<p><iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *" frameborder="0" height="175" style="width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;background:transparent;" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suzanna-loesch-of-mockingbird-paperie/id1517156345?i=1000536504536"></iframe></p>



<p>Most retailers have had a difficult 2020, but for Suzanne Loesch, owner of <a href="https://www.mockingbirdpaperie.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.mockingbirdpaperie.com/">Mockingbird Paperie</a> in Ithaca, New York, her summer of 2019 featured a terrifying, headline-grabbing troll attack that plunged her life and business into a waking nightmare. It all began when a customer took a photograph of a few of Suzanne&#8217;s greeting card offerings, a series of <a href="https://saplingpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://saplingpress.com/">Sapling Press </a>letterpress cards designed to play on political humor. The customer posted the image along with her store&#8217;s information on a Pro-Trump Facebook page with 30,000 followers alongside with the admonition to &#8220;have at it.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IMG_9107-768x1024.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-10006610"/></figure>



<p>The nightmare unfolded as Suzanne dealt with a dizzying, constant series of demeaning insults and even death threats via text, phone and social media. That was followed by national news coverage that left her feeling that the narrative — her narrative — had been taken from her with zero accountability. Suzanne feared for her own and her staff&#8217;s safety, not to mention the future of the business she&#8217;d built for eight years. At one point both her Facebook and Instagram pages were taken down, but someone created a fake one just so people could attack her and her shop.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Trump-Cards-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10006599"/><figcaption><a href="https://saplingpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://saplingpress.com/">Sapling Press</a> cards</figcaption></figure>



<p>Fortunately, Suzanne also discovered the best in her community, as many — even those from across the aisle — supported Mockingbird Paperie in every sense of the word. She and her husband also made the conscious decision to respond to every last text and letter, no matter its tone, and learned a few things about both themselves and those they formerly considered adversaries. An unlikely friendship even emerged out of it, along with the realization of how much power lies in simply listening, and how much healing can arise from genuine connection. ;</p><div class="inline-post clearfix"><div class="see-also byline">See also</div><div id="block-wrap-15018" class="block-wrap-native block-wrap block-wrap-23 block-css-15018 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="15018" 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-9950 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-off-the-press tag-417-press tag-bright-blue-designs tag-correspondence tag-greeting-cards tag-grey-moggie-press tag-ladies-of-letterpress tag-letterpress tag-national-stationery-show tag-our-heiday tag-sarah-schwartz tag-sea-lake-paper-co tag-shortpockets tag-snail-mail tag-stationery tag-thank-you-stationery tag-the-paper-chronicles" style="--animation-order:0"><div class="preview-mini-wrap clearfix"><div class="mask"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/nss-mailers-part-4/" class="mask-img"><img width="100" height="100" src="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sea_and_lake_mailer-2-e1431434847871.jpeg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sea_and_lake_mailer-2-e1431434847871.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sea_and_lake_mailer-2-e1431434847871.jpeg?resize=200%2C200&;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sea_and_lake_mailer-2-e1431434847871.jpeg?resize=293%2C293&;ssl=1 293w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sea_and_lake_mailer-2-e1431434847871.jpeg?resize=75%2C75&;ssl=1 75w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sea_and_lake_mailer-2-e1431434847871.jpeg?resize=390%2C390&;ssl=1 390w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sea_and_lake_mailer-2-e1431434847871.jpeg?resize=24%2C24&;ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sea_and_lake_mailer-2-e1431434847871.jpeg?resize=48%2C48&;ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sea_and_lake_mailer-2-e1431434847871.jpeg?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/nss-mailers-part-4/">NSS Mailers, Part 4!</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="2015-05-12T12:59:44+00:00">May 12, 2015</time></span><span class="byline-part likes-count"><a href="#" class="tipi-like-count " data-pid="9950"><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>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/front-window-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10006603"/><figcaption>Suzanne in front of her First Amendment Window</figcaption></figure>



<p> ;I first wrote about this incident in the <a href="http://digital.stationerytrendsmag.com/i/1166229-fall-2019/31?">Fall 2019 issue of Stationery Trends</a>, but with the passage of the craziest year I can remember, I wanted to check in on Suzanne to see if and how the dust settled, and then how Mockingbird Paperie fared through the retail crisis of 2020. Have her feelings on CardGate changed with the passage of time? Suzanne also shares the incident&#8217;s unexpected benefits — and valuable advice for any business that finds itself in her shoes. ;</p>



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<p>Music Credits: “Your Treasure is Your Self”; written and performed by Sharon Glassman; Courtesy of Sharon Glassman/Smile Songs. <a href="http://smilesongs.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">smilesongs.com</a></p>

Suzanne Loesch of Mockingbird Paperie
