Union Street Papery
How many years have you been in business?
I just celebrated my 11th anniversary earlier this month! I have been in the industry, however, for almost 25 years!
Do you have a website, if so, what's the address? www.unionstreetpapery.com
If you were to sell something other than stationery, what would it be? Besides the obvious (stationery :)
Probably a blend of vintage modern furnishings with old world antiques and decor details. I love to combine straight lines with organic shapes, colors and patterns! We did this with the design of our Bridal Bungalow, which turned out beautifully!
what is your favorite thing to give as a hostess gift?
I love printing gift enclosures and calling cards for hosts... They are so useful and many people don't think of printing them up for themselves!
When in NYC for the National Stationery Show, where is your favorite place to grab dinner?
I love the vibe of the Meatpacking district... the cobblestone streets, and the variety. Fig and Olive is a frontrunner... also, Colicchio and Sons, which I visited for the first time this past show
Any other tidbits about your store you'd like to share? We've recently moved to a beautiful carriage house behind our old storefront. Now situated on a garden courtyard, we have 2 full levels, one dedicated to bridal invitations and the other is our main store, with everything from greeting cards to giftwrap, personalized stationery, gifts and invitations!
Read moreA little science experiment!
We had a fun moment last year at the National Stationery Show while visiting our friends at Sapling Press. Their collection of correspondence cards in cahoots with dearblankpleaseblank.com are great! They are super funny and there is something for everyone in the bunch. We were laugh out loud belly laughing in their booth! There was one card, though, that brought on confused looks rather than chuckles. It really stumped us. It was a note to Diet Coke from Mentos. We didn't get it ... at all! Lisa (owner extraordinaire of Sapling Press) had to explain that when you drop a Mentos into a Diet Coke an explosion occurs. Who knew? Okay so I guess it's sort of well know, but when we found a Diet Coke - Mentos - Geyser toy we knew we had to try this little experiment out ourselves. See the shenanigans below! Kuddos to Sapling for a great collection of greetings!
Paper + Stitch
Paper + Stitch is a gem! When we met the ladies at the National Stationery Show we were excited to hear more about their new store! It is a new store in Old Greenwich, CT. Paper + Stitch has wonderful gifts to offer all ages, cards and much more! Victoria and Diana were more than happy to share some answers to our questions! Thanks, Ladies!!!
How many years have you been in business? We have been in business since April of this year...doors opened 5 weeks after we got the crazy idea to open a store.
Do you have a website, if so, what's the address? Our website is www.paperandstitchshop.com
If you were to sell something other than stationery, what would it be? We sell stationery, invitations and personalized and monogrammed gifts and clothing. Victoria had her own stationery company, creating her own digital and letterpress cards, invites and holiday cards... Diana had her own monogram company, selling womens and kids clothes and lots of unique gifts. Friends for years, we started doing shows together and cross-promoting each others businesses. One day a cute little retail space became available in Old Greenwich, CT. Much to our husbands alarm, and not having been in the market for a retail spot, we signed the lease the following morning and paper + stitch was born, merging the best of what we had and finding great items to build our new business together. We love everything we sell, but we're both bag girls... if we had to add something, we'd stock up on even more totes and lots of monograms!
Besides the obvious (stationery ), what is your favorite thing to give as a hostess gift? We sell shatterproof cups with great sayings like Roadie, Weekend Waterford, Beach, Pool and a slew of others. They're our favorite hostess gifts (besides, of course, the letterpress coasters!)
Here at Haute Papier, we love to eat! When in NYC for the National Stationery Show, where is your favorite place to grab dinner? We both lived in NYC for years and will always love the energy there. It's not 5 star and we're not sure it's even in existence anymore, but there's a little Thai place on the upper east side called Jasmine that we used to meet at at least once a week. The memories might be better than the food, but it's where our friendship started... Currently, Victoria loves to go to Morandi in the West Village on Waverly Pl. Her oldest friend from childhood is married to the chef, Tony Liu. If you have the chance to head downtown, definitely go. And order the meatballs. Diana loves Mario Batali's Babo. Ironically, the restaurant where Tony got his start.
Any other tidbits about your store you'd like to share? Diana is a mom to 3 adorable girls and Victoria is mom to 3 hell-raising boys. You'll see their inspiration all around the store and you'll usually find one of our dogs in the shop. It's quite a production, our little store... but it's packed full of fun finds.
Get To Know Erin!
We could all see this coming... As promised, Haute Papier co-owner extraordinaire, Erin Miller, shared a few little known facts about herself. I think it's safe to say she doesn't take herself too seriously ... or does she?!?
- My mother has lived in Phuket, Thailand for the past 12 years - I've visited 6 times!
- I've only made one meal that my husband has flat-out rejected. Tofu Taco Salad. I didn't think it was that bad. He just really really like the real thing!!
- I bleed Duke Blue!
- I use an awful lot of exclamation points when I write (clearly!)
- I'm terrible with idioms. I either don't get them or mix them up or something. They are generally not a part or speech for me.
- I'm a planner so if it's not on my calendar a week in advance it's probably not going to happen. This makes being Etta's mommy a challenge at times!
- Cameron and I plan to travel around the country on a trike someday. If you see us ... wave!
- Gross alert ... I secretly love when my pug licks my feet (which by the are very odd looking!)
- I love love love to camp and I love camp food!
Feel free to contact Erin anytime at erin@hautepapier.com Amongst other things, she's awesome at answering any accounting questions you may have!