Big birthdays mean plenty of partying to mark the milestones at PG Live
When you’re in the greetings industry, what better place to celebrate a big birthday than among your peers – and that means at PG Live.
The grandaddy of those shouting about their milestones at the UK’s only specialist greeting card trade fair, which runs over Tuesday and Wednesday, 4-5 June, at London’s Business Design Centre, is Loxleys with an incredible 170 years.
Next up it’s Cardgains with its 35th anniversary, followed by three decades for Belly Button Designs, Dean Morris Cards and Talking Tables on n a quarter century, and 20 years for Dyson Design, Penny Kennedy and Laura Darrington Design while it’s 15 years at Rosanna Rossi and Stripey Cats, and hitting double figures are Dandelion Stationery, Sarah Kelleher, Louise Tiler Designs, Raspberry Blossom, Rush Design, and Tache.
Here we feature a few of the birthday boys and girls…
35th anniversary of…Cardgains, stand 441
MD Penny Shaw spills the beans on the buying group’s long service…
Potted history: “Following the success of Bridewell UK, Cardgains was established in 1989 catering specifically for independent greeting card and gift retailers. It’s gone from strength to strength with around 1,000 independent rooftops and now working with around 100 product and service suppliers of cards, gifts, party, wrap, home fragrance and much more.
“The buying group is unique in that it’s owned by hundreds of shareholders, both past and present trading members, who have received a healthy dividend each year. Members receive specially-negotiated preferential trading terms from our suppliers and also a retro bonus based on their turnover through the company, so it’s a win-win situation.”
Marking the milestone: “For our anniversary year we’ve waived our £100 joining fee for new members, which is another great incentive to join the group.
“For existing members who register with us on the stand at PG Live, there’s a free month’s management charge to be claimed.”
The next chapter: “While we’re a little late to the party, we are embracing social media, developing our website to enhance the visitor experience, be mobile compatible and user friendly.
“We’re also increasing our profile through exhibitions, shows, sponsorship and events and look forward to working with other industry bodies to progress further.
“We believe Cardgains has already developed substantially over the last 18 months, and we continue to consolidate, embrace change and development to take the buying group into the future.”
Above: Rachel Hare founded Belly Button Designs by accident
30th anniversary of…Belly Button Designs, stand 317
Rachel Hare, founder and creative director, explains how her happy accident came about…
Potted history: “Belly Button was started entirely by accident in 1994 – as a fine artist searching for a source of income I stumbled upon greeting cards as a way of creating small paintings stuck on to board that had been cut and scored by hand! It was funded by the amazing Prince’s Trust and a new business support grant from Manchester City Council.”
Next chapter: “I’m hoping to see more confidence come back into the market and for the industry to champion originality. This year will be full of a few surprises and we’ll be launching a brand-new card range at this year’s PG Live – showcasing our unique ability to reinvent ourselves.
10th anniversary of…Sarah Kelleher, stand 100
The lady herself tells all about her colourful eponymous brand…
Potted history: “I’ll be celebrating a whopping 10 years of trading this year at PG Live where I first showed my greeting cards in 2014. Deciding the best way to learn about the industry was to take a leap of faith and just go for it, I booked a small stand, simply stuck the cards I’d designed to the walls and offered visitors free sweets!
“So much was learned at that first show, everyone was happy to give me their advice on printing, pricing, card sizes, etc, and it was thrilling to take a few orders, I was hooked and have taken part in every PG Live since!”
Next chapter: “Today I’m just as excited about my business as I was 10 years ago, I love seeing my cards in shops all over the country and am still as thrilled when an order is placed by a new stockist, especially if they’re cello free. So. to celebrate and to be fair, I’d like to offer customers old and new a 10% discount at PG Live when you order your cards nested.”
20th anniversary of…Dyson Design, stand 116
Founder and designer Helen Dyson talks about her card business…
Potted history: “I began my career in advertising design and eventually set up my own studio. Every Christmas, I produced a greeting card to thank my clients. One year, a card featuring an image of snowdrops by my photographer friend Neil Robinson had a fantastic response. The card even won a paper industry award!
