Features

The 2025 winter holiday shopping season was unprecedented with November and December retail sales surpassing $1 trillion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). NRF’s Retail Monitor indicated that total holiday sales grew between 3.7% and 4.2% over 2024. To better understand how those numbers played out in the indie stationery community, eight sensational shops across the country shared their wins — and plans for the 2026 holiday season.

PONDER PERSPECTIVE

1. What’s Inside Counts. Pei Sim, owner and founder of The Paper + Craft Pantry in Austin, Texas, stocked bestsellers and favorites from previous years to speak to the more intentional shopping she’s noticed and to foster community during the hustle and bustle of the season. “I love staying true to the integrity of stocking our shop with products and goods from brands that align with my values. This also extends to the products being goods that I personally use and would gift!”

2. Build an Ecosystem. Ann Cantrell, owner and founder of Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store in Brooklyn, New York, had a record-breaking 2025 — but her clientele’s the real star. “Our community is along for our journey on Instagram — one of our most popular reels featured a team member putting out our holiday ornaments sped up on high speed — [making us] top of mind for gift giving and also a place to connect as a community [at our many] events! A strong Open House, held the first Thursday in November, helped us get on strong footing and [see what] we should reorder. Our shoppable windows continue to be important, but this past year we spread goodness around so people found surprise and delight in all corners of the shop.” Everywhere the eye looked within Austin’s The Paper + Craft Pantry last December, there was holiday wonder to be found!

3. Keep It Simple. “The biggest shift we’re seeing is that customers don’t just want more options and deals,” emphasized Jennifer Luna, owner and CEO of Paper Luxe Stationery & Gifts, with locations in Fircrest and Gig Harbor, Washington, who also just enjoyed her strongest holiday season to date. “They want more quiet confidence. Our role during the holidays is to simplify, gently guide and help them feel really good about what they’re giving. When we get that right, it’s not just a successful season, but lasting relationships well beyond the holidays.”

4. Family Matters. Melinda Morris, owner and creative director of Arni Paperie, found 2025 a challenging year overall, including the holiday season. “We saw sales focus more on group or family gifts — puzzles, games and keepsake albums. Books, journals, cookbooks and candles are always strong; customers are still willing to invest in pieces that feel special. Meanwhile, holiday crackers and early-bird discounts for custom cards weren’t as much of a draw as in the past. We also saw less interest in hyper-local boxed cards.”

5. Back to Basics. “For some shoppers, the art of giving a thoughtful gift has been pushed aside, but we’re hoping to bring back that element of thinking through the process of giving,” explained Kandice Matsler, creative in charge at Barque in Lubbock, Texas. “We want our customers to feel like they’re gifting something meaningful, not just impressive. This year already feels chaotic and stressful, so we’re planning to focus on the theme of ‘Comfort & Joy,’ embracing the simple joy of connection and focusing on experiences over just stuff. Of course we’re in retail, so we will sell plenty of stuff, but our goal is to curate gifts that encourage interaction and making memories together. Gift sets sell really well, so putting together games with snacks or cookie mix with cookie cutters and toppings, or hot cocoa supplies with mugs make sense.”

SET THE STAGE

6. Early Merchandising, Late Shopping. While Jill Alyn, owner/inkstress of Wordshop Paperie in Denver, also started her “Christmasfying” of the store earlier — as in pre-Halloween — her rather condensed selling season occurred Dec. 15-30. “I was shfitzing [that’s Yiddish for sweating!], waiting for peeps to decide to shop. Now, once they started shopping, it was on!” Slow Your Roll. Luna explained that starting in October, Paper Luxe introduced holiday themes each week, with the full assortment set by its holiday open house Nov. 1. “Customers responded, shopping earlier than ever, providing valuable insight into what brands and categories would resonate most. We made early season reorders based on those sales. Offering one theme at a time may not have the same wow-factor as an overnight transformation, but it allows our customers (and team!) to ease into the holiday season without overwhelm. It also gives customers a reason to return each week for first access to new releases.”

8. Build a Calendar. Every other week, Barque held an event, creating a whirlwind season with sales ending on an all-time high, Matsler said. “We kicked off with an online VIP Shopping Holiday Preview, so ticketed shoppers could get first dibs on new merchandise before it was available in the store. After that, we hosted several in-person events: Holiday Open House, Pink Friday Shopping Day, Jingle Ladies Night event, Muffins and Mimosas morning gathering, Small Business Saturday Cocoa Crawl and our Annual Procrastinator’s Party.”

