Papyrus (company)

Papyrus (stylized as PAPYRUS) was an American stationery and greeting card retailer that at one time operated over 450 stores throughout the United States and Canada.[1][2][3] It was headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, and was the flagship brand of the Schurman Retail Group.[4] The company sold a variety of products, including greeting cards, stationery, gift wrap, specialty gifts, jewelry, customized invitations, and other paper products.[5][6][7] It was one of the largest greeting card retailers in the United States.[8][9] The Papyrus products rights are owned by American Greetings.[10]

Papyrus
TypePrivate
Industry
FateClosed in 2020
Founded1973
FounderMargrit Schurman
Headquarters
Goodlettsville, Tennessee
,
U.S.
Area served
North America
Key people
Dominique Schurman (CEO)
Products
ParentSchurman Retail Group
Websitewww.papyrusonline.com

History
Papyrus store in Washington, D.C.

The first Papyrus retail shop was opened in 1973 by Margrit Schurman in Berkeley, California. It began as the retail wing of Schurman Fine Papers (now, the Schurman Retail Group).[11][12] The original store was opened for less than $1,000 and featured a variety of fine art-inspired greeting cards, postcards, and other paper products. Over the next five years, more Papyrus stores opened around the United States, and the company soon began selling franchises. In the 1980s, the company began domestic production of Papyrus products.[11]

In 1991, Dominique Schurman became the CEO of Schurman Fine Papers and Papyrus. At that time, there were around 37 Papyrus stores nationwide, and the company was bringing in $10 million per year. By 2005, the company operated around 146 Papyrus retail shops.[11][5] In 2009, Papyrus's parent company, Schurman Retail Group, purchased all 346 American Greetings retail shops.[8] A number of these stores were eventually rebranded as Papyrus stores.[3]

On January 16, 2020, it was announced that all 260 remaining Papyrus and other Schurman retail stores would be closing. On January 17, 2020, liquidation sales began in all stores under the management of Gordon Brothers.[13] 30 of their closed stores were picked up by Paper Source by early March 2020.[14]

Products

Papyrus sold a variety of luxury paper products including a selection of stationery and greeting cards. The chain is perhaps best known for its high-end greeting cards that often incorporated items like buttons, fabric, leather, zippers, glitter, and other embellishments.[1] The stores also offered products like journals, note cards, gift wrap, and customized invitations.[5][6][7] Through the NIQUEA.D brand, Papyrus sold a selection of gifts, jewelry, and other fashion accessories. Other brands sold in Papyrus stores included American Greetings and Carlton Cards. The Papyrus logo is a distinct pink hummingbird and can be found on a variety of Papyrus products.[1][15]

References
  1. "Selling Sentiment". Success. January 20, 2013. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  2. Draper, Jesse (May 10, 2013). "Papyrus Stores And Their Passion For Paper". Forbes. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  3. Bammer, Richard (May 1, 2011). "Fairfield firm finds success in paper, gifts". The Reporter. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  4. "Papyrus signs long-term retail lease with ESRT". Real Estate Weekly. March 2, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  5. Fried, John (December 1, 2005). "Things I Can't Live Without: Dominique Schurman". Inc. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  6. Golden, Fran (August 27, 2007). "There's something about a letter—still". The Register-Guard. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  7. Lueck, Shane (August 4, 2016). "Say It With A Card". Lavender. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  8. Simpson, Emma (December 24, 2012). "Clinton Cards has a new look, but can its reinvention work?". BBC. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  9. Pazornik, Amanda (December 9, 2010). "'Congrats' card in order: Papyrus CEO from East Bay named a 'Jewish woman to watch'". jweekly.com. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  10. Thorbecke, Catherine (January 24, 2020). "Beloved stationery shop Papyrus closing all stores". ABC News. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  11. Eng, Dinah (August 29, 2013). "Schurman Retail Group: Crafting a real paper success". Fortune. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  12. Lee, Ellen (August 11, 2012). "How Papyrus greeting cards still connect". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  13. Brown, Jakki (January 21, 2020). "Papyrus, The US Leading Specialist Card Retailer Closes All Stores". pgbuzz.net. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  14. Stych, Anne (March 4, 2020). "Some Papyrus stores reopening as Paper Source locations". Biz Women. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  15. Lepore, Meredith (June 26, 2012). "Executive Suite: Papyrus CEO Dominique Sherman Says It Is A Misnomer That 'You Can Have It All'". The Grindstone. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
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