Summer Trade Show Season: Recap

Here at Breathless Paper Co. (and for so many other wholesale makers) the past few months have been trade show season! Our reps have helped represent us at shows in Seattle, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It’s a high-energy, high-stakes time for us, but we’re so happy with the love we’ve received from the Breathless Paper Co. retailer family, as well as our new buyers! We've retired some of our oldies, and added all kinds of new designs to our repertoire. Keep reading for a look at how our shows went, and a peek at some of the new stuff we featured.

The season began out in the northwest with the Seattle Gift Show, followed by our hometown show in Atlanta in July, then heading to LA and ending strong in Las Vegas with our reps in the Grace by Catherine Sullivan Showroom.

Trade shows mean developing new lines of cards and products, retiring some of our older cards, acquiring all kinds of new retail accounts, and filling new orders for our most loyal retailers.

Our shipping process always gets busy during the trade show season. This year we added red cocktail napkins for holiday, and they sold big! Check out the new cocktail napkins and holiday cards below (also featured in our "Christmas in July" post last month). We were eager to show off our new holiday designs and our seasonal aesthetic, and we think the show-goers loved it just as much as we do!

The Atlanta Gift Show is one of our favorites, and we participate in both January and July, always in our booth in the High Design section of the AmericasMart downtown. Our booth is shared by other loved brands that are a part of Deep South Social. We featured the holiday line as well as new Lantern Press licensed products, our new boxed set line and new greeting cards for each of our lines. Check out some of our favorites below!

Our "Amazeballs" card is one of the most colorful, expressive additions to our Mini Breath line. The design is simple and striking, and who doesn't giggle at the word "Amazeballs"?

The photos below show just a few of our licensed Lantern Press products: Ceramic coasters, pint glasses and mugs. We love getting to show a new side of Breathless Paper Co. with these products -- thanks, Lantern Press!

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We're overjoyed to share with you our box set line, "Tiny Cards. Big words." Each card has been hand lettered and embossed with one of our favorite messages, meant to bring smiles and motivation. The cards come in a slide box that makes them the per… — We're overjoyed to share with you our box set line, "Tiny Cards. Big words." Each card has been hand lettered and embossed with one of our favorite messages, meant to bring smiles and motivation. The cards come in a slide box that makes them the perfect gift to a loved one or to yourself. (P.S. look out for an in-depth post on this series, coming soon!)

Our last two shows in LA and Las Vegas were successful thanks to help from our reps and the Grace by Catherine Sullivan showroom. Thanks to Grace by Catherine Sullivan and REStyleSOURCE for the great snapshots of the showroom seen below!

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As summer nears its end and we look back on our cross-country trade shows, we're humbled by the support from our long-time retailers and the new orders we've gotten from incredible retailers near and far. Stay alert for new posts from us, including a closer look at our boxed set line, our Lantern Press products, retailers, and more. Want to see more new stuff? Feel free to reach out to us for a Fall 2016 catalog!

Posted on August 25, 2016 by matthew berinato.

Christmas in July: The AmericasMart July Gift Show

Hours of prep and manual labor. Hundreds of booths, filled with brands showing off their best and newest lines of products. Retailers strolling, looking for stand-out products, chatting with business owners.

This is the AmericasMart Gift Show. Atlanta. High Design, Building 2WW, Floor 1, #614. Thursday, July 14 to Sunday, July 17. 9AM to 6PM.

One of the most important events of the summer, the America’s Mart gift show kicked off on Thursday, and Breathless Paper Co. and the Deep South Social gang couldn’t be more ready and excited to show off what we’ve been working on.

Our new cards and cocktail napkins will have you saying, “Happy Holidays!” and “Joy to the World!” Yes, we know it’s early. Ever heard of Christmas in July?

Check out some of our new stuff below to see what you can expect from Breathless this holiday (Hint: Our new favorite color is red).

(P.S. Retailers, come by our booth at AmericasMart and snag the newest in our Fall 2016 line!)

These red, embossed cocktail napkins come with a message for any and every kind of family or friend group.

Clean white with just a splash of red, these minimalistic square cards are spunky & festive.

Red may be our favorite color this season, but we aren't leaving behind these retro hues.

Posted on July 15, 2016 by matthew berinato.

Meet Our Retailers: Laguna Exchange

Breathless Paper Company seriously appreciates its retailers. Laguna Exchange in Laguna Beach, California is a Breathless retailer and a shining example of a store that knows what it means to give back to the community. Or, in this case, to give all to the community. We talked to store owner, Dione Hickerson, about what Laguna Exchange is, their philosophy, and which Breathless Paper cards make her laugh the most.

