27_29_30-33_GF.qxp_Grid 04/07/2023 12:30 Page 1
VIEWPOINTS
Positive
Vibes
Below: Boofle was happy to be at PG Live too, especially like the show, it was his 15th birthday too.
Mix together thousands of fabulous new designs, an incredible bunch of talented people, a host of passionate retailers, lots of super engaged overseas distributors, a sprinkling of committed trade suppliers and a mega happy feeling of being together and what do you get? Progressive Greetings Live 2023, that’s what! PG caught up with a selection of retailers who were only too happy to share some of their top picks from the show.
Caroline Ranwell
John Procter
owner of Hugs & Kisses, Tettenhall
co-founder of Scribbler
“What an amazing show, I believe it was the best one yet. I loved it and wouldn’t have missed it for the world! There was even more of a buzz than ever this year. It was full of fabulous people, fantastic product, everyone just seemed so happy and so enthusiastic - there was a huge feeling of camaraderie. It was just like visiting lots of lovely friends and really not like work at all! Oh… and a huge bonus was getting up close to Laurence LlewelynBowen, he was great!” Stand outs: “I placed order with existing suppliers Wendy JonesBlackett, Rush Design, Paper Salad and Five Dollar Shake, who all had lots of great new product. I also placed orders with Raspberry Blossom, Paper Shed and Ohh Deer who are all new suppliers for me, all very different product, but really lovely ranges. I loved Raspberry Blossom’s colourful and retro style designs and also liked the range of matching gifts from Widdop too. Paper Shed Design’s gorgeous watercolours of cute animals are beautiful and I think they will sell really well. I ordered a lot of Cath Kidston cards from Ohh Deer which are really pretty and I know my customers will love them. I actually ran out of time as I walked the hall first and then planned to go back to order, so I came back with a list of orders to place with Sarah Kelleher, White Cotton Cards, Kali Stileman, Citrus Bunn and Smiling Faces.”
“PG Live is essential for our industry - and it always has been as it is so focused on cards; fabulous cards from so many great publishers. The opportunity of seeing everyone, bringing everyone together from all sides of the greeting card industry family makes it unique. We really loved it this year, both as an exhibitor and as a retailer.” Stand outs: “On the Village Green we thought Oh Squirrel and Stormy Knight stood out, while up in the Springboard area, we really liked Hutch Cassidy as the designs were so impactful with a great sense of colour. Sylvia Prince was also impressive, such a comprehensive range with great appeal. Dinosaurs Doing Stuff was a lot of fun; Katie Tinkler Illustration had some lovely designs, while Battered Cards and Letterbox Lane also stood out. It was also good to see so many strong refreshes and new ranges from the more established brands. We loved Redback Cards’ MOJI range, Caroline Gardner’s new mini pom poms range, all of Pigment’s new ranges and we agreed Five Dollar Shake’s collection was on top form.” Above: Scribbler’s John and (right) Jennie Procter with PG’s Jakki Brown. Below: Sylvia Prince on her stand.
Above: Caroline Ranwell (left) of Hugs & Kisses with Raspberry Blossom founder and creative star, Rebecca Green at the show. Right: Paper Shed’s cute animal designs scored with Caroline. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 27