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PG asked a selection of card retailers for their ‘hot’ card sellers. Angela Cooper and Sarah Marshall, partners of The Dotty House, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear A small contemporary shop, in a historic town, with a loyal locals customer base. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Cute
Rosanna Rossi
Sweet Little Things
Humour
U Studio
Al Murphy
U Studio
Let Rip
Poet and Painter
General
Photographic
U Studio
1000 Words
Art
I Drew This
Landscapes
Contemporary
Claire Giles
Pom Pom
Caroline Gardner Stephanie Dyment The Dotty House Personalised Cards Paper Salad James Ellis
Abracadabra Sweet Rose General
They really are very cute designs of mostly dogs. The pooches are not specific breeds so they have wide appeal, and the cards have touches of sparkly finishes. Hilarious contemporary cartoon illustrations. Collaged designs that are a bit cheeky. The simple rhymes on the front of the cards are a little cheeky but not rude. Customers point and laugh at the cards and then buy them! We stock the North-East icons, such as Bamburgh Castle, The Angel of the North (which is close by) and The Theatre Royal. The designs are bright, contemporary and a little different. Bright and cheerful designs topped off with cute little pom-poms. Concertinaed cards that when unfurled reveal a lovely message. Really girlie cards using patterned papers to create the image. We design our own cards and offer to personalise them for customers. Eye-catchingly bright and very cute! Funky and a bit different glitter designs.
Above: A gorgeous rhyme design from Poet and Painter. Right: Claire Giles’ Pom Pom range is fresh, fun and topped off with tiny pom-poms.
Handmade/ Hand-Finished Children’s
General Shakies
Amy Warburton, sales assistant for Cardtalk, Ramsbottom, Lancashire A small shop, in a market town, with a loyal locals and destination shoppers customer base. Category
Name of Publisher
Product/Name Range
Comments
Everyday
UK Greetings
Across The Board
Nigel Quiney
Pizazz (open birthdays)
Woodmansterne Redback Cards Rosie Made A Thing Abacus Paperlink Wendy Jones-Blackett Jonny Javelin
Genius Good Things Across The Board Springwatch and Countryfile Mimosa Quicksilver General
The publisher’s collection of ranges is so huge - from contemporary to traditional - you just can’t go wrong! Ladies come in the shop and buy six or more designs at a time, partly because of all the cards’ detailing and finishes for such a good price. ‘Genius’ appeals to all the teachers in the area, and the other ranges are just daft and tickle people.
IC&G Amy Louise Design
General Posy
Right: A Good Things design from Redback.
Humour
Photographic Contemporary Traditional
Handmade/ Hand-Finished
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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
With the town surrounded by countryside, these nature-inspired designs are popular and are easy sends as blank inside. Simple, pared back foiled words on a nice crisp white board. The small size cards are cute and the foil finishes are beautiful. Customers bring handfuls to the counter each time, and some people know the company name and ask specifically for them. The appeal is that there are so many unusual captions. Delicate floral designs in pastel colours, recently expanded to cover minor occasions too. They are locally made (by me!) and so the customers know the artist.