If you can’t already tell, I found my Summer New York market experience to be more than a little magical. Thus I’m sad to reach the end of my Shoppe Object coverage. Fear not, however, there was no shortage of glorious discoveries as this long post attests!
This upbeat Michigan maker brought bottomless good vibes to its show debut — and I would expect nothing less from this amazing team of women, led by the incomparable Lindsay Henry. Stickers, scratch-offs and plenty of colorful, dimensional creations deliver on this brand’s mission to connect, surprise and delight. (Personally, I got so caught up in it all that dynamic glee, I forgot to take any pics — these lovely shots come courtesy of Miz Henry!)
I have always loved Kim’s cool and clean minimalism, she has now implemented quite a bit of color, with predictably spectacular, impactful results. Check out the new desk pads in the bottom pic — these are a true joy to carefully keep track of it all, and then cross it all out!
What can I say about this pithy Pittsburgh brand that I haven’t already? I wish I was as brilliant as their copy consistently is, and I am so grateful Lisa and team let me stand around laughing and taking pictures.
That first shot is my unofficial Shoppe Object self-portrait, then I have some recently released gifts, followed by a few favorite letterpress selections. I think those Zodiac cards may be the most honest astrology offerings I have seen, and I say this as a proud Leo/Virgo blend (along with all that both signs apparently entail!).
To me, this brand is endlessly meticulous — in both its approach to creating clean, functional desk and office product as well as its perfectly registered letterpress designs. While the idea of tye-dye letterpress is brilliant, actually executing it so effortlessly and perfectly is quite the technical feat. Meanwhile that sweet little strawberry pattern looks as though it just jumped off your mother’s childhood wallpaper or maybe a smocked frock. It’s no surprise that Rosanna + company’s booth is consistently jammed no matter where they are exhibiting.
Showcase Japan
If American maximalism feels a bit much, look to the Land of the Rising Sun. These Japanese brands are a proverbial breath of fresh air!
This bright, upbeat glassware feels like it should be at the start of any good new day.
This fourth-generation family operation was founded in Takashima-gun, Shiga Prefecture in 1914. “The attitude of making the best use of nature’s bounty has taken root as a business that has not changed even after more than 100 years since its establishment,” reads its site, and these practices infuse its offerings with a sense of eternal beauty and strength.
There is more to these hand-finished brushes than meets the eye. They fuse traditional Kumano craftsmanship with modern design, and infuse the everyday with a simple elegance, just like every last favorite item I own.
If fabulous, luxurious ribbons — to say nothing of all their wonderful accoutrements — are your thing, you can’t do any better than this Massachusetts house of design, founded by Angela Liguori in 2004. Originally from Rome, Angela conceptualizes, designs and sources high-quality custom ribbon, products and accessories made exclusively in Italy using materials and practices that date back to the 19th century. The only downside here is that everything else looks eternally ordinary by comparison.
MT Masking Tape is another Japanese design obsession of mine, and it has a great backstory. Kamoi Kakoshi in Japan had been making specialty paper adhesives for almost 100 years. In 2006, the company received an email from three women in Tokyo who were using their industrial tapes in craft projects. Kamoi Kakoshi invited the women to visit, which inspired the development of an entirely new and original category of tape: MT brand washi tape. This colorful tape is renowned for its ability to be easily torn and repositioned on nearly any surface.
There’s no shortage of great washi tapes out there, but these are my favorite and I have several fiercely guarded rolls in my desk. They come in several sizes and configurations but I prefer the traditional singles as I’ve shown here. I match them to the stamp I select for the ultimate in polished, pretty envelopes!
If you love British design, to say nothing of color and organic form, then sit back and enjoy The Completist. It was founded in January 2018 by husband and wife duo Marko and Jana, who run it from their studio in Peckham, London.
Inspired by art, fashion and history and united by their love of good design, The Completist stands alone thanks to its distinctive approach — there is no one that looks quite like this! And everything is green too, all paper goods are made from FSC certified paper and come in biodegradable film bags. Marko and Jana definitely bring a lot of visual excitement to the American stationery marketplace.
It’s always a joy to experience this LA brand by Katie Wilson in person. It’s a zany, wild trip in which the good vibes are infectious in the very best possible way. (One can only wonder what the Bad Twin is up to?) Keychains, stickers, cards … it’s all definitely my kind of weird!
At the heart of this Washington, DC-based biz is a love of food and how it brings people together. Tea towels, sponge cloths, tote bags and stationery are a culinary, colorful celebration of tantalizing taste. This is all pretty hot stuff!
It is hard to transmit the dimensional artistry contained in every palm-sized UWP card into a post, so suffice to say each offering is a little treasure to discover. That bingo card comes complete with chips — dare I say there’s a winner every time? I featured it in the most recent issue of Stationery Trends with good reason.
Meanwhile, that ‘let the good times roll’ card may or may not have been inspired by the shirt of its company president George White (who is also Past President of the GCA) — you can decide for yourself!
It’s fitting that this is my last Shoppe Object booth visit — there’s something eternally lovable and nutty about this funky San Francisco brand founded by Christine Schmidt. For me it somehow all crystallizes in this video of a magenta-haired tween spinning a four-layer cake covered with jewelry.
Offerings include an exhaustive jewelry stash, gift socks to make the proverbial jaw drop, lots and lots of yummy risograph cards, and the only award ribbons I care to earn from here on out.
Like I said way up above, I’m a little sad to be done covering it all — but I just reserved my hotel room for the January Atlanta Market and registered for February NY NOW, so it’ll all be happening again before you know it.
If you haven’t yet registered for Shoppe Object, do so here. The winter edition runs February 5-7, 2023 at Pier 36 — I hope to see you there!
