Perry Pencil & Paper: A Little Background Info
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This inaugural post has been a long time coming. The origins Perry Pencil & Paper officially began December of 2017 when I was looking for a gift for a gift for a friend. She's the kind of friend that is smart and would enjoy a cheeky gift so I bought her a custom notepad off Etsy ( wish I could remember the name of the shop to share with you all) and a set of engraved pencils. The pencils were made by Smarty Pants Paper Company and purchased at Five In One Social Club in Memphis, TN. While I wrapped her gift I stared at the pencils, wondering how they were made, which quickly turned into - I bet I could do this. As with anything, it's not that simple. It took many months and lots of rabbit holes to figure out how to imprint on pencils, what machine to use, where to get the machine, how to use the machine, where to get the pencils and how to get them to sell to me (this took so long), and so many other things that I can't even remember.
The unofficial origins of the shop are in the childhood desk drawers full of Hallmark stationery, notecards, notebooks, pencils, stickers and the legendary Trapper Keeper of the 1980s. I have a vivid memory of staring at a wall of notecards at Hallmark Store or wanting everything at our local stationery shop, Just Write.
As you can see in my "About Us" paragraph, life took me on to college and grad school with jobs in advertising, legal marketing, nonprofit fundraising (which I was HORRIBLE at), and teaching Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st. As the child of two entrepreneurs, I have the restless spirit of someone who wants to do it on their own so when the opportunity presented itself, I took the leap into being a full time small business owner in the fall of 2020.
When I decided to expand the shop I knew I wanted to add Japanese pens, pencils and erasers, as well as paper products from the US, England and France. Some people might call it curated but I see it as just stocking things I want to buy, myself.
While I still struggle with what exactly to call the shop. Whenever someone asks, I tell them I have a stationery shop but I know that doesn't quite cover it. I'm in this biz for the long haul so I'll figure it out one of these days. I always do, it just takes some time.
With all that being said, here are some quick facts about me:
Hometown/Shop Location: Memphis, TN
First Job: The Gap circa 1993. This was a coveted job at that time!
Favorite Color: Green
Coffee or Tea: Coffee
Cats or Dogs: I love both and have had both but I've currently got 2 cats, Penny & Tilly.
Favorite Movies: You've Got Mail, 500 Days of Summer, Party Girl, The Last Days of Disco
Favorite Music: Too many to narrow down but my most played are Keane, Coldplay, Oasis (love my Brits), and She & Him
Favorite Podcasts: The Pop Culture Preservation Society, How Did We Get Weird, Meet the Mess
Favorite Shows: The Wonder Years, Thirtysomething, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, My So Called Life (forever), Happy Endings
Favorite Books: The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio, Sting-Ray Afternoons, This Time Tomorrow
Most Treasured Stationery Items: My early 1980s Hello Kitty pencil case and my Trapper Keeper. I didn't hang on to my original l but found the exact one on ebay for a pretty penny.
Favorite Small Businesses:
More to come....