Holidays!

I know, I know.  You are saying to yourself, "It's only September Pulp Papery! Can't I get through one Halloween without mention of the holidays?"  I hear you...I really do...but these holiday cards from Prentiss Douthit are just so darn cute I had to share a few images with you.  Plus I come bearing gifts for you early birds out there...a discount if you work with both the wonderful Chantel of Eleakis & Elder Photography.  See...I am not so bad after all.

Open House :: Thursday, August 4th

I am so excited for our Open House on Thursday, August 4th!  I am excited not only to celebrate this next chapter of Pulp Papery, I am also excited because there are so many wonderful business women helping me make this a great event!  I am listing them here as they all deserve a big, big thank you from me.

First is Jeannie Howell of the Manifest Center.  Jeannie and I go way, way, way back (once a YCHS Honker, always a YCHS Honker) and over dinner one evening she told me about her involvement in the Manifest Center and how she loves conducting tarot readings.  I asked if she would want to do some "mini-sessions" at the Open House and she said yes! How fun is that going to be?

Last, but certainly not least, is Christee Owens of Icing on the Cupcake.  Have you had one of her cupcakes?  They are beyond delicious.  If I walked down to her 1121 Alhambra Boulevard location every time I thought of buying a cupcake...I would have to move in.  Here is the most amazing part about Christee...I haven't had the opportunity to meet her yet and she still graciously offered to share her amazing cupcakes with us.  I don't think you can get any nicer or more generous than that.  Thank you so much Christee!

I hope you can all make it!  As you can see from all of these amazing women that are willing to lend little old me their amazing talents...it will be a great time!

Pulp Papery Studio @ The Urban Hive

Open House, Thursday, August 4th
5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
1931 H Street :: Midtown
(at the corner of H and 20th Streets)

Don't forget...all inventory at 3020 H Street will be 50-75% off until July 30th!  Hurry and stock up...things are going fast!

Moving Sale!

Change

WARNING: This will be a long post. Enter at your own risk.

It is time for change at Pulp Papery. As of August 1st, we will be closing our retail doors and opening Pulp Papery Studio, where we will focus on custom and personalized work such as wedding invitations, party invitations, custom stamps and embossers, personalized holiday cards and stationery. We will also continue to offer Waste Not Paper and Envelopments bulk card stock and envelopes by special order.

I know that I am not closing completely, but as I start the process of closing out our retail department I am feeling a bit sentimental and reminiscent [read: get out now while you can]. As I look back on the last six years, I can't believe all that has taken place in such a short amount of time. Most people don't know, but my chosen profession six years ago was a college professor of Political Science. My bookshelves are still lined with texts from my political theory, international relations and religion classes; all purchased to be used for my yet to be written dissertation on concepts of freedom and the relationship of freedom to religion in South East Asia, specifically the Indian subcontinent. Hello...are you still awake? I can hear you yawn from here.

In any case, I don't think I would have had all of the wonderful, weird and sometimes trying experiences I have had if I didn't accept change. I know that change is inevitable and I also know that you are better off listening to the voice inside you that says, "Okay...this chapter is done. Time to move on to the next. Yes I am talking to you. I know you are comfortable. I know it is scary. But you have to take the leap...come on...just...another...step..."

That little voice started to gnaw at me in 2003 when I moved back to Sacramento after SP and I got married. After a year of temporary assignments and a very lukewarm reception to my résumé, I started to wonder if I needed to rethink some things. At the same time, my sister and good friend were making plans to open a retail store in Sacramento...enter Pulp Papery.  It was nothing that I had ever done but what I had always done wasn't working either. So I listened to my little voice inside and decided to take the leap with them.

It has been a labor of love from the beginning. While it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done, it has also been the best education I have ever had. I absolutely knew when I signed on for this challenge that I would wave goodbye to free time, financial security and the ability to have a bad day. To be honest, what I was not ready for was being criticized or reviewed for things I didn't have in the store, for things I did have in the store, for the "type" of customers we had in the store, for the prices in my store, because I didn't make enough conversation or I made too much conversation...and the list goes on and on. For those that had enough of a bad or mediocre experience at Pulp Papery to write about it, I apologize. Believe me when I say that I have read every single review and those are the ones that make me lay awake at night, shed a few tears and rack my brain to figure out how to be better. I know that there is only so much one person can do but there is something about having your short-comings pointed out by strangers that can make even the strongest person question their abilities.

On the flip side, and the side that I was not expecting and is making me tear up as I write this, are the wonderful customers I met over the years. I have seen some of you get married, have babies and buy your first teacher's gift for your child's Kindergarten class. I have held newborns for new moms so they could have a chance to get out, relax and talk to someone that can talk back. I have cried with some of you when you needed help with planning for a memorial. I have helped pick out which photo to use on holiday cards, what résumé paper to use for first job applications and what stationery to order for first anniversaries.

Also special to me are the couples I met who allowed me to help them design and print their wedding invitations. It is the part of Pulp Papery that I created and built by myself and it is the part I am most proud of and am looking forward to being able to focus on.  I owe a big thank you to all of those couples for the inspiration. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have known how much I love designing and this next phase of Pulp Papery wouldn't exist.

