We recently returned from the 2015 National Stationery Show, where we had the opportunity to meet with new and existing Bella Figura retailers. We shared a new booth space with our sister company, Smock, and created some new displays to make it easier for retailers to shop our collection. Before the show started, we sent out a mailer to announce our new space and our show specials. Based on our Lucaya design, the announcement mailer was double-sided, with an art print on the front and info on the back. The piece was sent out alongside Smock’s monochromatic, art print style mailers with one of Smock’s new foil stamped envelope liners. 

Well before the show started, we began brainstorming ways to make it easier to browse our vast collection. The Stationery Show is a great opportunity for our retailers to update their materials (and for new retailers to select theirs), so we created a special display that we dubbed a “Belladex”. Similar in style to a rolodex, our Belladexes showcased our invitations on hinges, making it easy to flip through and view our designs. We worked with a local vendor to create the handsome, handcrafted wooden boxes, and Debi Zeinert hand calligraphed the hinges with each design’s name. After the hinges were calligraphed, we adhered the invitations and then slid them onto dowels that rested inside of each box. We were thrilled with the end result! Here’s a peek at our booth (and our Belladexes) during set-up: 

After setup was complete, the booth looked like this: 

A closeup of our Belladexes, complete with hand calligraphed hinges. 

In total, we brought 5 Belladexes, which featured roughly 265 of our best designs. 

One of the most exciting parts of the National Stationery Show was winning our first Louie Award! The Louie’s represent the best greeting cards and stationery in the business, so it was an honor to have our Elodie design by Jessica Tierney recognized this year. 

Another exciting part of the National Stationery Show is Paper Party! Here’s a peek at the invitations that we created with Moglea for the event (view the full post here), and be sure to check out Smock’s Paper Party recap!

Many thanks to the press and retailers who came by to see us at the National Stationery Show! Until next year!