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April 14, 2010 •
Introducing the Publisher’s Advisory Board
Several vendors, NSS manager to aid Stationery trends’ staff.
In our winter issue, we introduced our readers to our Editorial Advisory Board — six retailers and the proprietress of a major Atlanta stationery showroom. Our Publisher’s Advisory Board comes from the other side of the coin — that is, those designers and manufacturers who generate the product to fill store shelves. In addition, the inclusion of Patti Stracher, show manager, National Stationery Show (NSS), ensures a vital link to the only show of its kind.
The idea behind this board, just like our other one, is that they will share their insights with our magazine staff in order to ensure that our publication continues to stay in step with an ever-shifting marketplace. And with so many knowledgeable industry icons filling this board, it’s easy to see this won’t be hard for them to accomplish!
Uniting her love of fine printing, typography, and the written word, graphic designer Trish Kinsella launched Dauphine Press, a custom letterpress print studio in Sonoma County, Calif., in 1999. Offering exquisitely crafted custom invitations and stationery, Dauphine Press has grown to be one of the largest and most respected letterpress print shops in the country. Each commission is expertly designed and painstakingly printed in-house on restored vintage presses.
Dauphine Press has a longstanding commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices and has been certified as a (San Francisco) Bay Area Green Business. Trish also spends one day a week visiting stores and to hear from store owners what trends they are seeing, what their customers are asking for, what’s missing in the marketplace and what is working well in their market.
At age 15, Whitney Kolb began a life-long love affair with paper and interior design at a stationery and gift store in her hometown of Oklahoma City. The two passions, combined with her love of antique prints and textiles, fused in 2002 to create a unique marketplace niche for Whitney English LLC. In 2006, Whitney English acquired Hicks Paper Goods, adding a modern stationery element to their offerings. Whitney and her husband, David, split their time between Oklahoma City and Dallas.
Expecting her first son and longing for a new creative outlet, Annabelle Stefanski traded in her position in the fast-paced corporate world to do something she enjoyed and felt passionately about. In August 2000 she founded Annabelle’s Creations, offering handcrafted birth announcements, children’s stationery and digital photo cards. Now living in a suburb of New York City, Annabelle is married, has two boys, Daniel (7) and Kevin (6), and serves as co-president of the Invitation & Stationery Alliance (ISA).
Chris-Anna Sterling and Wendy Solganik are co-founders of Luscious Verde. Chris is a former English teacher and health food store manager. Wendy Solganik is a former potter with a law degree. They had their first children three days and 3,000 miles apart. When Wendy relocated to Cleveland the two met in a play group. Stay-at-home moms in search of who they were outside of being mothers, they decided to meld Chris’ business savvy with Wendy’s design obsession. Today, they successfully balance the demands of motherhood with a successful multi-million dollar business.
Patti Stracher has worked in the social stationery industry for nearly 25 years, first as director of communications for the Greeting Card Association (GCA). In this role, she handled membership development, media relations and conference and event planning. Patti’s been managing the NSS for 15 years, currently on her 16th. A true industry advocate, she is regularly quoted in the consumer and trade press on industry issues, and travels the country and overseas promoting the industry and the show to key buyers, press and manufacturers in numerous sectors of trade. Patti is a longstanding member and supporter of numerous industry groups including the GCA and ISA.
She finds that raising two teenage girls entails never a dull moment — “a joy and a big challenge in one!” She also loves to cycle, is a big movie buff and enjoys visiting art museums. The ocean is where Patti finds her peace, and she looks forward to raucous meals with great family and friends.
Born and raised in England, Paul R. Wainman graduated from Sheffield City University with an honors degree in accounting and business. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant (CPA equivalent) with KPMG before working for a greeting card manufacturer and gift mail order company in Yorkshire, England. In total, Paul has worked in the greeting card and stationery industry for 15 years with experience in both the value and luxury ends of the market.
For the last four years he has been president of William Arthur. Paul moved to the U.S. in 1994, first (in his words) following the pilgrims by living in Plymouth, Mass., for 10 years before moving to Maine in 2005. He now lives in Kennebunkport with his wife and two young children. S
