Snail Mail is Back in Style, and Stationery Sales are Skyrocketing
Papier
There’s an art to staying connected. Like anything worthwhile, it can take a bit of work. In our busiest of times, we make the effort to schedule catchups so that an off-the-cuff FaceTime doesn’t go unanswered. We keep up with constant phone pings and digital exchanges that take little time to type and even less to disappear, no matter how draining it is to our phone batteries and attention spans. But if there’s anything that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven, it’s that we need more than just a screen to stay in touch.
Months into quarantine, our overflowing social calendar of Zoom calls has dwindled. It seems talking over each other and waving with a cocktail in hand had its moment, but it wasn’t quite enough to last the long haul. In its place, the homebound are turning to a less-pixelated practice that’s anything but new: letter writing.
According to Papier, this old-school means of correspondence is surging; sales on cards and notecards are up 300%, and they’ve seen demand triple for greeting cards, notecards, writing paper, and card sets in the last few months. Even searches related to stationery are up, with Papier reporting searches for thank you cards up 107% and birthday cards up 400% in the past week.
“The act of writing is the most meaningful way of connecting with our friends and loved ones,” says Taymoor Atighetchi, founder and CEO of Papier. “The impact of writing and receiving a note is so much greater than a digital message, and we believe this is more important now than ever.”
In this time of isolation, letters are a more intimate means of companionship than a quick hello on the phone or email exchange. No matter how short or long, they require effort to pen–to sit down screen-free and write. Even better is the feeling of separating a letter from the bills in your mail pile, slitting it open, and slipping away into your pen pal's world for a few minutes. We may be confined to our own four walls, but letters from loved ones can open a window.
Proper letters come in all shapes and sizes–from a few scribbles and stickers creatively placed by a baby nephew to a multi-page play-by-play of the happenings in your friend’s life. But if the idea of letter writing is foreign to you, there’s nothing like a pretty piece of stationery to make putting pen to paper feel less daunting. (If you're not sure where to start, we've got some tips too.) From personalized stationery to writing paper, here are a few pieces of stationery that are sure to make your pen pals smile. Now get to writing.
Pretty in Pink Personalized Notecards
Buy It: $25 for 10, etsy.com
Gladys Notecard Set
Buy It: $28 for 10, papier.com
Pastel Meadow Personalized Flat Notes
Buy It: $65 for 20, riflepaperco.com
Mint Border Writing Paper Set
Buy It: $35 for 20, papier.com
Personalized Bumblebee Notes
Buy It: $13 for 10, etsy.com
Good Tidings Notecard Set
Buy It: $28 for 10, papier.com
Citrus Sprigs Cards
Buy It: $3.99 for 10, target.com
Mix-N-Match Dogs Personalized Flat Notes
Buy It: $65 for 20, riflepaperco.com
Terrazo Cards
Buy It: $6.99 for 10, target.com
Botanical Social Stationery Set
Buy It: $22, riflepaperco.com
Personalized Citrus Stationery
Buy It: $22.50 for 10, etsy.com
Hello Personalized Stationery
Buy It: $50 for 20, minted.com
Monogram Rick Rack
Buy It: $28 for 10, papier.com
Hydrangea Note Card
Buy It: $13 for 10, etsy.com
Blush Ribbon Writing Paper Set
Buy It: $35 for 20, papier.com
