Cake and candles aplenty as milestones are marked at PG Live
Birthday cards are the biggest sellers in greetings so what better place for industry folk to mark a major milestone than among their cardie mates.
And, with PG Live opening its doors on Tuesday and Wednesday, 4-5 June, London’s Business Design Centre is the place to be for publishers celebrating big birthdays where there will be plenty of cake and candles.
Hitting double figures are Dandelion Stationery, Sarah Kelleher, Louise Tiler Designs, Raspberry Blossom, Rush Design, and Tache, while Rosanna Rossi and Stripey Cats are each 15 years old.
There are two decades under the belts of Laura Darrington Design, Dyson Design, and Penny Kennedy; The Bright Agency comes of age at 21, as Dean Morris Cards, the naughty boy of the pack, hits 25 years, and Belly Button Designs has made the big 3-0.
Meanwhile, buying group Cardgains is marking its 35th anniversary, and Loxleys outstrips them all with an amazing 170th celebration.
Here we feature a few more of the birthday boys and girls…
10th anniversary of…Rush Design, stand 121
Lorraine Bradley, founder and creative maestro tells her tale…
Potted history: “Following several life-changing events, including beating breast cancer, I felt it was time for me to step back from the more corporate world.
“My mother was a fashion designer so, from understanding the business side, it was time to channel her creativity. While on holiday in 2013, shop owner friends asked ‘what are you going to do next’ to which I replied ‘I’m going to start designing greeting cards’! And Rush Design was born in March 2014 from the kitchen table and spare bedroom.”
Marking the milestone: “The main plan for the year is lots of newness. We’ve already completed Watermelon, a brand-new mini card range, a 2024 Christmas collection, a new wedding and anniversary range, a medium card-size launched, plus additions to several existing ranges. And we’ll definitely be making something of the 10th anniversary at PG Live this year.”
The next chapter: “We are most happy with steady and sustainable growth, always listening to our customers and continually evolving. It would be amazing to win a Henries award at some point too!”
25th anniversary of…Dean Morris Cards, stand 312
Dean looks back at the company’s quarter century…
Potted history: “I started Dean Morris Cards in 1999 with the help of the Prince’s Trust and an EU-funded designers’ start-up programme based in Wolverhampton.
“The previous year I’d walked round Paperchase looking at all the fancy papers and, in a moment of uncharacteristic confidence, had the idea of starting my own greeting card company, especially as since childhood I always customised and illustrated shop-bought cards and envelopes for my family.
“My first standalone trade show, at Top Drawer 2000, introduced me to a larger audience and a big order from Paperchase later that year meant I could quit my part-time job working in a building society and push forward with the business.
“Dean Morris Cards now has lots of very loyal customers – a couple still from 1999 – in the UK, Europe and worldwide.”
The next chapter: “I don’t set huge goals as I’m just happy that I’m still doing this after 25 years. I’m happy to continue to make people laugh, make some decent money doing it, and have my eye on retirement!”
15th anniversary of…Rosanna Rossi, stand 520
Anna Nelson, co-founder of the company, shares her memories…
Potted history: “With both fine art and a textile design background, my mother Filippa and I joined forces to create Rosanna Rossi in 2009. After spending the Summer putting together capsule greeting card collections, we took the plunge and exhibited at our first ever trade show at Top Drawer Autumn.
“We spent the first few years head deep in designing, navigating our way and the house was slowly becoming overwhelmed with cards! In 2012 we finally moved to an office which allowed us to grow.
“In 2015 my husband Troy joined the business which took away the stressful job of admin and the never-ending paperwork. Thankfully he loves spreadsheets!
“We spent a few years in Australia. Moving abroad really improved my creative thinking ability and we returned to the UK feeling more fired-up to take the next step business wise.
“In 2017 we moved into a larger office space nestled in the Cotswolds and knuckled down building strong relationships with both UK and international customers, and we continue to cherish those relationships we have with all of our customers.”
Marking the milestone: “It’s a privilege to reach any milestones, so let’s celebrate it! We’re launching a milestone age birthday collection entitled Decade which is a little nod to our past.”
The next chapter: “Our ethos has always stayed the same since day one, to create designs that bring joy to people’s lives. A little piece of happiness on a card to lift spirits, send love, say thanks and connect in a way that is personable and thoughtful.
“We will continue doing just this for as long as we can. We are hugely grateful for all the support we’ve had along the way from our agents, customers, suppliers and everyone in between!”
