PG Live convo leads to publisher’s first licensing deal, nailing Netherlands and Belgium distribution
The magic of Progressive Greetings Live connections has struck again as Five Dollar Shake and Dutch distributor and publisher Artige have just announced a licensing deal after discussions at last June’s specialist trade show.
The collaboration will see the sparkling feminine fashion cards land in The Netherlands and Belgium in a first for the publisher as the deal involves Artige licensing the designs for export distribution.

“PG Live strikes again!” laughed Five Dollar Shake MD Matt Genower. “This collaboration is an important one for us. Ensuring Five Dollar’s unique handwriting and quality are withheld have been at the forefront of this deal and Artige is the perfect partner in this respect.”
For the inaugural collection, Artige has created a range of 48 everyday designs based on Five Dollar Shake distinctive artwork.
Having got together with Matt at the 2024 PG Live in June, Artige co-owner Ton Hollander explained: “This is such an exciting opportunity. We are a long-time admirer of Five Dollar Shake products and to be able to produce their first licensed range ever, here in The Netherlands is a great responsibility for us.”

For Matt and Beth, co-owners of Five Dollar Shake and Counting Stars, this could be a taste of more licensing collabs to follow, not confined to just within greeting cards: “We absolutely see opportunities in taking our designs into other areas, both product type and geographical territories. We’d love to see Five Dollar Shake’s presence expanding while staying true to the brand’s essence.”
The latest Five Dollar Shake greeting card designs will be unveiled at Spring Fair, on stand 3R14, at Birmingham’s NEC over 2-5 February, while Artige will be revealing its licensed collection at the five-day Ambiente international gift fair in Frankfurt, in hall 4.2 Stand E58, which starts on 7 February.
