anyways. So the our first store in South Philly has, I think it's about seven or 800 facings for cards on. Collingswood has probably about a similar I should know these numbers. But anyway, probably very similar number, we just cards are a huge part of what we do. And, you know, a card sleeves not only protect the cards that are on display out in the stores, but um, you know, something that we've really, you know, talked at length about as a team is that the card sleeves, also protect the cards from ourselves, you know, like, we just, you know, we obviously have a huge back stock of cards at any given moment, at each location, we do all of our receiving in a central warehouse, and then we distribute to our locations. And so there's a lot of moving around moving boxes, you know, transporting cards, you know, and we just feel pretty strongly that the damage rate would be a lot higher, if the cards weren't sleeved, um, that said one of our very, very, very favorite cardmakers and vendors that we've been working with for probably eight or nine years now most of the time we've been open, and we we just love their line, we've been really excited to like see their line really take off and grow and, you know, really become, it's always been one of my favorite lines. Um, but anyway, they, who is it I'm gonna work with, I have nothing bad to say. So I'll say their name, it's easy, Francis, we love you, we love you. And so they reached out and said, Hey, we know that you always ask for sleeves, we know that, you know, you really do prefer sleeves, but can we please change your mind, which I really appreciated, you know, the very tactful way in which they presented that, you know, and it was a conversation. And so we talked about it at length on our buying team. You know, and I basically, long story short ended up sort of writing back and just saying like, Okay, we'll try it once for this order, it's a good sized order for, you know, all four of our stores. And, you know, we'll see how it goes, I expressed you know, my, um, you know, concerns about the fact that we're not only concerned about, you know, customers sort of grinding up the cards, but we, you know, we're also very concerned about just internally damaging the cards, you know, not that we just throw them around willy nilly,

Sarah Schwartz:

this is your merchandise, this is your stuff, this your life you get a big fingerprint on it, you're not going to be able to sell it, so it makes you know, you have to protect the merchandise.

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah, you know, and so we express those concerns and we're like, you know, we're not a small boutique that orders 100 cards at a time and they go right out on the shelf, right, fine. You know, we're at this point, a much larger operation you know, and there's a lot of hands that touch everything before they go on and so um, you know, they were just very very gracious and we ended up working out you know, a little agreement where, um, you know, basically we'll just stay in good communication over the course of the next few months just to see how this order that's just going to come card class is going to fare and then we will do a check in and just see how many damages we have and how we want to work that out etcetera, etcetera. So, this is sort of our trial run with the card class we've been very anti card and it's not because I love plastic or I love importing plastic from China or you know, anything like that. Like I don't I really don't, but I also don't love damaged product. It really hurts my heart to see which products? It makes perfect sense there. I mean, it really does or you know, are you noticing that some of the lines that you're working with are kind of evolving their their practice of like asking you if they want plastic or not or using that biodegradable like I think Sarah Sarah with an H Am I correct? Like Yuki from Honeyberry?

Sarah Schwartz:

Yes, yes, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I think I think I think she is moving away as well or No, you're right. She's using the

Amy Loewenberg:

thing. She's giving you the option, but it's also biodegradable. If I'm not, if I'm not mistaken, I might be,

Sarah Schwartz:

right. I mean, that's wonderful. If it keeps the costs down, if you're not like paying through the nose for the biodegrade degradable sleeve, right, you can make it work right now, from a business perspective, I, you know, I think it's great. And I, you know, I love that you Francis has sort of, you know, made it their mission to reduce single use plastic and look, all you can do is try, you know, you're you're trying it, you're open to it. And you'll see, and maybe that's how we'll evolve. And maybe it's not how will evolve. But, you know,

Amy Loewenberg:

I changed our buying process, because now you know, our card buyer does, you know, even lines we've been working with for a really long time, her question before any order gets placed is just double checking, is this order going to arrive in sleeves? I will say the one thing that a couple lines, only a very, very, very small handful of clients have done that were just like, oh, facepalm is if we've asked if it's going to arrive in sleeves, and then it comes cardigan in the sleeve? And we're like, no, that's not what we meant, like, going to confuse a customer and please don't, you're not gonna sit in uncarved class them all like, right, right? So it's kind of like I really need vendors to understand that if someone if a shop has a preference than it's, they don't want both, they they have a preference.

Sarah Schwartz:

Absolutely, and good communication is key for them through the process, like you're replacing hundreds of orders and like to them your order means so much Well, you better make sure that you know all your i's are dotted and your T's are crossed. And, you know, that really important account gets what they expect. So, you know, just that indication is key.

