Garden centre and publisher collaborate on new greeting card and stationery department
From little seeds, big ideas not only germinate, but breathe new life and that’s certainly what’s happened where Yarnton Home & Garden and greetings publisher and stationery company Ohh Deer are concerned.
The culmination is there for all to see in a stunning brand-new 800sq ft design-led greeting card and stationery department which forms part of the impressive revitalisation of the Oxfordshire garden centre emporium.
Greeting cards have long been a part of Yarnton Home & Garden’s offer – it previously had more traditional selection in the plants section as well as a bijou design-led area but now a new department, which is four time larger than its previous greetings footprint has been created as part of the centre’s strategy to really champion the product areas,
“I’ve always loved Ohh Deer’s products as well as how it goes about things, and felt that the vibe of its trade show stands would work well at Yarnton,” explained Celia Leeson-Cox, who is not only its head of creative, but has a deep passion for and experience of greeting cards, including owning her own card shops for 15 years.
While Ohh Deer branding does feature on the wooden fixtures, the product selection spans a variety of card publishers, stationery companies and giftwrap brands.
PG Buzz was lucky enough to be there when the Ohh Deer team and its fixturing maestro Piyush Prince of Mayhees Ways saw the department for the first time a few days ago.
“It looks amazing,” exclaimed Mark Callaby, who co-owns the business with his partner Jamie Mitchell. “We have supplied several retailers with our wooden fixtures, but having the opportunity to create a whole department could be a taste of things to come!”
Adding his delight, Jamie said: “I absolutely love it. It exudes the whole spirit of Ohh Deer.”
A full story will appear in the May edition of Progressive Greetings.
