Dear Everyone ~

Next Saturday, August 6, is the first Stationery Store Day (SSD) in recorded history! Several hundred independent stationery stores across the U.S. and around the world will celebrate the myriad delights & details of communicating on paper. Bari Zaki Studio and A. Favorite Design are proud to be Chicago’s ambassadors on this exciting occasion.

I have now received the official kit of promotional loot, which I declare swag-tacular! Decanting the box prompted plenty o’ oohing & aahing. Postcards and stickers and tote bags, o my! And posters, one of which I have put in my front window.

The in-store shopping scenario for Saturday will be my usual “by appointment or serendipity.” Email, text, or call to confirm a time for your browse. With a purchase of $25 (pre-tax), you will have your choice of a Stationery Store Day postcard or sticker to tuck into your Bari Zaki Studio Stationery Store Day (BZSSSD!) giftie, which we will show you in a minute.

Behold: a presentation-size (9 x 12) golden kraft envelope with a sheet of deep cream flecked cardstock; a Fabriano Medioevalis 6 x 8 envelope with its distinctive flap, paired with a sheet of Rivoli Rose notepaper; a smallish glassine envelope with a strip of perfectly epistolary postage from the Letterwriting issue of 1980, so these stamps have just slid into “vintage” territory. A teeny butterfly clip covered in Japanese decorative paper closes the envelope and secures our storefront postcard, illustrated by Janet Bouldin.

Because we are ardent equal-opportunity shopkeepers, online shoppers may place their Stationery Store Day orders beginning at noon (Chicago time) to receive the BZSSSD giftie (while supplies last). We will likewise include an SSD postcard or sticker (while supplies last). As usual, the early coot catches the loot.

Drop in ’n’ shop, Bari

P.S.
Amber Favorite’s letterpress studio and shop will be in full swing. You can even pull a mini-print on her tabletop press. She’s offering a gift-with-purchase while supplies last. Her shop is located in Albany Park at 4432 N. Kedzie Avenue. It’s an easy drive from here or there.