Amy Loewenberg:

Absolutely. To your point, Sarah, you know, Sarah with an H for Sarah without an age like, you know, it really it takes it takes that good communication to continue to further the business relationship. Right. So it could be a very quick way to lose out on a really great account if if you're not really listening. You know, we're talking about your card walls in all your stores. Let's talk about all your stores because you got amazing stores right so both your South Philly and your Collingswood stores, they have the same model. They're very different vibes because they're different neighborhoods. So love to hear a little bit of the flip. I have like five questions for you too. So get ready. So you know we'd love to hear the different vibes. Your third shop in Collingswood which I am proud to say I have been to all three of those stores has a different model. So we want to hear about how this came to be and then you at the end are going to give us the cherry on top of this amazing Sunday and talk about some new exciting spectacular news. Yeah, so we started with our South Philly store it's about 1000 square feet walk in it's like South Philly very narrowed shotgun style and so you walk in the card wall is the entire wall on your right is just lined floor to ceiling with cards essentially and then the entire

Sarah Schwartz:

question about card was is this Do these arise as a destin is a destination point of your store customers come in specifically seeking your card walls and they expect it from you when you open a new store? Absolutely good. I

Amy Loewenberg:

think so. Um, you know, we haven't we've been expressly asked our people that but it seems very much like yes, like we've won Best Philly a couple times for our, you know, card selection or card walls. You know, and we know that it's a trip driver. It's you know, what, people you know, people know they have a birthday so they stop in all of our locations are very neighborhood centric. And so, you know, walking their dogs after work, it's, you know, people who have friends visiting from town and they stop and on their way to go get dinner and, you know, that kind of thing. So, you know, we know that it's the reason we see our clients as often as we do, which is great because we have people who come in every single week in the South Philly store. We have a little we still do an analog punch card system. So every time you buy a card you get a punch with two punch Tuesday's um, you know, and things like that Tuesday. Oh my god. I'm laughing I'm in the shops though on a Tuesday because it sounds so violent at checkout, they're like,

Sarah Schwartz:

well I love it. That's so cute. That's great. And of course, you know, when you talk about open collar and you talk about, you know, introducing you know, diversifying what you offer stationary is the easiest. It's so like, Oh, I'm just gonna take this card line on and this helps broaden my, who I'm carrying.

Amy Loewenberg:

Yep, do you share the same card lines and all of your stores are different stores have a different vibe. More or less, the cards seem to remain pretty consistent among stores. jewelry shop, the third shop that you mentioned with the different concept is our kids and baby stores. So it's a gift store for the under five set tiny humans and so, um, you know, that store sort of was born out of I signed the lease in the summer of 2020 was born out of just the need for more square footage, we were limited how many people we could have in our flagship shop at that time. And I was a little worried about how we were going to get through the holidays system with only 10 people shopping at a time. And so we that stores 2000 square feet, just to give people an idea. So six doors down this beautiful retail space opened up right next to an amazing, amazing, amazing French. And so the closer I can be to croissants the better yeah.

Sarah Schwartz:

Perfect space for me.

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah. All the checked all the boxes, you know, we opened that store, when we opened initially, the concept was self care, the world felt bleaker than usual in the fall of 2020. I think that's when I was there. Yeah, yeah. And, um, you know, so we opened, we call it joy shop. And so it's sort of our, like, auxilary space, basically, where, you know, we sort of took a concept that we saw, as, you know, our number one category, or number one fastest growing category in the shops, and we just expanded on it. And so it's 1500 square feet. And, you know, we kind of felt this spring, like self care had maybe run its course out, I don't know what that says about the state of the world that we're all just super happy right now. But, um, you know, the thing that we saw, really, you know, having a lot of growth potential, you know, we just kind of felt a need for was gifts for tiny humans, we just felt like a baby store was the right fit for the neighborhood. And so this spring, we worked really hard, and we painted murals, and we oh, you know, totally revamped that space. It's just get such beautiful light in there. I love the feel of that space so much. And so now it is just a different extension of occasion. And it's just our kids section, but really expanded on and it feels really fun and happy in there. I can only imagine your merchandising abilities are off the charts. So I can only imagine how beautifully inviting this re merchandise store is, for me at least because it was pretty stroller friendly when I was there so I can see why you moved in that direction. Yeah, this one has a lot of space. Since I come from an architecture background. And as like the grunt in the architecture offices, I was always making sure we had like ADA compliance and oh my gosh, very cognizant of, you know, 30 or 36 aisle 36 inch, you know, walkways. So this is kind of perfect. You got that architectural background for the actual structure of the store. But then you've got if I'm not mistaken, that like cake decorating ability that helps you with all the merchandise, all of the random odd jobs I've ever had in my life have just prepared me for shopkeeping, perfect formula. Yeah, I was a tour guide. I was a cake decorator. I was a cashier at a grocery store. I was I don't know everything else in architect. I was. Yeah.

