
<p class="has-drop-cap">You&#8217;d have to be hiding out from any and all media to have missed the onslaught of &#8220;news&#8221; regarding Black Friday, and to a lesser extent, Small Business Saturday. Most readers know I&#8217;m a fool for British design; well, those brilliant denizens of that island across the pond have outdone themselves with a whole week dedicated to stationery and small business— and we should all take advantage as well! </p>



<p>Positioned as the colorful, independent alternative to Black Friday, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" label="JUST A CARD — INDIE WEEK (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.justacard.org" target="_blank">Just A Card — Indie Week</a> runs November 25-29, and is specifically designed to celebrate the joys of buying from design shows, craft fairs, online from artist/maker websites, independent shops and small businesses. <br></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/JUST-A-CARD-INDIE-WEEK-2019-image-by-Angela-Chick.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10003202" width="882" height="880"/></figure>



<p><br> The effort evolved from 2015&#8217;s grassroots <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.justacard.org/" target="_blank">Just a Card campaign</a>, born when Artist/Designer Sarah Hamilton read a quote by gallery owners whose business had been forced to close: “If everyone who’d complimented our beautiful gallery had bought ‘just a card’ we’d still be open.”</p>



<p>It was a call to action. Every sale, however small, even &#8216;just a card,&#8217; can be the difference between a vibrant creative community or a boarded-up businesses. The campaign is run by a small passionate team of volunteers comprised of artists, makers or creative business owners.</p>



<p>Their momentum is nothing to sneeze at — currently over 10,000 independents display the distinctive Support Independent Shops stickers in their stores, celebrities sport distinctive &#8220;Just a Card&#8221; enamel pins — while thousands more hobnob within Just a Card&#8217;s vibrant online creative community.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_2443.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10003197" width="897" height="863"/><figcaption>Richard E. Grant</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_2438.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10003196" width="876" height="876"/><figcaption>Natalie Dormer</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_2454.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10003199" width="893" height="861"/><figcaption>Michael Palin</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IMG_2446.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10003198" width="900" height="1103"/><figcaption>Felicity Jones</figcaption></figure>



<p>With that existing platform, Just a Card — Indie Week takes it to the next level. The effort welcomes everyone — designers, makers, shops, the buying public, influencers, press, exhibition organizers, small businesses, and yes, even Americans — to participate, both on and offline, and celebrate their businesses, their partners, their communities and their personal stories.</p><div class="inline-post clearfix"><div class="see-also byline">See also</div><div id="block-wrap-55490" class="block-wrap-native block-wrap block-wrap-23 block-css-55490 block-wrap-classic columns__m--1 elements-design-3 block-ani block-skin-0 tipi-box block-wrap-thumbnail ppl-m-1 clearfix" data-id="55490" data-base="0"><div class="tipi-row-inner-style clearfix"><div class="tipi-row-inner-box contents sticky--wrap"><div class="block block-23 clearfix"><article class="tipi-xs-12 clearfix with-fi ani-base tipi-xs-typo split-1 split-design-1 loop-0 preview-thumbnail preview-23 elements-design-3 post-15795 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-off-the-press tag-broadway tag-greeting-cards tag-hamilton tag-hamilton-prayer-prints tag-hedwig-and-the-angry-inch tag-im-not-throwing-away-my-shot tag-instant-downloadable-prints tag-meg-smith tag-religious-icons tag-sarah-schwartz tag-stationery tag-sweet-lady-designs tag-thank-you-stationery tag-the-paper-chronicles tag-werk tag-young-scrappy-hungry" style="--animation-order:0"><div class="preview-mini-wrap clearfix"><div class="mask"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/hamilton-hits-the-cards/" class="mask-img"><img width="100" height="100" src="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=150%2C150&;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=200%2C200&;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=293%2C293&;ssl=1 293w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=75%2C75&;ssl=1 75w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=390%2C390&;ssl=1 390w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=585%2C585&;ssl=1 585w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=24%2C24&;ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=48%2C48&;ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Hamilton3.jpg?resize=96%2C96&;ssl=1 96w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /></a></div><div class="meta"><div class="byline byline-2 byline-cats-design-4"><div class="byline-part cats"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/category/off-the-press/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">Off The Press</a></div></div><div class="title-wrap"><h3 class="title"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/hamilton-hits-the-cards/">Hamilton Hits The (Note)Cards!</a></h3></div><div class="byline byline-3"><span class="byline-part date"><i class="tipi-i-calendar" aria-hidden="true"></i> <time class="entry-date published dateCreated flipboard-date" datetime="2016-07-29T14:14:02+00:00">July 29, 2016</time></span><span class="byline-part likes-count"><a href="#" class="tipi-like-count " data-pid="15795"><span class="likes-heart"><i class="tipi-i-heart-o" aria-hidden="true"></i><i class="tipi-i-heart" aria-hidden="true"></i></span><span class="tipi-value">0</span></a></span></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></tipimidc>



<p>IG stationeristas will not want to miss out on the Five Day Instagram Challenge running all next week. Just head over to the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="JUST A CARD Instagram page (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.instagram.com/justacard/" target="_blank">Just a Card Instagram page</a> and follow the daily prompts below (and you can see a sneak peek of what to share on the Just a Card — Indie page linked above). This is a great way to meet and support other like-minded people, build Instagram engagement, gain new followers — and of course shamelessly promote your own events and work! </p>



<p>Kudos to everyone behind this vibrant promotion of small business, makers and of course lots and lots of stationery. So get involved — and here&#8217;s hoping those of stateside can generate something similar next year!</p>



<p> <br></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/JUST-A-CARD-INDIE-WEEK-25-29-November-2019-image-by-Angela-Chick.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10003201" width="877" height="877"/></figure>


Just a Card — Indie Week!