Breathless Paper Co. (BPC): Tell us a little about your shop! How did it start? How long has it been in business? What's your store "philosophy"?

Laguna Exchange (LE): We are a buy-sell-trade clothing store in the Hip District in Laguna Beach. What makes us different is that we are a non-profit, which means 100% of our profit goes back into the community here in Laguna Beach. We work with and help the needy, especially the homeless here. It is incredibly fulfilling. We are tied to a local 501c3 call Net-Works Laguna Beach that has been in the city for a few years now. Our store philosophy is "People Help the People". When people shop and purchase items here, their purchase goes toward helping another person who is trying to enter into a new season of life. We opened one year ago on Memorial Day weekend and we are loving it!

BPC: What kind of customers shop at your store? Do you see a lot of new faces? Any regular customers?

LE: We are so lucky to be in such a great community that is also doubles as a tourist destination much of the year. We get a fabulous balance of locals and tourists. The locals really support and believe in what we are about so we feel very loved. And it is always a blast to meet new people from all over the world.

A display of Laguna Exchange knick knacks + one of their favorite Breathless cards!

BPC: When did you first start carrying Breathless Paper Co. products?

LE: We first started carrying Breathless Paper Co. products early this year and we are truly addicted.

BPC: What first drew you to Breathless' products?

LE: Laguna Beach has a small town feel and we have quickly become family with the other businesses in our neighborhood. One of the long time establishments here, the Stand, had purchased cards from Breathless a while ago and was displaying them at their counter. The owner and I got into a conversation about them and I knew I had to look them up myself. I was instantly smitten. We placed our first order shortly after that.

BPC: Which cards are your bestsellers? Why do you think that is? Do you have a personal favorite?

LE: Our best sellers are a great blend of birthday, encouragement, and the sassily irreverent cards (that we love so much): "So stinkin' cute" and "don't look back, you aren't going that way" are just a few. We display them at the checkout counter and they get chuckles all day long. Honestly, we can't keep the cards in the store; we run out pretty quickly. People love them!

My personal favorites are "You are the jam", "I like a strong woman", "pimpin' ain't easy", and "you are a nerd...and that's why I like you."

BPC: Breathless Paper Co. believes that handwritten notes are still important, even in this modern age. Do you agree? Why is hand-writing things still important?

LE: I do so heartily agree. Handwriting anything is becoming such a lost art, which I feel is tragic, because there is something special and so incredibly personal about handwriting a note. I feel like it shows the recipient that they are worth effort. That they are being thought about fondly. It's vulnerable. It takes thought and creative energy. It's a gift.

BPC: Where do you see your partnership with Breathless Paper Co. going in the future? Are you excited to see the new stuff Breathless is rolling out soon?

LE: Laguna Exchange is devoted to Breathless Paper Co. I am so excited to see their new products and would love to expand to carrying more of their items such as totes, magnets, and coasters in the near future.

BPC: What’s your favorite quote?

LE: I am a total nerd so I have way too many adored quotes to choose one. But at Laguna Exchange we have stickers that we created that say BE LOVE. That's about it for me. Everything hinges on love. And being love to as many people as you can, makes the greatest impact possible on this planet. It's a great mantra to live by. I believe in it wholeheartedly.

We couldn’t be happier that Breathless Paper has found a home-away-from-home amongst the community of Laguna Beach, and we’re even happier to know that Laguna Exchange is doing so much good in for the people! Planning a West Coast trip? Pay them a visit!

Posted on July 7, 2016 by matthew berinato.

Happy Dad's Day from Breathless Paper!

It’s no secret that Breathless Paper Co. is all about celebrating. Our cards revolve around amplifying even the littlest of moments and making them into celebrations of life. Family is one of the things we emphasize most; it comes first.

Breathless Paper Co. founders Matthew & Jessica Berinato with their kids, River & Scout.

With Father’s Day upon us, it’s time to highlight dads, what makes them extra-special, and how we can show them just how important they are. Our rockstar Breathless Paper dad, Matthew Berinato, is the most generous and kind-loving father. He puts his children first one hundred percent of the time, whilst designing Breathless greeting cards and products, and laughing all the while. Yeah, he does a lot.

Without a doubt, you probably know one or two kick-butt dads who also do a lot. We’ve got some ideas on how to show them you care:

We’re all busy, so chances are that quality time with dad is the most valuable gift. If you want a place to maximize dad-time, try this:

Top Golf, Midtown Atlanta or Alpharetta: Whether dad is a golf fanatic or barely a fan, Top Golf puts all the fun of playing sports with dad into one family-friendly experience for various skill levels. One experience with tons of ways to play, a KidZone, and “grown-up” drinks. Or, give dad a gift card and he can go have some “quality time” of his own.

