A few weeks ago, I ventured from West Texas to attend the National Stationery Show in New York. On the plane, someone asked if it was my first time in NYC and I said no, but it got me thinking… Since I graduated college and started working in the invitation/paper gift industry, I’ve traveled to New York for the National Stationery Show (NSS) 11 times now! Eleven times! It’s hard to believe that time has flown so quickly! I’ve only been a buyer for the last five years (before that I worked for a vendor and learned the ins and outs of show set up, tear down, and the grueling hours of “show feet” in between). All that to say, I’ve been around the block a time or two at the show and I don’t have time to waste when I’m there. I’m kind of a speed-shopper, so I can pretty much get all my buying done in about a day and a half (which allows me a sliver of shopping time in NYC and helps me get back to the store to wrap up graduation season pretty quickly).
Since the business at Calligraphy Etc. has shifted from blank stock to more custom invitations, I don’t buy many invitations at the show. I still get a little (just for the sake of variety), but by and large, most of the invitations we’re doing are our own. So this year, I was mainly on the lookout for unique greeting cards, gifts, stationery and wedding albums.
Here are a few of my favorite finds: 
1. Fun letterpress cards from Hello Lucky like this one. It’s perfect because zombies are so hot right now (a phrase I never thought I’d say)! The Walking Dead and Warm Bodies fans, this card’s for you.
2. Rewined candles. Their concept is really clever! The candles are hand-poured in recycled bottles, and each “flavor” has the same notes in the candle that are in that particular wine. So if your friend loves Pinot Noir (like I do), she’s going to love the Pinot Noir candle (and no, it doesn’t smell like wine – just the NOTES, remember?).
3. Adorable letterpress calendars from 1Canoe2. Each month has really cute graphics AND a unique “stump” holder. Come on 2014, hurry up and get here so I can use this pretty little baby! 
Happy to have found lots of other great items coming to the store soon! You can see brand new items as they arrive if you’re a fan on Facebook or follow us on twitter (@calligraphyetc) or on Instagram (@calligraphyetc). On a side note, I didn’t find *exactly* what I was looking for at NSS to broaden our custom stationery selection, so I’ve decided to make my own program. For awhile it’ll just sit on my big fat “To Do” list… but once it’s on the list, it WILL get done. Eventually.
Did you attend the show? What were some of your favorite finds?
