It’s that time of year when we look forward to all that fall brings – cooler temperatures, football games and the shift from our summer clothes to our fall wardrobe. There are countless magazine articles and social media posts devoted to the latest trends in fall fashion, but not many address a person’s stationery “wardrobe.” Jody Geary of Stovall Collection shares her thoughts on what’s fashionable in stationery and paper products.
Jody was born in Dallas but spent most of her childhood in London, where she developed her aesthetic. After attending Ole Miss, she married her college sweetheart and settled in Memphis. She worked for Baylor Stovall, the previous owner of Stovall Collection, as store manager for about 5 years before purchasing the store in 2018. Since then, Jody has put her personal touch on the store as communication trends away from paper to electronic communications. Her passion for creating beautiful stationery and invitations is evident in our conversation.
What type of services do you offer at Stovall Collection?
Our ‘bread and butter’ is custom stationery and invitations. The whole experience is highly creative; whether we’re planning a 50th birthday party or designing a full stationery suite, each meeting feels like we are building a personal or event brand. In addition to stationery and invitations, we create custom holiday cards (my favorite!), birth announcements, sympathy notes and moving announcements—you name it, we can create it.
In your opinion, how has written communication changed in the last few decades? What is the value of the handwritten note?
It really is remarkable how quickly our generation (I’m 37) went from flip phones in college that could barely send a text to minicomputers (iPhones) practically attached to our hands. In my opinion, things have changed so rapidly that people are now unsure of when to send a letter. I'm here to tell you that a handwritten note holds even more meaning today than it did decades ago.
Please describe what types of stationery and other products you recommend for the person who enjoys writing old-fashioned thank you notes?
Most personalized notes these days are very chic, thanks to endless customization and colorful details. I would say writing a handwritten note is the new fashion, not old-fashioned! Think delicious colored paper, hand-painted borders and envelope liners inspired by wallpaper.
If you are starting from scratch, I recommend flat notecards, not too large, in neutral paper and ink colors. This works well for notes of gratitude, sympathy or simply ‘you are on my mind.’ I never tire of tonal combinations like pale blue paper paired with a lovely indigo ink or warm grey paper with charcoal ink.
What do you feel are essential items for a complete stationery wardrobe?
A well-rounded stationery wardrobe might include:
1. Small, flat notecards for everyday, casual notes
2. Small, folded notecards for sympathy or formal thank you notes
3. Small letter sheets, used less often, but perfect for longer messages
4. Casual gift tags
5. Dressy gift tags for weddings or special occasions
6. Holiday gift tags
For men, a good set of notecards and coordinating letter sheets are all they need.
What do you recommend for a younger person, and how do those recommendations change as someone matures?
Children should start using folded notes or cards as soon as they can write, usually around kindergarten. Until then, I suggest parents use their own personalized notes on their child’s behalf, since the note is coming from the parent. Because custom stationery often comes with higher minimums (like 50 notecards), I recommend designing something clean and timeless that your child can use through high school!
By high school, it’s important to encourage and teach the art of letter writing. Make sure they have something appropriate (it doesn’t have to be fancy!) for graduation thank you notes, internship applications, college admissions and job opportunities. This is such an important time to have proper stationery.
Gift tags are also important at this age—gifting is an art, just like note-writing, and teens should be involved in (or at least aware of) the meaningful process of giving a thoughtful, well-presented gift!
What are the different printing options when customizing stationery?
There are four main types of printing for stationery: flat printing, thermography, engraving and letterpress.
Flat-printed notecards are widely available (Minted, etc.) and printed on large machines—not by hand—which makes this print process budget-friendly. I use flat-printing for full-color artwork, like a watercolor crest. It’s also great for young children, who may have mess-ups.
Thermography was developed to mimic the raised ink you see in engraving. It’s machine-printed by melting tiny plastic particles that sit on top of the paper to create a raised, shiny finish. Personally, I prefer flat-printing over thermography because of the shine, but I will say, for men’s notes, using a dark ink—like chocolate or black—I think thermography is a great option.
Letterpress printing is a wonderful, old process—ink is mixed by hand, and paper is fed into a 100-year-old machine powered by a foot pedal. It’s a great option for women looking for their first set of ‘nice’ stationery—it feels elevated but has a casual, happy vibe. Since the ink is pressed into the paper, I recommend sticking with white or pale-colored paper here.
Engraving (which has my heart) is done on another ancient machine, with each piece of paper hand-fed one at a time. The inks are vibrant—I lean into metallics, jewel tones or even pale ink on dark paper (think baby blue on poppy red!). Engraving is a more significant investment: your personalization is etched into a small copper plate, or die, that can be reused with different paper and ink combinations. Maybe it’s my British nostalgia, but something about those crisp lines engraved in a skinny font, just a touch smaller than usual, feels like stepping back in time. Add a fun paper and ink combo, and you have my love language—timeless printing paired with a fresh, modern twist.
The staff at Stovall Collection takes pride in creating unique pieces for each customer. Jody recommends making an appointment if you are interested in creating custom stationery or invitations, so that she and her staff can devote proper time to each customer and pull samples ahead of time to get the creative juices flowing. The energy they bring to a personal project is contagious and makes the process exciting and fun.
A handwritten note holds more meaning today than it did decades ago.
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