Page 39 - Jan 2019 MM

When Bob Anderson purchased a newspaper stand in the mid-1960s, it’s unlikely he envisioned what The Paper Store would become more than 50 years later: a thriving 80-store regional chain
of gift stores, run by his entire family.
“The store I bought in 1964 was absolutely nothing like we have today,” he recalls.
“It was just 700 square feet, and we sold newspapers, magazines and tobacco. We added onto it, bought another store, and then another. The most exciting thing is that as each one of my kids graduated from college, they came to work with us.”
It was around 1989 when Bob’s oldest son, as well as his wife, Peggie, joined
the business, and Peggie spent the next few years expanding into different product categories. As they completed college, three other siblings as well as other family members joined the family business, and Peggie stepped back in order to help take care of the grandkids, numbering 18 now.
Evolving the mix
While the name, The Paper Store, has never changed, certainly the merchandise mix has, as consumers’ use of paper
has evolved in this digital age. Meg Lavoie, Bob’s daughter and co-owner and general merchandise manager of the
store, says, “Over the years, our backdrop has been Hallmark,” which Bob initially started carrying in the early 1970s. “In this changing, high-tech world, with everything that’s going on, the sentiment Hallmark represents: family, community, and celebrating life’s occasions, like birthdays, anniversaries, housewarmings ... those are never going to go away and will always be essential elements of The Paper Store,” Meg adds.
The management team changes and curates its product mix based on what’s trending in society, with its target customer being today’s busy woman, whether
she’s a working professional or a stay-
at-home mom with a full schedule.
The company wisely locates its stores in
local communities next to grocery stores, to make it convenient for customers to quickly drop in to pick up a birthday gift for a Saturday morning party, or a hostess gift for a book club on Friday night.
Providing what’s needed
Paper goods comprise about 20 percent of the store’s business, and focus on what Meg sees as the most important incarnation of how women use stationery and paper: “It’s what women keep in their lives to make it more beautiful,” she says.
“If you open her purse, you’ll find a pretty notebook. We sell a lot of notebooks and agendas from brands such as Kate Spade, Lilly Pulitzer, Ban.do,” as well as the store’s own private-label line, Legacy & Main.
And of course cards, thank-you notes, stationery, wrapping paper, gift bags and other items are an important component; the company chooses to focus on these paper categories at the moment, rather than custom stationery.
“We are fortunate to have developed a loyal customer base,” says Meg. “This is due
in part to customers knowing they can count on The Paper Store to always have the latest on-trend products plus essential go-to gift items.” >
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