Sarah Schwartz:

You're a jack of all trades. Yeah. Little things. Yeah. Let's not discriminate against our gender.

Amy Loewenberg:

That's awesome. Good. Wait, wait, wait, there's more news. Let's talk about your stores. Yes. So I am sitting right now in our I hope I'm not too echoey I'm sitting in our mostly empty new Chestnut Hill location which we are prepping to open in a week and a half so I believe it'll be opened by the time this airs and it is in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia which is a pretty long hop skip and a jump away from ourselves Philly store, total other end of the city, but yet another like beautiful commercial corridor full of small businesses. We're so excited to be here. We were kind of scouted by the neighborhood of so sociation because this space used to be a paper goods and stationery store. Oh, nice. Yeah, so they wanted, um, you know, a gift shop, but a gift shop that had, you know, a focus on, you know, cards and paper goods, just to fill that need in the neighborhood.

Sarah Schwartz:

How nice that they came that they are seeking not only that they're specifically seeking it, but also that they knew where to go.

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah, yeah. Which is really, really, you know, very, very nice. Um, you know, it was great. Although, I have to say I said no, the first like, five times they No, no, no, no, no, no, I'm not looking to open another story now. No, no, no, no, no, I'm but here, lo and behold, of course, you see the space here I am. And so, um, but me next year, if I want to open another space

Sarah Schwartz:

love it. And it's like, kind of, you've got like, kind of a peach and like Navy thing.

Amy Loewenberg:

We have like our signature, like, we're all these built ins in this space. But you know, right. It was a store that sold things very similar what we sell and you know, had built ins and, um, you know, that was a big selling point on this space for me was, you know, it already kind of looked like a gift shop. And so it's been a lot of painting, we've touched every surface, we redid the floors, we redid the lighting, you know, just every everything that you do. Um, because, you know, I should have known by store number four that no opening a new store is actually easy. I thought it would be an easy one. So we took it on. Um, but we're very, very, very excited to be in this neighborhood. You know, it's a really historic neighborhood. It's just a lot of, I don't know, I'm gonna sound really rude, but a lot of good vibes here. We're just very excited. Our card wall here, down. It's 5000 feet long.

Sara Villari:

Hard. It's worth contacting

Sarah Schwartz:

Guinness.

Amy Loewenberg:

Um, what are you calling it the card is a card tunnel. The world's first two sided, you know, we have one card well along the side, but the paper Rio, which is this paper store that was here before us had these built ins for you know, displaying all their cards on both sides. So each one is about 120 feet long. So it's 20 feet long, two different sides facing each other. When I did the math, it's like 1100 card facings without any skills or anything. So it's a it's a lot of cards on display at anytime. So amazing. Yeah, it's, it's, it's big. Um, so you know, it's like, I think 30 or 40%, bigger than our biggest card wall. It feels big. That's amazing, literally in the process of filling it. So I'm looking over and I'm like, we have a lot of empty bowls right now. But we have a lot of orders in our warehouse. So we're working on it. But it's, you know, it's it's really, really fun. We have been able, you know, we're pretty consistent what lines we carry across all the stores in terms of cards, but I'm here we're actually bringing on a couple of makers and vendors that we just, you know, hadn't tried before, because we have for them,

Sarah Schwartz:

you got them, you got the real estate we do. That's great news, I can think of about 1000 cardmakers be like oh my god, you know, this is like music to their ears. I mean, it's great to hear. And so, you know, that kind of brings us to the closing question that Amy and I always ask is, you know, how have the events of the past few years changed how you see stationery? I mean, I'm kind of curious if you're, you know, with more or different lines selling better are had the tone of your car, the really best selling cards changed. Do you feel like that's sort of morphed I'm curious how you might see stationery a little differently and also how your customers

Amy Loewenberg:

your giftable too. So you can also speak to other categories. So like what the evolved and

Sarah Schwartz:

changed? Yeah, yeah, I shouldn't discriminate. Like yeah, I guess talk about Yeah, stuff, all that stuff.