Write dad a note in this card…

Sometimes, a night on the town is what it takes to let loose after a long day/week/month/year’s worth of hard dad-work. Here’s a way for dad to have a night out that’s the perfect balance of relaxed and fun, from one of Atlanta’s up-and-coming hangouts:

City Winery: A new addition to the Ponce City Market area, City Winery is exactly what it sounds like and more. The winery has a line-up of concerts these summer months, and they’re the perfect way to enjoy a classy, music-filled evening. This is for the “wine over beer” kind of dad. Bonus! They even have winemaking classes. Yeah. Best gift ever.

Some notable upcoming shows:

June 19 (Dad’s Day!): Todd Snider with Rorey Carroll

June 24: Carl Verheyen Band & Andy McKee

June 29: The Weepies

July 3: Don McLean

(And tons more! Visit CityWinery.com for more details!)

Write dad a note in this card…

For the dad that isn’t “wine over beer” Atlanta is filled with top-notch breweries to tour and brews to taste. Take dad and let him take his time being handed some of the best beers in Atlanta and the southeast. See our recommendations below!

Orpheus Brewing: Orpheus Brewing overlooks Piedmont Park and the Beltline. That’s hard to beat. Noted for their artisan packaging and off-the-wall beer names, the year round offerings plus “Bone Tablet” IPAs, sours and limited addition brews will not disappoint. Faves: Transmigration & Serpent Bite

Second Self Beer Company: Second Self is a beer company characterized by brews that pair well with foods and experiences. A company led by two foodies, if dad’s all about having the perfect beer with lunch or dinner, this is for him. Faves: Thai Wheat

Monday Night Brewing: Monday Night is becoming an Atlanta staple. The iconic “man with fit in air” logo is the company’s claim-to-fame, and if you or dad doesn’t think they’ve heard of Monday Night, you’ve probably seen the colorful cans around. Does “Weekends Are Overrated” ring a bell? Faves: Eye Patch Ale & Slap Fight.

Write dad a note in this card...

Whatever way you celebrate, do so with joy. Happy Father's Day from our family to yours!

Our rockstar dad (Matthew Berinato) with Scout.

Posted on June 19, 2016 by matthew berinato and tagged family father's day Breathless Paper Co. deep south social kids father's day guide top golf atlanta city winery monday night brewing orpheus brewing second self beer company stationery makers.

Best Friends' Day

It’s almost time for National Best Friends Day! On June 8, prepare for 24 hours of social media love proclamation and an excuse to endlessly and publicly fawn over your best friend(s) and politely embarrass them with old photos featuring braces and bad haircuts. But really, Best Friends Day is pretty cool. Friends are so necessary and important. Ideally, you’re throwing some love toward your friends on a daily basis, but it goes without saying that life is hectic and much too fast and sometimes we forget. To our Atlantans, here are a few ways we suggest to slow it down and spread the love (plus some awesome cards to accompany your adventures):

Squeeze in some time at the (juice) bar! The juice cleanse isn’t a myth. Share a juice (or get your own, because you know you want to) with your best friend and feel good while doing it. Inman Park, Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market all have perfect places to sip and share a moment (or two or three). Kale Me Crazy in Inman Park has fresh juices and smoothies, plus wraps and salads to munch on if you feel like extending your juice-date beyond the juice. Nature’s Garden Express in Krog Street Market offers wheatgrass shots (yes, that’s a thing), juices and smoothies. They also have groceries from local vendors. They’re all about reducing their footprint on the environment; so you’ll feel good, not just from the juice. Lastly, if you’re hanging around PCM, check out the Lucky Lotus Juice Bar. Sipping something yummy in the ambience of PCM is the perfect way to celebrate with your favorite friend(s). And you can get some shopping in too.

The perfect “Juice Date” card:

Laughter is the best medicine...and the best way to celebrate. Head to Dad’s Garage on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday. What’s Dad’s Garage? An improv theatre company housed in an old church in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. There’s arguably no better way to spend a night than doubled over, laughing with your favorite person. Plus, you can enjoy a beer while watching (but be sure not to spit it out mid-laugh).

