There may be competitors from large field shops, however Reid’s is a ‘cool’ retailer the place the ten employees are educated and passionate concerning the merchandise they promote, and are pleased to converse with prospects
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Anybody who has strolled alongside seventeenth Avenue S.W. over the previous 40 years is conversant in the large signal over the door of No. 710 that merely says: Reid’s.
Many have gone via the doorways to enter a store with an enormous stock of greeting playing cards, social gathering provides, giftware and, on the again, an Aladdin’s cave of writing devices, journals and stationery.
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Based as Reid’s Stationery in 1984 by John and Moira Reid, the historical past goes again even additional to the Thirties when Moira’s father, James Lewis, began Lewis Stationery.
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It was a household agency then and Reid’s definitely nonetheless is. Each John and Moira have handed away, however at this time the corporate is owned and operated by their kids — Maureen, Lauchlan and Fiona who work within the retailer, and sister Shauna.
Overlaying 6,000 sq. ft, the shop has morphed into way more than a spot to seek out high quality stationery. Maureen says the various challenges they’ve needed to face through the years have meant conserving forward of the tendencies of what folks need. You “must have a really feel for what your buyer base is in search of,” she says. “Sticking to what we do greatest, however providing new gadgets as wants change.”
Greeting playing cards have turn out to be an enormous a part of its enterprise, with many purchasers speeding to the entrance of the shop to go looking via an enormous choice. Additional into the house is the place small giftwares are on show, together with barware equivalent to shot glasses, wine glasses and cocktail shakers. There are social gathering provides, together with helium balloons, banners and wrapping paper. Even a piece devoted to males’s presents, and one other to youngsters’ toys and plenty of puzzles.
Towards the rear of the shop is the place round 60 per cent of the enterprise is completed in writing devices and high quality stationery gadgets, equivalent to notebooks, thank-you and different be aware playing cards.
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Maureen says there was a interval when the media was forecasting the tip of writing however that solely brought about a hiccup. In reply to the 12 months when an enormous drop within the variety of written Christmas playing cards was forewarned, the next 12 months Reid’s bought a report variety of boxed playing cards.
Playing cards want writing, and that’s the place Reid’s shines as the most important pen and ink retailer in Western Canada.
The manufacturers and types are large ranging. Reid’s web site has 43 pages of fountain pens, ballpoints, rollerballs, inks in a wide range of colors, mechanical pencils and even a number of pencil sharpeners for individuals who nonetheless desire the nice previous picket ones.
A Japanese fountain pen is priced at $7, however a selection of superior writing devices is offered from the extremely popular Lamy Safari sequence retailing round $38, to classics from main producers equivalent to Montblanc, Faber-Castell and Caran d’Ache that surpass $1,000 in worth.
A few of these are collectible, particularly the restricted editions from Montblanc paying homage to folks equivalent to John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, Agatha Christie and Enzo Ferrari. They’re restricted not solely in numbers but additionally amount to retailers, so Reid’s could solely get one or two of every new version; which implies they’re typically snapped up rapidly. And naturally, their worth will increase over time.
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Although colleges usually are not instructing the magical really feel of manufacturing the handwritten phrase — versus the tapping of contemporary units and use of emojis as a substitute of phrases — writing devices have by no means misplaced their enchantment. The fountain pen market in 2022 reached US$956 million, and is anticipated to extend although greater than 50 pen producers on this planet.
Good inks additionally want good paper. Reid’s carries a variety of papers in single sheets, however the perfect sellers proceed to be notebooks and journals.
There may be competitors from large field shops, however Reid’s is a “cool” retailer the place the ten employees are educated and passionate concerning the merchandise they promote, and are pleased to converse with prospects.
Notes:
Stacy Yanchuk Oleksy has been appointed as CEO of Cash Mentors, the Alberta-based, non-profit credit score counselling company. Earlier to her new place, Oleksy served as CEO of Credit score Counselling Canada, the nationwide affiliation for non-profit credit score counselling businesses.
David Parker seems repeatedly within the Herald. Learn his columns on-line at calgaryherald.com/enterprise. He will be reached at 403-830-4622.
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