Amy Loewenberg:

That's why we balance each other so well. So I will say that there was maybe this like weird 12 months, you know, obviously from like the middle of 2020 until, I don't know until we were all vaccinated where, you know, it felt like In a way it was no, it felt unlike any other buying period that I have worked in because we were all on the same page. Like it was like we knew, like, there were going to be pop culture references that were like, pretty much universal and you weren't wondering, have a lot of people seen this show? Like, is this something that people are relating to right now? Like, there was just this weird time where it was like, oh, you know, card that references like, I don't know, you know, pumpkin spice Xanax, or it just felt like, Okay, we are all need that.

Sarah Schwartz:

Never had a roll of toilet paper. ematic importance?

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah, it was like, it wasn't llamas, it wasn't avocados. It was toilet paper was. And so, you know, it just felt very, like, in a really, really, really bizarre way. Buying was like, very easy for a little bit, because it was like, Oh, well, that mentions like, shots is in vaccines, so everyone wants it. Um, you know, and now it feels like it's sort of back to like, the wild west of everything just being like, Oh, I don't know, some people like it, some people won't. Like, we'll try it. Like, you know, I like it. Okay. Um, you know, and I just feel like there was this weird and I don't even want to, like, glamorize or glorify, because it was like, things resonated, because everything felt terrible. It was like, Okay, well, it's because none of us are leaving our houses that this is funny. Um, you know, and so that was sort of a strange thing to live through, I think as a as a

Sarah Schwartz:

shop owner. Yeah, totally. And the personal communications became so much more important. And they, you know, what you wrote all the sudden, like, people were really thinking about, like, say, to this person I haven't seen in six months, and I don't know, when I'm gonna see them again.

Amy Loewenberg:

And I don't know how their life has taken a turn since then, you know, and, yeah, and so, you know, I think we definitely did sell a lot more, get well, or thinking of you, you know, cards, when we were just completely shut down. I'm sure everyone has this experience, unfortunately. But when we were completely shut down, you know, just one employee and I were alternating, who would go in and pack orders that we weren't overlapping. And some of like, the notes that we were writing for people in these cards, just, we would text each other and be like, did you see this one? I'm just sitting here sobbing, you know, really, really gut wrenching. You know, but it felt in a way, like nice to be able to provide that service where, you know, people wanted to send something special wanted to let people know, they were thinking of them. And you know, it was really nice to be able to, you know, hand write that note on their behalf. Well, what a great connection in a distance, you know, in a distance environment at that point, to be able to connect with somebody and actually help them communicate with somebody else. I mean, what an amazing role. You guys played? Yeah. And really dark, but really almost like cathartic. At the same? Yeah, yes. Yeah.

Sarah Schwartz:

So my million dollar question is, are there any lingering effects? Like, is this still like, do you see this in your customers, this new sort of appreciation for connecting through the mail? Like, has it? Has there been any lingering effects? I sure hope so.

Amy Loewenberg:

Please, tell me get nicer, please. I, you know, last year, last Christmas was, you know, the first time a lot of people had seen a lot of their family for the first time in a while and things like that. So we definitely felt an uptick across the board, I think a lot, a lot, a lot of retailers did, you know, we really focused on, you know, stories on our tables and things that would, you know, speak to like togetherness or celebrating or, you know, that kind of thing. Whereas, you know, in 2020 we focus on a lot of things that were like, kind of make the best of this holiday season, even if you're sitting by yourself, you know, whereas like, 2021 we really wanted to celebrate, like gathering and stuff like that. And so, you know, I think the same thing, hopefully, you know, knock on wood is, you know, what we're gearing towards this year, one of our themes for this holiday season is just plain old, fun, because I think we all kind of need that. You know, and so, you know, with that, I think comes not only you know, more platters and you know, things that you do took, you know, together like into the entertainment mode, because there are people that entertainment Yeah, like cheese boards and charcuterie obviously are definitely having a moment. She's, she's, I mean, who doesn't love a cheese board but doesn't want a cheese board? You know, and I think that does trickle down to our cards and things because you know, people are not wanting to show up empty handed and you know, a lot of our cards you know, are given you know, in person and things like that. So I think you know, the more you see people The more you feel like, oh, I should make sure I bring a card. You know. And so that's really where we kind of come in. And that's sort of affecting ours, like, we definitely sold almost 100% through our box holiday cards in 2020. And 2021. Like, that's awesome. It was awesome. But it was kind of like confusing, because, you know, in 2020, I was like, Okay, maybe, you know, ordered a little conservatively. Right? 21 I was like, wait, I was a little heavy handed with my wow, people, awesome cards to send. And so you know, this year, we looked at all the numbers, we think we ordered appropriately. But yeah, maybe we'll sell through again, it is always nice. I'm sure you guys can appreciate this, it is kind of nice to start from a clean slate, like a whole category like that. So um, you know, we're really excited about some new vendors, we brought in for holiday cards this year. And yeah, we're just new styles, some of them will be created, which is different for us, like I said, and yeah, we're just we're all right. Well, I think you should create the Amy and Sara special, which would be a cheese board and a greeting card. And you can highlight that in your celebrating and gathering focus, have fun with your new shop. And of course, amongst all your other shops. If you can't tell this is my segue to say, oh my god, Sarah, this has been such an amazing conversation with you. And we are so happy that you took this time with us when you're literally building out your new store as we speak.

