59 episodes

Get your design fix in the stationery community's only five-star paper salon, where Sarah hosts a charming mishmosh of intriguing personalities & players.

The Paper Fold Evergreen Podcasts

    • Arts
    • 5.0 • 22 Ratings

Get your design fix in the stationery community's only five-star paper salon, where Sarah hosts a charming mishmosh of intriguing personalities & players.

    Lauren Miele of KushKards

    Lauren Miele of KushKards

    What does it mean to be a disruptor? For Lauren Miele of KushKards, it means getting people to talk about you when you are not around. And that's precisely how *I* first heard about this cannabis-tinged brand at its National Stationery Show debut in early 2020. There, KushKards distinguished itself out of the gate by winning Best New Product for its Polka Pot Gift Bag — an enormous accomplishment not just as a newbie but also a sign of the quick inroads she made in our sometimes rather traditional community.
    Meanwhile, Lauren didn't just bring cannabis to stationery and gifts, she also brought greeting cards to the male-dominated cannabis industry. Soon thereafter, Lauren officially entered the burgeoning sexual wellness domain by attaching vibrators instead of one-hitters to her card designs.
    Now Lauren spills on everything from social media strategy to troll management. To her, it's all about embracing what she is disrupting — and even becoming the niche itself. And just as she provides 'a gift with a lift' with her offerings, Lauren's path illuminates how any brand can blaze to the righteous spot it deserves.
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    • 55 min
    Shannon Martin of Shannon Martin Design

    Shannon Martin of Shannon Martin Design

    Every picture tells a story — unless you are Shannon Martin, of course: Her pictures tell your stories as well. Now celebrating 20 years in business, Shannon Martin Design's signature sepia creations have attained a definite ubiquity and immediate recognition. That's no easy task, and Shannon takes us behind the scenes to share how she consistently churns out distinctive designs by turns heartfelt and humorous — AKA, the Lay's potato chip of greeting cards.
    As an OG stationery maker, Shannon's wholesale strategy is as polished as her designs; once a retailer commits to stock this range, it's typically the start of a long, fruitful relationship. At the core of both her artistry and her business savvy is a commitment to authentic connection that cannot be faked.
    Thus in both product and practice, she shows us all how to embrace our inner Pippi Longstocking, not our inner Kardashian. This grande dame of design also provides a glimpse into her own stationery ritual — a must for any paper nerd!
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    • 1 hr 1 min
    Dominique Schurman of NIQUEA.D

    Dominique Schurman of NIQUEA.D

    Like all my guests, Dominique Schurman is a paper nerd .... but one with a most distinguished stationery pedigree! In 1950, her father Marcel founded Schurman Fine Papers, which, informed by his global "treasure hunts," brought exquisite stationery artistry and bespoke paper traditions to American shelves. Meanwhile, her mother Margrit opened the first PAPYRUS store in Berkeley, California, in 1973. That one exclusive stationery shop would grow to over 450 stores throughout the US and Canada. Dominique joined the family business in 1982, so when she founded NIQUEA.D in 2020, she drew on decades of wisdom gained from her many sourcing trips as well as her extensive retail experiences.
    With NIQUEA.D's founding, the artisanal embellishments that can elevate stationery from commodity to fine art were officially back in circulation. From flocking to letterpress to ornate foiling to tipped-in pages, this upscale card range is treasure to send and receive — every last one a joy to pull out of the proverbial drawer to revisit in posterity. Moreso, its Collector's Edition Cards raise the handmade stakes exponentially, presenting larger-than-life designs full of striking surprises, like double envelopes and wooden papercuts inside. Combined with a heartfelt message from a loved one, the opening of every last one of these texture-rich keepsakes is a experience to remember.
    Dominique shares what it was like growing up in a stationery family, and also provides a glimpse into her famed eye. How exactly does one go about generating not just the right card at the right time with the right words, but something that has never been created before? Listen in to truly appreciate the enormous gift Dominique is to the entire stationery community.
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    • 1 hr 12 min
    Christy Asper of Paper Baristas

