Five Massachusetts Stationery Stores to Shop Holiday Cards This Year
Have something important to say this holiday season? Ditch the drugstore stationery display in favor of creative cards and accessories from these local letterpresses.
A display of some of Loyal Supply Co.’s creations. / Courtesy photo
For Holiday Cards
Loyal Supply Co.
Get a head start on your season’s greetings now, and avoid feeling guilty when your mailbox fills up with envelopes later. Helmed by husband-and-wife team Ryan and Kimberly Habbyshaw, Union Square’s Loyal Supply is the perfect place to scoop up eye-catching stationery with a touch of snark. (A customer favorite? The “Let’s Get Lit” card featuring a set of antlers and a bright red nose.) The space is anchored by an antique letterpress that can also churn out completely bespoke designs for larger orders.
21 Union Sq., Somerville, 617-996-6930, loyalsupplyco.com.
For Host Gifts
Goosefish Press
As your weekends fill up with dinner parties and other festivities, stockpiling small tokens of appreciation is a must. Goosefish Press’s graphic coasters, designed by owner Rob Charlton and his team, will certainly put a smile on your host’s face: Give the set of “Coffee Is Healthy!” coasters with a bag of locally roasted beans, or the various wine- and beer-themed sets with a hearty cabernet or a six-pack of microbrews. And be sure to pick up a set for your own holiday fete so you don’t have to worry about wet rings on your new side tables.
450 Harrison Ave., Boston, 617-728-2822, goosefishpress.com.
The latest colorful desk calendar from Smudge Ink. / Courtesy photo
For Calendars
Smudge Ink
Similar to crossing off an item on your to-do list, there’s something innately satisfying about throwing away last year’s planner. Start next year off fresh with the help of Acton-based Smudge Ink: Its limited-run, six-color letterpress desk calendar will feature butterflies for 2020, while its garden-themed wall calendar promises to enliven any room.
525 Massachusetts Ave., Acton, 617-242-8228, smudgeink.com.
An elegant gift tag at Of Note Stationers. / Courtesy photo
For Gift Tags
Of Note Stationers
Sometimes the presentation is as important as the present itself. Enter the gift tags from Amherst’s Of Note, formed by two friends as a way to celebrate their shared love of stationery and snail mail. Letterpressed with the thoughtful message “This Needed You,” the minimal yet elegant labels can be ordered with red twine, perfect for holiday giving, or black twine for gifts throughout the year. Because you never know when you’ll find just the thing.
220 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, ofnotestationers.com.
For DIY Projects
Albertine Press
Love the idea of making your own cards, but hate the way they look coming out of your home printer? Sign up for one of the many workshops hosted by the pros at Albertine Press: This month’s “Intro to Letterpress,” for example, will teach you how to set up and use a proofing press to create your very own set of monogrammed note cards—ideal for penning thank-you notes once gift-giving season winds down.
1309 Cambridge St., Cambridge, 617-945-5519, albertinepress.com.