“Before long, I found myself at Spring Fair 2014 showing off my fledgling collection, Fabulous Flowers, which comprised just 18 cards.
“Fast forward a few years, and I sold the graphic design business to throw all my energies into the greeting card business with a collection that today numbers nearly 500 cards.”
Marking the milestone: “I’ve designed a special logo to mark the anniversary that’s in use online and in print, including on the company’s 20th anniversary catalogue – it will feature prominently on the stand at PG Live.
“As a thank you to loyal customers, we’re giving away free gifts with every order this year and, at PG Live, there will be a series of draws on the Dyson stand to win anniversary-themed prizes.”
Next chapter: Helen is passionate about the natural environment, and plans to develop the company’s strong eco credentials.
She’s looking forward to forging new relationships with customers, photographers and illustrators, and she added: “I hope we’ll have a stable economy over the next five years, and people continue to send greeting cards to express love, gratitude and friendship.”
10th anniversary of…Dandelion Stationery, stand 517
Looking back and forward with founder Jo Wilson…
Potted history: “Dandelion was started in 2014, after I was keen to escape a corporate career in hr where I’d been since I left uni. I had always had a creative side and was desperate to have a career that I enjoyed and was passionate about.
“In 2014/15 we secured our first customers outside Derbyshire – Jo Barber at No.14 Ampthill and Sean Austin at Austin & Co in Malvern, and the business continued to grow steadily ever since.
“After a series of location moves as we grew, we finally moved to our own dedicated premises in 2020, right in the middle of Covid. We now have a lovely little design studio combined with in-house warehouse facility. “
Marking the milestone: “We’ll be having a celebration in the office, but we’re using PG Live as our official 10th anniversary – we have a lucky dip in place for our customers and we’ll have some super show-exclusive offers for our customers to take advantage of.”
Next chapter: “The last few years have been a roller coaster and I’m thankful we’re still here working in a business and industry that we love! We have new stuff in the pipeline that we think our customers will love, and we’d love to entice some new customers on board.”
170th anniversary of…Loxleys, first night drinks party sponsor
MD Tony Lorriman reveals the greeting card print specialist’s lengthy history…
Potted history: “Having been established in 1854 by brothers Edward and William Loxley as a stationery shop and bookbinders in the centre of Sheffield with a printing press in the back room, the business moved to its current premises in Kiln Street in 1920 – which was originally built as a Victorian roller skating rink!
“Loxleys printed its first greeting card in 1980 and 20 years later transitioned into a specialist manufacturer, focusing solely on cards and withdrawing from all other markets – now producing over 100million cards a year.
“In 2022 a management buyout was completed by myself and three members of the Loxleys management team, production director Gary McCrorie, pre-production director Paul Brookes, and operations director Gary Anderson, dividing Loxleys from The Sherwood Press.”
Marking the milestone: “Loxleys has kicked off its 170th year on a high note, hosting a GCA Local event in collaboration with Wendy Jones-Blackett and generating £340 for a local arts charity through our 2024 customer survey.
“Continuing the celebrations, we’re proud to be sponsoring the Tuesday night drinks party at PG Live, where we’ll be sharing a toast to this significant milestone with our industry peers.
“Throughout the year we’ll be keeping the celebrations rolling, with both our staff team and customers. We have a few exciting projects in the works behind the scenes – which we’re keeping tightly under wraps for now!”
Next chapter: “As the current custodians of Loxleys, safeguarding the company’s future is paramount to us. With 170 years of trading already in the bag, we believe it’s imperative we guarantee the company goes beyond our ownership and is in good health to be passed on to the next generation.
“We will maintain this through strategic investments in our machinery, infrastructure, and most importantly, our workforce. We aim to reinforce Loxleys’ position as a leader in the greeting card industry with a culture of innovation and excellence.
“In 30 years, when Loxleys celebrates its 200th anniversary, it will be fantastic to look back and say we contributed to that!”