    Christy Asper of Paper Baristas

    Can a maker make the world a better place, one gorgeous, handmade sheet of Fair Trade paper at a time? For Chisty Asper, the answer is a resounding yes — and her efforts involve so much more than simply donating a small percentage of her profits to charity. Instead, every last Paper Baristas offering is brewed to do good by careful, complicated design.
    This Iowa house of paper has a lofty mission: Leave this earth better than its current state — emotionally, culturally and spiritually. By deeply aligning with IJM, a global non-profit that partners with communities to end modern slavery, exploitation and abuse, and employing survivors of sex trafficking in India, Christy and her husband Jon Marc help liberate people and families. In India, their employees, often victims of the Caste System, receive a living wage to up-cycle cotton rag discards into the brand's wood-free, pollution-free paper. Plans are also underway to start a similar operation in Mexico.
    If you ever thought one person couldn't change countless lives for the better, think again. For the 50 million people that IJM estimates are currently victims of modern-day slavery, freedom and safety are now that much closer, spurred on by every last Paper Baristas purchase. So while Christy's exquisitely letterpressed, deckle-edged cards and planners are inspiring in and of themselves, her never-ending passion and dedication to this cause is legitimately awe-inspiring.
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    • 49 min
    Holiday Junkie: Jennifer Love Hewitt x 2021 Co.

    Holiday Junkie: Jennifer Love Hewitt x 2021 Co.

    It's officially the spooky season, so I've got a triple treat! The actress Jennifer Love Hewitt drops in The Paper Fold along with the power duo that is 2021 Co. — Nicole Couto and Emily King — to talk all things Holiday Junkie. This refers of course to the ever-growing collection the three have collaborated on to celebrate the joy and magic of various holidays — but it's also a certain state of mind.
    For Jennifer, Halloween is a way of life; for 2021 Co., it is a fresh category through which their brand can bring us closer to those we love. Jennifer is not just the biggest celebrity to champion stationery that I can recall, her approach to connecting through the medium is as fresh as it is funny. Jennifer obviously brings star power to the table and is a clever card-writer extraordinaire, but it is really authentic connection that lies at the heart of every Holiday Junkie design.
    Don't miss out as we examine the distinctive power of paper to traverse time and space —  and how that has shaped each of us both personally and professionally. It's downright impossible not to be inspired by the spirit of collaboration among these three powerful women, so listen in to bring your own personal Holiday Junkie to life!
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    • 59 min
    Suzy Ultman

    Suzy Ultman

    I really like Suzy Ultman’s chutzpah … and you will too, nerds! Suzy is a lifelong and prolific illustrator, card and stationery designer, toy creator, and bookmaker. The simultaneously sophisticated and simple objects that she brings to offbeat life delight young and old alike. 
    Really, every last one of her playful creations — and even her much-loved Instagram feed — are but a medium through which she spins many a tale to her super-engaged audience. Now, on the heels of her vibrant letterpress card collab with the esteemed Egg Press, Suzy drops in The Paper Fold to share not just her story, but her backstory as well.
    Don’t miss our chat on licensing, creativity, the creative process, beginner’s mind, collaboration as well as thoughtfully conceptualizing merchandise in a waste-filled world. And, since Suzy and I are both Jewish, and September brings with it the Jewish New Year — a time for looking backwards and forwards — we discuss how those values, memories and traditions guide us.
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    • 56 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
22 Ratings

22 Ratings

heavenlydebbie ,

Outstanding, never disappoints.

I relish the time I carve out to listen to the Paper Fold with charismatic host Sarah Schwartz. I enjoy her selection of guests, the interesting conversations and all the new paper insights I come away with, plus it is very entertaining.❤️❤️

muzic lova ,

An Industry Must!

As someone who has been in the stationery industry for many years (never mind how many, Nosy Parker), I can say that this podcast is a wonderful addition to our world. For anyone who’s been doing this for years or someone just starting out, it’s so interesting to hear of others’ experiences along with some of the pitfalls. And Sarah Schwartz, who loves paper as much as we all do, is the perfect host! You can see her journalism background shining through.

Clevelynne ,

Lover of stationery

I am a consumer of all things paper. I stumbled across this podcast and enjoy the lovely banter between Sarah and her guests. It is both entertaining and interesting! Thank you for creating this podcast—it’s perfect for all of us “paper nerds”.

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