Dragons Waterstones, Red Card, Between The Lines and The Highworth Emporium tell all
Finding new designs is something that fires up greeting card retailers and they absolutely love it when the job is made easy for them.
And that’s where the GCA Dragons Speed Dating comes in – put 21 top retail buyers in a room with 72 card publishers and goodie bags, and watch the fireworks happen!
At the recent DSD event at London’s Business Design Centre, the fast-paced hours of positive pitching, copious learning and highly enjoyable networking resulted in plenty of sparks of interest and potential orders, as Waterstones, Red Card, Between The Lines and The Highworth Emporium reveal here…
Hazel Walker
Senior buyer of cards, stationery, gift wrap, arts & crafts, calendars and diaries, Waterstones
Den delights: “It’s such a great way to discover new publishers and we really enjoyed meeting everyone we spoke to. Hearing everyone’s stories of how they started out was really inspiring and it’s so encouraging to see so much new talent in the industry. We saw a huge variety of designs – it was actually quite overwhelming, but a lot of fun too!”
Den delights: “One of my favourites was Imogen Partridge who has some lovely illustrations that I can see being popular with our customers.
“I’m still working through all the samples but will definitely be following up with some of the publishers.”
Sally Matson
Owner of Red Card and Little Red, Petworth
Dragon flying: “We honestly had a ball at the Dragons event and it was great to have my manager Karen West with me so she could appreciate what the event is all about.
“Our overwhelming takeaway from the day was the passion with which each publisher presented their ranges. The care and investment and attention to detail was so fantastic that it reminded us again why we love this industry so much and why it’s not just about the cards – it’s about the stories and the people.”
Den delights: “From our meetings with publishers there were two stand-out companies for us. Firstly, Warren from LoveLossDiscoballs showed us cards that were unique with an amazing use of design and colour and a really special story. Imogen from Imogen Partridge showed us cards of really beautiful quality with illustrations that were so delicate and with such detail that we definitely couldn’t resist them. We’ll definitely be ordering from both of these companies.
“Once we sat down and went through the sample packs from all the publishers, there were a number of other companies that we will contact and follow up with. We adored Catherine Rayner’s cards, the illustrations are gorgeous! We loved the colours and design from Lovely Paper Stuff and the beautiful colour and foiling from Lucky Ink. The unique style of the bookmark cards from Yoojoo were great. The dog illustrations on cards from Robert James Hull were lovely – especially as Petworth is dog central! We liked the originality of the sentiments and the simple illustration on the cards from RossJ Designs and also the design and colour on the die-cut cards from Mifkins.
“We were stunned to be told that Santoro’s 3D Pirouettes cards are printed in the UK – we were sure they’d be from China. Santoro should highlight this as a USP as I’m sure there are many stockists who may shy away from these cards because they think they aren’t made in the UK.
“It was also lovely to catch up with Suzanne from Pink And Mint Design and see how she has developed her ranges – we particularly loved her postcards.
“I also want to mention Roni Pock from Roni-p-art.com who’s been selling her cards on market stalls for a long time and is really fed up with being cold at weekends. Her ‘I love you so much I want to show you my sexy bits’ card really made us laugh! She was great fun to chat with.
“There are also some great companies that were at Dragons that we already stock and will continue working with – the lovely Grace Jackson Design, Emily Nash Illustration, Lex from Little Roglets who we’re working with on a special Easter window illustration for Little Red, Cath Tate – of course – plus Paper Mirchi who we ordered from at Spring Fair and I’m sure there a few others! There were also companies like Lola Design that we haven’t ordered from for a while, but were reminded how lovely its products are.”
Ellie Kleinlercher
Buyer of Between The Lines, group of 19 stores
Dragon flying: “It was great to be part of an event that puts a spotlight on smaller publishers that we may not have seen otherwise. Even if we don’t end up placing an order, it’s good to be able to provide feedback to help the publishers grow and develop.”
Den delights: “I was particularly impressed with Catherine Rayner Trading, Mifkins and Lil Wabbit. Their designs, illustrations, and card quality were exceptional. We’re always searching for beautiful new children’s cards, and these publishers certainly stood out.
“I can definitely see us placing orders with at least three of the publishers I saw.”
Aga Marsden
Co-owner of Highworth Emporium, Highworth
Dragon flying: “It was my first Dragons event, but I was overwhelmed by the choice and creativity.
There was a diversity of publishers, from those literally just starting out who were there for advice –what a responsibility! – to larger established companies.
“I loved being part of what is a really lovely industry. It was also great to catch up with old friends and meet new people. This event is so worthwhile just from the networking point of view; exchanging our knowledge and experience. It was really intense but also a very productive afternoon, and the drink afterwards was very much needed and enjoyed!”
Den delights: “I wasted no time and placed my first order the day after the event, with Paper Mirchi. I’m really looking forward to receiving these beautiful cards. They’re so different and the cotton paper makes them look upmarket, yet they really are affordable!
“I also loved the children’s range from Little Green Vibes and Lucky Ink’s simple but classy cards especially the ones with badges. Grace Jackson of Grace Jackson Design also stands out, not only because she’s a lovely lady, but she creates gorgeous cards. I could go on and on… if only I had a bigger shop!
“Some suppliers went above and beyond in making their sample packs really special. There were personal notes, lovely comments about our shop, chocolates and sweets, etc. The loveliest surprise came from Imogen Partridge, who made a beautiful illustration of our shop, I was really touched.”