10th anniversary of…Louise Tiler Designs, stand 133
Louise Tiler, co-founder and creative director, shares some of the highlights…
Potted history: “While studying at Leeds College of Art, I started freelancing in greeting cards. Working in the industry gave me a real insight and I was really inspired to continue in the creative design world.
“I was delighted to win an award at the New Designers show in my graduating year and also clinch the top prize at Surtex in New York, while finishing the last weeks of my degree course. These awards encouraged me to launch Louise Tiler Designs the following year, debuting at PG Live 2014 with around 60 cards, and things just took off from there.
“We were soon taking orders from all over the world so I quickly outgrew my home office and conservatory, and moved into a small one-room location in Baildon Mills. In those early days, taking delivery of stock meant we had to create walls of stock boxes.
“We ended up having to build a platform for my desk which made working there slightly challenging, and the desk got ever higher as more boxes of cards arrived as the orders increased!
“Our evolution has also led to some exciting opportunities in licensing and collaborations with other companies including licensing our designs on to gift packaging with Penny Kennedy, and we’re now supplying so many lovely retailers and distributors in over 20 countries.”
Marking the milestone: “I’m sure we’ll have some bubbles at PG Live to celebrate!”
The next chapter: “We aim to continue to bring customers beautiful, hand-drawn greeting cards and look to new opportunities to grow as a brand in new product areas. We’ll also be going live with a brand-new website, redesigned from the ground up.”
10th anniversary of…Raspberry Blossom, stand 207
Founder Rebecca Green celebrates a decade of making memories…
Potted history: “I’ve always wanted to run my own design business, I’d grown up with my parents running a jewellery design and manufacturing business so, after leaving university, I bought the domain name Raspberry Blossom.com with the intention of setting up a company one day.
“Fast forward 10 years of working in London in marketing agencies, about to turn 30 and settling down with my now-husband Mark, I thought if I didn’t set up a company then when would I?
“I’ve always loved stationery and greeting cards – I have a memory box from when I was a child and inside are greeting cards from special moments in my life. They have such meaningful messages and are written by my friends and loved ones.
“After 10 years in the marketing industry working for clients, I wanted to express myself as a designer and create products that I love. With my passion for greeting cards, and recognising they’re a great medium for artists and designers to be so creative, each one a little piece of art, it felt like the perfect fit for me. So, in 2014 we launched Raspberry Blossom – the home of joyfulness!”
Marking the milestone: “We’re inviting our customers to celebrate our 10th birthday with cakes and bubbles at our trade shows this year. We’re also featuring a tombola where, if you place an order at the show, you get to spin and pick a coloured ball, which will be a number of free cards on top of what you’ve just ordered. There’s a ball which has 30 free cards too!
“Our licensing partner Widdop And Co has launched the everyday home and giftware collection, with more to follow, and Penny Kennedy is our new licensing partner for giftwrappings.
“This year we’re forcing ourselves to have some time off to simply clear our heads and acknowledge what we’ve achieved in the past 10 years and what we want the future to look like for Raspberry Blossom. Oh, and eating lots of cake!”
The next chapter: “While our vision is as exciting as it is broad, we know the next chapter will bring more in the way of product diversification, building a strong inspired team in Leamington Spa, bringing a more balanced life with our family and business and have fun every step of the way.”
10th anniversary of…Tache, stand 127
Co-founder Pennie Bryant reveals more about the publisher’s different looks…
Potted history: “My partner Frankie Nicholls and I often find ourselves awestruck – a decade? It feels like only yesterday that we sent PG our handmade fox card.
“Perhaps the biggest stride was making our entire range of greeting cards fully recyclable. This move wasn’t just good for the environment, it felt right, echoing our commitment to the planet.
“Within just half a year of starting up, we found ourselves in John Lewis, a milestone that marked our entry into the world of premium retail. Now, we’re creating exclusive gift and stationery collections with them.
“We set up a complete operation in the UK, handling design, manufacturing, and fulfilment. By 2017, we’d moved into our first dedicated premises and, a few years later, we hit a major sales milestone by selling over a million handmade cards in a year.
“We now have 16 employees and a family of 45 remote workers who are central to our operations, and we’ve formed incredible partnerships and licensing deals with well-known brands like Smiley, Movember, Unilever, Heinz and Elmer.”
Marking the milestone: “We’re hoping to celebrate our 10th anniversary in style, with a big colourful Tache party.”
The next chapter: “Tache aims to continue forging dynamic partnerships and licensing agreements, with the dream of collaborating with Disney.”