Best card for the “Funny Friend”:

The fan favorite: Brunch. Atlanta is overflowing with good brunch spots, and there’s something about sharing an 11AM almost-breakfast/almost-lunch that really brings people together. Highland Bakery is a prime spot for people watching, buying fresh breads and donuts, or sitting down to eat a killer eggs benedict or sweet potato pancakes. Once you’re done ogling the food and saying “yuuuummm” you’ll have the opportunity for good conversation and some rekindling of “the friendship fire.” Cheesy but true. Want something especially classy? Head to the recently opened Bread & Butterfly brasserie for pastries and omelettes and wine — European style. Their menus have names like “Petit Déjeuner” and their brunch menu sports “Shrimp Remoulade” and “Brioche Toast.” Yeah. It’s the perfect amount of casual and fancy. Let’s face it, Brunch is perfect for any special occasion. Or any weekend, really. But we recommend making brunch dates your National Best Friends Day staple.

A baking-themed card to fit the mood for food (yes, there’s a baking-themed card):

Don’t forget to take a second to celebrate and appreciate. Happy Best Friends Day from Breathless Paper Company!

Posted on June 8, 2016 by matthew berinato.

Southern Town Visit.

We love visiting awesome Southern Towns we have not been to! {Plus, getting to go in to shops that carry our goods is always exciting, it never gets old. We always feel so very thankful.} And, we had been dying to go see Nashville and Franklin TN, so we went. And, we had a wonderful time and really LOVED so many things! OMG, the shops, the food, the music and the mountains. Let me tell you, we could not get enough.

The beautiful sky welcomed us! Here is what you see when you look up at The Factory at Franklin.

We arrived, after hanging out and listening to great music, just the two of us on the four hour drive. It was the very first time we left our little ones {except our one night, a few miles down the road staycation trial run}. They were with my parents and had a ball. We drove into Franklin first. It is such a sweet little town. And, also really cool! We drove around a bit and then headed to Nashville to check into our hotel and make our plan of action.

We decided to head to Hillsboro Village to visit Pangaea. This shop is the definition of fun!! You can get a perfect gift for anyone, for any occasion! It is filled with clothing, books, accessories, jewelry & more! I just had to get a super funny trick camera for our little guy. It is a Valentine’s Day treat. We love being part of Pangaea! Here is their site, check it out: http://pangaeanashville.com. Next, we went to grab a coffee and a snack at Fido, http://www.bongojava.com/fido-cafe/about/. We walked around a bit more and headed to the neighborhood, 12 South.

It was getting dark when we got to 12 South and buzzing everywhere! We parked and walked around to check it out. We stopped in to one of our fave restaurants Bar Taco {we have it in Atlanta too} to grab dinner. We sat at the bar and had a great time! We did a little window shopping and were excited to visit during the day.

White's Mercantile (12 South), an AMAZING general store for the Modern-Day Tastemaker!

The amazing paper section in White's Mercantile! Check out those Breathless Paper Co. Cards!!

We woke up to a little bit of a dreary day but it did get better as the day went on. We headed out to visit White’s Mercantile in the 12 South neighborhood. All I have to say is I FELL IN LOVE. This is seriously one of the most beautiful, well curated shops I have ever been to. Seeing our cards in their mix was sooooooo exciting. Please, visit this place if you ever get a chance. But shop with them online until then, because you will totally not regret it! Here is their site: www.whitesmercantile.com. Incase you have not checked out Holly Williams {she is not only so talented in creating the coziest most fabulous shop, she is a musician you will love!!!}. Next up was breakfast which we enjoyed at The Frothy Monkey. Great coffee! And a super relaxing atmosphere.

Next on our we have to do list was going to Two Old Hippies! This has to be the coolest shop ever. It is a really great unique spot. They have an amazing selection of women’s and men’s clothing, candles, home goods, shoes, paper goods, a live music stage (yes! they have live music events), and The Vault. Matt plays guitar and he said it was just an unbelievable space! They sell beautiful awesome guitars. We will be ordering one for our little guy, we just could not decide when we were there. you MUST visit this place, that I would call a Lifestyle shop at its finest! http://www.twooldhippies.com

We went to East Nashville to take a look around and stopped by Kitty Nashville. It is filled with so much for us ladies to pick through. Beautiful, cozy and perfect ‘go out' clothing! You can take a look here: http://kittynashville.com.

From there, we went to spend the rest of our day in Franklin. It is only about thirty minutes from Downtown Nashville. We went to The Factory at Franklin. It is a super cool space. It is old warehouse space turned into offices, retail, a theatre and restaurants! We decided to get a snack from Franklin Juice Company, http://www.franklinjuice.com/juice. And, what a great choice! It was DELICIOUS!!! I got a smoothie and Matt got this crazy awesome (I had a bunch of bites) juice bowl. Ugh, now I want that, as I am writing. From the Factory we went to the super cute Downtown. We had to check out White’s Mercantile’s new Franklin spot. It’s ya know, awesome! We had lunch at Gray’s, http://www.graysonmain.com which has a great atmosphere.

