Collection of note
Stationery store owner finds her paper place.
By Andrea Estrada
South Coast Beacon

While nothing beats e-mail for split-second communication, it doesn’t compare to the thrill of opening one’s mailbox and seeing the familiar handwriting of a family member or friend peeking out from a stack of bills or junk flyers.

For people who have both the time and inclination to commit their thoughts to paper via pen and ink, The Stationery Collection in Montecito Village offers all the requisite materials.

Although The Stationery Collection has existed for some 60 years since founder Paul Scott opened its doors in the 1940s, current owner Nancy Corradini marks her 10th anniversary in the stationery business this year.

To celebrate the occasion, Corradini has introduced the Thornwillow Press Gallery of Paper, Printing, Books & Binding, an upscale and artful line of handmade stationery and limited edition book masterpieces. The Stationery Collection is the exclusive Southern California distributor of Thornwillow’s products.

“Thornwillow Press developed into a paper business because (founder) Luke Pontifell wanted handmade paper for his books,” said Corradini. “He found a press in the Czech Republic in the bought it.” Pontifell also found archives of old engravings, molds and “old way of making paper,” continued Corradini.

Thornwillow Press writing paper and invitations can be purchased off the shelf at The Stationery Collection or custom ordered with monograms, text or artwork.

“Printing can be hand-engraved or letter-pressed using old-world techniques,” Corradini said. “The mill has a remarkable collection of old dies and Thornwillow Press complements them by commissioning new artwork for the boxed products.”

The limited edition books, she added, which currently number 20 titles, are available at no more than 10 Thornwillow Galleries throughout the United States, including Bergdorf Goodman and Gump’s in San Francisco. Customers may also have their own favorite books rebound in leathers or cloth with marbled endpapers or can commission new works of their own choosing.

Thornwillow books, which range in price from $400 to $800, “are art pieces as much as books,” said Corradini.

At The Stationery Collection, Corradini carries products from more than 200 manufacturers including Crane’s, William Arthur, Mont Blanc and Graphic Image. Fine writing paper and elegant writing instruments mingle with catchy greeting cards, pre-printed invitations, clever party favors and table accessories such as paper plates, napkins and candles.

“It has to be useful,” she said of each item in her inventory. “It can’t just be pretty.”

Much of Corradini’s business comes from regular clients who call on her to help them spread the word about family milestones such as engagements, weddings, births and even deaths. In between, she provides holiday cards, bar and bat mitzvah announcements and invitations to events both large and small.

“Our files read like little stories of our clients’ lives,” Corradini noted.

Years of experience in the stationery business has given Corradini an unexpected expertise in wedding planning, which she happily shares with altar-bound brides and grooms. She has developed a network of florists, caterers, musicians, photographers, as well as compiling a lending library of the most popular wedding planning guides and magazines.

“Brides can come in and borrow them so they don’t have to go out and buy them,” she said.

Corradini got into the stationery business several years ago when her husband purchased a stationery franchise in Arcadia called Papyrus.

“Usually he turned them over after four years and bought something else,” explained Corradini, who managed the shop. “But I liked doing it. So he sold that business and had bought this store around the same time. We’d heard about the Montecito shop from one of my sales reps.”

Under the watchful eye of Koko, the shop dog and sometime mascot, Corradini runs the business with assistance from long-time staffers Karen Kester, Gwen Randolph and Joanna Shafer, the graphic artist who is also the store’s caligrapher.