Sara Villari:

We'll get back to wallpapering.

Amy Loewenberg:

Well, I know Sarah is gonna want to say a few words. But please let me just say that your presence in the industry is so valued with what you do and how many people you help not just the community in your neighborhood, the I will say soon to be four stores. But internally what you're doing for the new designer and maker, an artist who is trying to figure out their way in this crazy industry. So I want to thank you. And also just say that it's such a pleasure to have talked with you today and I cannot wait to see you again and and visit your new store for sure. So thank you.

Sara Villari:

Thank you so much for having me.

Sarah Schwartz:

Yeah, we really enjoyed it. And I think I might have to haul my cookies to Philadelphia to see this.

Amy Loewenberg:

I'll meet you there next week.

Unknown:

Okay, Sarah, really, really, really amazing cheese shop right behind you and I'll have some cheese, though. There we

Amy Loewenberg:

are. So clearly, you're gonna have some cheese boards in this new store.

Sara Villari:

The croissants that the colleagues have won so

Amy Loewenberg:

well, before we go how can people reach out to you how do we find you on the old you know, website international world? Yeah, the best way to find us and to see the shops look alike that we talked about today is on our Instagram. It's occasion at OCC ASI o n e TT E. It's amazing how many people want to put an extra s and occasionally asked an occasion at Oh, I will never forget now I will stick in extra hours. But yeah, Instagram is probably the easiest way to see what we're up to and see the spaces and see what we have in the shops right now. And it's it's really fun and I refuse to let anyone else posts so it's all me much to the dismay of my entire team they're like really your brands baby it's all Yeah,

Sarah Schwartz:

I store it's my feed

Amy Loewenberg:

day off well listen, they may say off but everybody listening go jump on because occasion at with no double last is an amazing entity to become involved with both the products and of course the amazing syrup. Laurie, thank you so much for taking your time on the paper playing cocktail hour with Sarah and I Sarah with an H. Have a fantastic day. Go fix your store, and we can't wait to see it. Please keep us in the loop and tag us. And that's it. Thank you so much.

Sarah Schwartz:

Thank you. Well, that was fun. I'm so impressed that Sara is just plugging along pregnant and opening another store. Suddenly my life feels a lot easier.

Amy Loewenberg:

I know I know. And as much as I love visiting Sara stores not everyone can. So I'm really thrilled that we're able to share her philosophy and her approach here. So whatever role you play in the industry, there is something everyone can take from it.

Sarah Schwartz:

I completely agree and I have to say I love seeing Sara's dedication to open calls and integrating makers of color. It feels like so many of us are making a concerted effort to establish a sort of old girls network and I think it's a beaut Thought thing?

Amy Loewenberg:

Yeah, well, I am just appreciative that we both have the ability to not just amplify the lines, the brands and stores, but we get able to, we're able to enable our guests to share their stories and their missions and just how lucky we are to know so many great people, our community is thriving and it is such a pleasure to talk with them and all year round.

Sarah Schwartz:

It is it is a real treat. So where can everyone find you then when there's not a market going on?

Amy Loewenberg:

You can always connect with me on Instagram, LinkedIn or email me at work. I am always wanting to highlight our amazing community on my New York now spotlight podcast and to feature on my Instagram store tours. I'm available to help connect you to new and needed resources and to answer any of your new york now market or digital market questions. And Sarah how are we able to connect with

Sarah Schwartz:

you? Probably the best place to connect with me is at the paper nerd.com You can nerd out with my fabulous stationery coverage check out my podcast but paper fold and access stationery trends the industry's award winning design driven trade quarterly as well. It's always a pleasure to learn more about makers and spotlight their work, whether it's in publication blog, or podcast

Amy Loewenberg:

for so please don't hesitate to reach out to either of us with comments, questions, feedback suggestions for guests or what have you. Thank you so much and we will talk with you soon. Cheers.