And, after the very full day, we had a dinner reservation at Husk, http://www.husknashville.com. Fantastic is an understatement! It was the most quaint and the most cool space. I am not sure how else to describe it. Just GO and check it out!!

Ok, I have basically told you so much about our trip, and as you can see we just loved Nashville! We visited a ton of shops, I highlighted some of the most favorite stops and Nashville gave me all the feels!! Matt and I love folky country music so we fit right in;)! And, while I am talking about it, I just have to say you must check out CAM, I can NOT get enough of her right now. She is so so so amazing!!! http://www.camuntamed.com.

We will have to make another trip back to make it to all the other wonderful customers we have there that we never got to! We can not wait to see you again, thanks Nashville!

We saw this #givethanks painted behind the Frothy Monkey as we headed out of town back to Atlanta, and it was the perfect message.

Posted on February 6, 2016 by matthew berinato and tagged Nashville Breathless Paper Co. Southern Town Whites Mercantile Two Old Hippies 12 South Franklin.

And that's how it's done.

Just like that, the Atlanta Gift Show came and went. We prepared (a lot!), set up our booth, had four non stop days of the gift show and then broke it all down. It was a whirlwind as always and now, we are in the midst of all the other shows with our awesome reps.

We LOVE our space in Atlanta. It is in High Design and we have been in the same space for seven years now! It feels like our tradeshow home.

Here are a few photos documenting set up to break down so you can get the idea.

The walls and rug went down and then we start placing all the furniture pieces.

Next up are all the shelves, signs and small details before the product gets placed.

Ta-da! Product is set up and the booth is all ready to go.

Our happy little Deep South Social Booth Fam! Here we are, during pack up.

Breakdown, is never fun after the long days of the show.

All packed up. And that's how it's done.

Posted on January 24, 2016 by matthew berinato.

Show season is just about here.

Every six months it's show season. And somehow it feels like it is impossible that six whole, entire months have gone by. We always are FULL of ideas. I think I should say, that I am always overly full of ideas and Matt has to help, get me focused on what is possible to accomplish and accomplish well. Thank goodness for that! Haha! It is why I truly think we made our sweet little company able to be what it is today. We have been true to our partnership and work as a team, always.

Matt (my awesometastic husband) is truly an amazing designer. He stays true to our brand and creates every single card. I only come in on the design process at two different stages. The first is the ideas, concepting and laughing. And, the second is at the end to talk colors and final touches. Sometimes, we will change an idea that point in the process too. Because, we ultimately are aiming to create goods we personally love but most importantly that others love so everything sells great.

This month, in Atlanta at Americasmart (our first show of the season), we are launching our newest line. Oh my, m g (as our son says), am I excited!! It is soooooo fun. It is an all Birthday line of cards, celebrating the one day a year that every single person in the world has their own day to be celebrated. I am also pretty psyched on the name AND logo!! It is Blowing Candles by Breathless Paper Co. We did this line different then all our other lines. But, it still looks great side by side with every other line. Matt took paint, brushes, rollers and paper to create shapes and textures. Then, manipulated them to work how he wanted for each card design. He changed the colors and then added the type (as always we bought some great new ones). It is a fun artsy bright line. So, we did coordinating color envelopes instead of keeping it all the same. We can not wait to see how the response is!

Posted on January 3, 2016 by matthew berinato.

New Year. New Blog.

It has been a long (too long) while since we did this; posted a blog. But, this new year, we are getting back to it! We will be featuring some of our awesome retailers, our favorite things, little tid bits we want to share and of course, what is happening around our studio.

As you can see, we got a great new website last year. It is still a bit of a work in progress, but in just a few weeks it will be all complete! We are instagramming, totally follow us and tag us #breathlesspaper! We shifted a bit, back to our roots to ensure the best customer service we can possibly provide. We choose to make certain all territories we are covered by reps in are working great for all our retailers.

Basically, we have had a TON going on and are just so incredibly thankful for every big and little step we take. We have not been able to stay on top of everything but in this new year, we are going to have a lot of fun sharing all kinds of things with you. And, doing lots of fun giveaways to say thanks for loving our little company so much!

Happiest New Year! xo

Posted on January 1, 2016 by matthew berinato.