9. Contemplate the Corporate. “Avenue Wrapping in Memphis, Tennessee, is unique in that it has two different components; a professional gift wrapping service and a retail portion,” noted proprietress Vanessa West. “We closed out 2025 with a whopping 43% increase over 2024 predominantly from corporate clients.”

MERCHANDISE THE MAGIC

10. Drop It! Jade Urash, owner and creative visionary at Chirps and Cheers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, rethought and reworked her drop- off giftwrapping services ahead of time, enabling her to hit her sales goals, mostly keep her sanity, and even enjoy the season somewhat. “We standardized our sizes, ribbon, wrap, etc., which was a bit of work in the summertime, but paid off during the holiday season.”

11. Make a List. Just as Oprah released her Favorite Things, so did Matsler. “It was a wonderful reference to share favorite gift items. In fact, it was so helpful during the holidays, we’ve continued the list, updating it with new ‘favorites’ monthly. We realized some customers need a little more inspiration — and some just need confirmation that their gift idea is a good one.”

12. Blend Trend and Tradition. Luna saw a significant boost in foot traffic and new customers with trending gift items like Jellycat and Sonny Angel — presented with her venue’s signature panache. “These products created excitement and discovery, but it was the in-store experience that turned those visits into meaningful connections and sales.”

INCENTIVES FOR DAYS

13. Print Your Own Money. For every $100 a customer spent at Barque’s Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, they received a $20 Barque Buck coupon to use like cash in 2026, Matsler detailed. “We love an offering that rewards customers for shopping with us for their holiday, but also brings them back afterward. Several treated themselves to an item they had been eyeing and didn’t receive, or [made] a splurge.”

14. Consider Custom. To hit the $50 mark with every sale, Annie’s Blue Ribbon collaborated with Inklings Paperie on a scratch-off card that revealed a little (or big) treat. “It was definitely fun and successful from an engagement perspective, and I highly recommend working with Inklings Paperie.”

15. Selective Sales. “Value is especially top of mind for many customers during the holiday season,” Luna underscored. “While we don’t rely on deep discounting, a favorite newer tradition is offering ‘a 25% off your entire order’ coupon to those who line up outside our stores by 9 a.m. on Small Business Saturday (SBS). This generates excitement, builds community and drives strong traffic on a day that’s lost much of its momentum. More importantly, it’s our way of showing appreciation and meeting budget-conscious customers half-way, while still creating a welcoming in-store experience.

16. Partner Promotions. Matsler coordinated a Cocoa Crawl with four of her shopping center neighbors. “We designed custom paper cups, napkins and punch cards, then, on SBS, each shop offered a hot cocoa bar, exclusive discounts and a ‘punch’ through their logo on the provided card. Once all marked, they could enter to win a gift card from each business. It was fun to see familiar faces and meet new folks that might have previously shopped with one of our neighbors. Everyone involved was enthusiastic, and it felt good to band together as small businesses.”

FUTURE FORECASTING

17. Think Winter. As Cantrell brainstorms her fourth quarter and recalls the cold winter NYC finally had last year, she is considering leaning more into the season as opposed to themed merchandise. “Products have more ‘legs’ this way and can be used, displayed and bought way past December.”

18. Engage an Experience. Matsler is currently contemplating how to truly entertain her community. “We’re toying with the idea of an interactive game or game night, like Holiday Bingo or a Scavenger Hunt. We’d like an event that’s more community focused than just shopping.”

19. Think Value, Not Volume. “Customers are shopping more intentionally, and they’re drawn to items that feel meaningful and well made,” pointed out Morris. “For us, success will come from staying focused, curating thoughtfully and delivering that sense of quality and originality in everything we offer. It’s about editing with intention — focusing on what truly connects.”

20. Play It Safe. For Holiday ‘26, Alyn is likewise stocking the dependable: “locality, regional nostalgia, fruits and veggie anything, cute Judaica and judgy Jesus irony, balanced with all things that foster the written word and personalized connection.” However, some things never change, she finished. “People want to shop in a place that welcomes them as they are. They appreciate the reasoning behind a careful curation. They want to identify all versions of themselves and their loved ones as they wander and explore. And lastly, when a card touches them unexpectedly, and we are handing out tissue and hugs, we know we’re doing our job right. Our shops are an extension of our collective hearts. We sell what we believe in. We serve our community, well beyond the bustle that is December.”

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