Features
July 10, 2019 •
Stationery Trends’ First Annual Creative Display Contest
![Pickel Paper display for the 2019 Creative Display Contest](https://stationerytrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/PickelPaper.jpg)
Displays of greatness look good on paper
The finalists and winners of Stationery Trends’ In-Store Creative Display contest are in — and these shops are rich with merchandising expertise. The contest, held this year in conjunction with Noted, invited attending retailers to share their display savvy, and then share it with their colleagues also attending Noted. Winners and finalists were determined by a public vote amongst 451 Stationery Trends subscribers, and I agree that these are most notable! Congratulations to everyone.
2019 Creative Display Contest Winner
Pickle Papers
WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON
What makes this citrus-y display great? Color and positioning! Located in front of the shop near the front door, it’s the first thing people see upon entering the shop, explained owner Penny Nichols. The store had a long, Central Washington, winter, so these signs of spring were a welcome sight! It’s no surprise that Pickle Papers, or “The Pickle” as it has affectionately been dubbed by its clientele, has been a Wenatchee staple since Penny and her daughter Marnye opened in 1995.
Finalists
rock paper scissors
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
“This corner of the shop is a favorite! It represents a lot of things we love: shopping local, supporting small businesses, and great design. We offer a wide variety of items, from stationery to gifts to calligraphy supplies, but this corner is where we proudly display our products that are made in Virginia or are Virginia-related,” enthused Owner Heather Haynie. “We have Charlottesville, Virginia, cards and maps of our town designed by local artists; handmade candles that come from Sydney Hale in near-by Richmond; local (and delicious) La Vache Creamery caramels; and the awesome Cardboard Safari animal mounts made locally, distributed globally. We also have an array of items with the teal “Cville Heart” that was designed by one of our co-owners to help our community heal after a local tragedy. It’s fair to say that we love our entire store, but this corner might just hold the biggest spot in our hearts….after all, Virginia is for lovers!”
Paper Place
AUSTIN, TEXAS
“I love creating new displays at Paper Place when our products are so beautiful and dreamy!” gushed Visual Merchandiser/Invitation Consultant Diana Uribe. “This window display is inspired by the sophisticated, modern boss babe who is all about sending that perfect note. She pays attention to the details, loves stationery and creating a space that sparks her everyday life. When I’m walking around the store to get that picture of what is next in the window, I’m always thinking of our customers and how much they enjoy looking at every single piece of paper, that pen they cannot live without and maybe a little trinket that needs to sit on their own desk. Mixing, florals, metallics and geometrics with organic objects is my favorite! Because it is a visual that can stop a person walking by, take a moment to admire … and peak their curiosity just enough to discover their new happy place.”
Constellation & Co.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
The inspiration behind Constellation & Co.’s spring window display was fairy doors. Believed to be portals between our world and the fairy world, these mystical passages welcome visits from these magical folk. “We all needed a little magic to get us through the final days of winter and into the freshness of spring,” explained Owner Sara McNally. “The tiny doors in the window display ushered in just the spring magic we needed! We had so much fun putting together all the miniature vignettes. Our customers have been enchanted, pushing their noses up against the window to see all the details!”
Pickett’s Press
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
“Pink is the store’s signature color, so we knew we needed plenty of that in our showroom,” explained Social Media Marketing Manager Brittany Galske. “As our brand color changed from pink and brown to pink and gray, we really wanted to encapsulate timeless design with functional style and simple sophistication throughout the room. The velvet chairs with bold, colorful upholstered seating was a bespoke creation to create and reflect the delicate style and feminine and youthful personality we have portrayed over the years. Our brightly lit space ‘never goes out of style.’”
Lilian Grace Designs at Monarch Market
DAYTON, OHIO
Lilian Grace Designs is one of 80 merchants that fill the Monarch Market. Merchants are given the creative freedom to design their own space to match their brands. Lilian Grace Designs chose to use its brand colors of black, white and pink — and added a gardening twist with the picket fences and artificial grass as homage to the owner Shonda Ramsey’s late grandmother. This theme also ties into the store name, named for Lily of the Valley flowers. Every item in the display was gathered from family and friends.
rock paper scissors
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
“All of us at rock paper scissors are huge suckers for lovely paper, but we fall especially hard for wrapping paper!” continued Haynie, who garnered two finalist awards. “Our gift wrap wall adds a great pop of color and energy to the shop and it’s very user friendly for our customers. As big fans of ROYGBIV, we decided to arrange the papers accordingly so as to streamline the variety of patterns that we carry. People are always drawn to the gift wrap wall and it often inspires people to see the wrap as art that they can hang and display on their own walls!