Having just returned from NSS in New York, I thought it appropriate to share my take on this year’s show. This was my fifth consecutive show and each year I’m thrilled to have a chance to see and meet so many of our existing customers. There’s nothing like putting a name with a face and hearing about customer experiences with our company. Yes, even the bad ones.

The show, like all shows (and orders for that matter) seemed to come in waves. From 10am to 11am we wondered if anyone would show up this year, and from 11am to 3pm we wondered how many people walked away without getting to speak with a representative. If that happened to you, we apologize and hope you had a chance to come back when we weren’t slammed.

As always, I love the “Best in Show” display. My favorite new product was a beautiful hand-sewn leather journal. The incredible craftsmanship and attention to detail was amazing. In general, besides the always fantastic lines of greeting cards, the popular items seemed to be unique journals and wrapping paper. The unfinished look of bound journals was very prevalent and wrapping paper was everywhere. Letterpress remains very strong and the foil trend continues with a vertical trajectory that we rarely see in the industry.

Overall, the crowd was good, the booths looked great, and everyone seemed to be upbeat about the marketplace. From my perspective, I’m glad we were there, and I am eager to help make existing and new stationer’s dreams come true.

Scott Feldman, SHQ Sales Manager