My Life in Greeting Cards

What's in this picture was only part of my department. It was my job to pick out each individual card that went into these racks. I did not allow the salespeople to inventory and stock them.I did it myself. When the reps came to call, I'd look at all the cards they had to offer in each line. I'd pick the ones for the store that I myself responded to or that met all the criteria I had. Cards that depended upon put-downs for their humor were rejected. I wanted cards that would promote and enhance communication between individuals. My target market was the people like me that liked to hang around card departments and just read cards. As we read, we'd see one we just had to get for this friend or that, or the perfect birthday card for Aunt Sue whose birthday was in two months, etc. Those who have the card browsing habit respond by buying the cards they like. In those days, email did not yet exist for the average person. Personal computers did not exist yet. So people still bought lots of greeting cards.

When people think of greeting cards, they often think first of Hallmark, at least they did back then. But we were a small independent Christian bookstore that hadn't yet been in business for a year. Cards were supposed to be small part of our overall business. Hallmark wouldn't even consider letting us stock their cards -- not with a Hallmark store around the corner, Robinson's across the street, and a stationery shop next door -- all of whom carried Hallmark exclusively and would not appreciate the competition. So my job was to find alternatives.

Unlike many bookstores, we were a nonprofit organization, designed to be a ministry that reached out to college students searching for truth. We were also there to supply the books the Christian students at UCLA needed to grow their spiritual lives. The idea was to be within walking distance of the campus. Cards and gift items were what we called "bridge items" that were the first thing people saw as they entered the store.

Since most Christian bookstores of that day depended a lot upon selling church supplies, they tended to serve an older population of pastors and Sunday School teachers. They looked "churchy" from the moment the customer walked in. Logos stores like ours, which were always located near college campuses, did not want to look that way. The books were toward the back, and the cards and gift islands were at the front to engage the customers as they walked in.

One part of my job I really enjoyed was seeing what new cards the sales representatives had to offer me. I'll never forget the day Camille, one of my favorite reps, introduced me to the D. Forer Company. She was short, and looked a bit weary. Who wouldn't after lugging loaded display cases for several blocks? Parking in Westwood was very scarce and very expensive. When she came calling on me, she hit pay dirt. She pulled from one of her cases a line of cards called Crocus, published by The Forers, New York, and created by Nancy Donohue, about whom not much is written on the web. The only reference to her I could find was in a list of files belonging to an agent at the time of his death. Yet this woman must have brought smiles to thousands, if not millions, who read her cards.

In the card pictured here, one of the few I have left, the tissue box brand is "dripensnort facial tissues," and the inside reads simply "and get you well soon." I wish I had the entire collection to share with you. Born in the 1970's, this line features the character you see here and some of her friends. It was obvious Nancy must have been a gardener, since there were so many references to plants in her greetings. I remember the punch line to one get well card was "All you need is a good mulching." Another get well card and best seller showed our character with determined look, pointing a hose coming from a huge kettle of chicken soup. The inside read "You WILL get well."

One of my favorite friendship cards she designed had a weary looking owl leaning on a young tree with only a couple of leaves. It said, "On occasion you must give into feeling dreadful and hope it will pass and everyone will still love you." Inside it said simply, "It will and they do." I still have this card, waiting for just the right time to send it.

If you think Nancy cared only about the sick, you'd be wrong. Her anniversary and wedding cards were among the most original and funny I've ever seen. Her Valentines were warm and wonderful and sold like hotcakes. And you couldn't do better than one of her birthday cards. I have never yet seen any card on the market at any price I liked better than these, because they captured the depths of the human spirit, and they had an undertone of affection and kind humor. They were designed to make the reader smile.

It was Andy , the general manager, who let me be queen of the cards at Logos. His background was in physics and he was working on his PHD in that subject when he was persuaded by one of his Christian professors to become the assistant manager of the new Logos store in 1972. I joined the staff in July of that year after volunteering for a few months. Andy was promoted to manager not too long after. He was energetic and had a lot of business sense, though he never, as far as I know, had formal education in that area. He trained me on things like inventory, working with sales reps, and managing my department. For short times I was even allowed to sub for him as manager when he was on vacation or medical leave. Without the things he taught me, I would never have known how to work with publishers, make the most of a trade show, or just organize my purchase orders and accounts payable.

He gave me the opportunity to spend most of my time when the store was open working with customers and recommending books at their request. It wasn't long before customers would begin looking for me so that could ask me what to buy next. All staff members were encouraged to borrow books from the shelves to take home and read so that we would know enough about them to make such recommendations. Whereas cards spoke for themselves, books didn't. I could come in before the store was open and restock and clean up my department, and then, unless I was seeing a rep, I worked the floor and became a book salesperson.

At various times, I acted as gift buyer, as well as card buyer, and was consulted about children's books when Andy was working with publishers' reps. I and Marion, Andy's wife and our gift buyer, attended the gift show twice a year in Los Angeles, and although it was hectic and tiring, it was also fun. I stayed at Logos from 1972 to 1981. By the time I left, Robinson's and the stationery store next to Logos had either stopped carrying Hallmark or had given more of their space to other card companies. The Hallmark Store around the corner had gone out of business. I like to think that I was partly responsible for that.

It was obvious it was time to move on after I moved an hour's drive away, and the drive was worse in heavy traffic. I carried my love of all things paper with me as I moved to Ventura County. I still thought it would be fun to create my own cards, but then, in 1982, I became a foster parent and that put everything else out of my mind.

Help, Squidoo Addict by vallain
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We will leave a few gaps here that have been filled in with other lenses I've written that cover my parenting years, the loss of my children, and various aspects of my education resource book business, Barb's People Builders. Although I'm still very busy tending to that business, when I started writing for Squidoo, I found out about Zazzle. Seems most of the lensmasters I knew on Rocket Moms had Zazzle stores where they designed and sold products. At first I didn't pay much attention, since I can't draw and I couldn't imagine making any products myself.

But there was one card company I used to love selling at Logos I haven't mentioned -- Marcel Schurman. This was a line of imported cards with either paintings by the old masters or more modern photos or paintings on the front, combined with some really fun messages on the inside. Sometimes, though, I thought I could have done better with the messages. I was sure I could come up with greetings that better matched some of the pictures. I had wished I could have switched my words for theirs to match some of those great pictures.

As I kept hearing more about Zazzle, especially after I started taking photo walks and coming up with pictures of my own I liked, I decided maybe I could come up with a line of cards after all. I could use photographs rather than drawings or paintings, and just add my words. And as a Zazzle associate, if I found someone else's work I liked as well or better than my own, I could publicize it, as well. So I opened my Zazzle store: Barb's California Card and Gift Shop

I now have several different product lines featuring my photography with or without words. Many are inspirational cards and posters, and many feature the wine country of North San Luis Obispo County. I'm beginning to make my dream come true and Zazzle has made it possible. If you have an unfulfilled dream of making your art or photography into products that can earn you money, just click this link to get started. Become an associate and you can make money promoting the products of others while you are in the process of creating your own. If I can do it, anyone with the desire can.