To those of you I have met at the store and become friends with over the years, had the most amazing conversations with, that allowed me to be a small spectator in your lives, that always supported our store even if we didn't have exactly what you were looking for, that wrote such nice things about us and stuck with us through thick and thin - thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making the shop and me a part of your day. On those days when I didn't think I could do anything right, one of you always came in and always said how much you loved the shop. You gave me a tremendous boost exactly when I needed it without ever knowing it; and for that I will always be grateful.

There are a few other thank yous that I need to say. First to my employees, past and present, I couldn't have maintained the store and my other jobs without you. There are some that deserve a special "shout out." First, one of my "sales gals" was really just my best friend that helped me when I needed to catch up on work or needed a day off - Rachel thank you for pitching in on those Saturdays or when I called you panicked because someone called in sick or for bringing me lunch on those days I was here by myself. I also owe Rachel a special thank you for always lending an ear when I needed advice. Without you we wouldn't have known how to handle our cash register, how to manage employees or organize inventory. On a personal note, I appreciate you for always being there when I needed to vent and for always being on my side.

We were also lucky to have Joan, a style-maven that always urged customers to think outside their inner color wheel and contrast their colors rather than complement them.  Thank you Joan for sticking with us for as long as you did and for being so patient with me while I learned how to be a boss.

More recently, we were lucky to find Shannon, which I really can't take credit for. We had finished with interviews when her résumé showed up in our e-mail and all of girls here said, "we like her!" Upon meeting her, I also liked her - and not just because she is a loyal and frequent library patron and fellow lover of all things Anthroplogie. Shannon has definitely influenced us with her artistic sensibility, genuine interest in our customers and her sense of humor. I am very much looking forward to continuing working with Shannon in our new space.

Last, but certainly not least, is Heidi. She has been with us the longest and I can't tell you how many times Heidi has come in early, stayed late, helped with parties that I was planning, told me to go home when she knew I just needed a break, changed her hours whenever I needed to change mine or to accommodate someone else's schedule. She has been steadfast in her support of me and for that I will always feel indebted to her. Thank you Heidi for teaching all those classes, for always making sure the drawer had change and for being such a loyal friend.

To my sister Sureena and friend Amy, thank you for letting me start the store with you, letting me put my own mark on it and for supporting me changing our initial vision into something new. If it wasn't for you two, I would still be teaching classes all over the state of California at all hours of the night hoping to get a full time teaching position or waiting for yet another employer to actually turn my temporary job into a permanent one as was always promised whenever I started somewhere new. You always promoted me as the force behind Pulp Papery and are quick to correct people when they don't know that I have been involved from the start. Thank you for believing in the talent that I didn't know existed and for being proud of what Pulp Papery has become.

To my parents, my mother- and father-in-law, nephews and nieces, cousins and friends who haven't seen me in the last six years -  thanks for sticking with me. I have missed or had to cut short family get-togethers, birthday parties, games, school programs, bridal and baby showers, weddings, receptions, brunches and dinners. You planned around my shop hours and held events on Sundays and/or after five on Saturdays and put up with my last minute schedule delays because I was printing invitations or covering for someone at the shop. I appreciate it more than you know.

The person that deserves the most thanks is SP. The majority of our married life I have owned Pulp Papery and there hasn't been a time where he hasn't supported me 100%. At times, I worked 60-80 hour weeks, without pay and without a glimmer of hope that this experiment would amount to anything. He has gone to family functions without me, work functions without me, has been quick to defend me when others didn't understand why I couldn't make it and was equally quick to tell me not to worry about it if I just needed to stay home. His most often quoted line to me is, "No one knows or understands how hard you work. Don't worry about it if you need a break." He has brought me countless lunches, done the laundry, grocery shopped, made dinner, put gas in the car, kept our lawn alive and even run the cash register when I was in a real pinch all while working equally hard to get his own career off of the ground. SP, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for recognizing all of the work I put into the store, for constantly reminding me that I was doing the best that I could and for all of your support during this big change in my life. I hope that I have offered the same unconditional support to you.

I won't lie - not having the retail part of Pulp Papery will be hard. However, I am very excited to have the time and energy to devote to the part of Pulp Papery that drives me and to see where it goes. I hope to see you at the store during our sale. I also hope to see you at our new space for your invitation and stationery needs. We will be having an Open House Thursday, August 4th from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. Stop by, say hello, have a cocktail and check out the new digs: Pulp Papery Studio @ The Urban Hive :: 1931 H Street :: Sacramento. Until the next post...XO, Manpreet

Real Wedding: Ronald & Carla

{Photo By: Chantel Elder of Eleakis & Elder Photography}



When this lovely couple entered the shop to order wedding invitations...the timing couldn't have been more perfect.  The design they had in mind included the use of yellow and gray ink, which just happens to be my current obsession when it comes to color pairings.  Our friend Chantel of Eleakis & Elder Photography shot their wedding and she included a shot of the invitation we designed.  Thanks Chantel for sharing your beautiful images with me...and congratulations Ron & Carla your wedding looked gorgeous!

Royal Wedding: You Are Invited!

Stop by Pulp Papery April 29th and help us celebrate the Royal Wedding!  We will have light refreshments and hope to stream video of the celebration.  So if you are excited enough to have a cup of tea but not excited enough to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to watch the festivities live...stop by and celebrate with us.  Cheers!

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