Hallmark Stores

[retiredguy123]

I don't know when it happened, but the two Hallmark stores at Lake Sumter and Lady Lake are now called The Paper Store. Hallmark says they are closing a number of stores because more people are using the Internet to send greeting cards. But, to me, the huge increase in the cost of greeting cards may also have something to do with it. I never like receiving an electronic greeting card.

[Stu from NYC]

I don't know when it happened, but the two Hallmark stores at Lake Sumter and Lady Lake are now called The Paper Store. Hallmark says they are closing a number of stores because more people are using the Internet to send greeting cards. But, to me, the huge increase in the cost of greeting cards may also have something to do with it. I never like receiving an electronic greeting card.

The outrageous cost of greeting cards led to people going other routes.

[Smalley]

The Hallmark store devoted a tiny amount of space to greeting cards and the selection has suffered. It's mostly a gift shop now. Where can one find the best selection of funny greeting cards that don't cost $6. each?????

[retiredguy123]

The Hallmark store devoted a tiny amount of space to greeting cards and the selection has suffered. It's mostly a gift shop now. Where can one find the best selection of funny greeting cards that don't cost $6. each?????
Publix often offers a buy one get one sale for Hallmark cards.

[njbchbum]

The outrageous cost of greeting cards led to people going other routes.

Not to mention the ever increasing cost of a stamp to mail a card!

[justjim]

We still do greeting cards. Dollar tree usually has a pretty fair selection at a good price.

[Keefelane66]

Not to mention the ever increasing cost of a stamp to mail a card!
The easy way out of that is deliver it yourself.

[Mleeja]

Ollie’s in Leesburg has a good selection of greeting cards as low as $.99 each. We will buy a bunch of birthday cards to have on hand. (Then forget we have the and pay $6.00 for a card from Walgreens or Publix.)

[Michael 61]

I was unaware Hallmark stores still existed. I don’t think I have stepped foot into one this century.

[coralway]

Bought a Valentines Day card - $9.05.

[Garywt]

I always felt the Hallmark and the Paper Store were the same thing.

[NotGolfer]

Bought a Valentines Day card - $9.05.

Yeah....went to find a couple of birthday cards recently and put back one's that cost that much. NOT doing it!!!! They get read then thrown away. Hallmark is over-priced!

[Michael 61]

I stoped buying cards and wrapping paper years ago - gifts go into a gift bag - and I hand the bag to the recipient.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I always felt the Hallmark and the Paper Store were the same thing.

They sort of are, in a roundabout way. The Paper Store purchased over 100 Hallmark "Gold Crown" stores over the last dozen or so years. Hallmark isn't just a brand name for greeting cards, it's also a brand name for brick and mortar stores, christmas ornaments, and a variety of other gift items.

The Paper Store doesn't own Hallmark Greeting Cards, but they own a lot of the Hallmark stores and enjoy the right to sell Hallmark-branded products (among others).

The Hallmark Gold Crown store in my hometown got bought out years ago by the Paper Store, so when I came down here I was actually surprised that the Hallmark store hadn't already been bought out.

[BrianL99]

They sort of are, in a roundabout way. The Paper Store purchased over 100 Hallmark "Gold Crown" stores over the last dozen or so years. Hallmark isn't just a brand name for greeting cards, it's also a brand name for brick and mortar stores, christmas ornaments, and a variety of other gift items.

The Paper Store doesn't own Hallmark Greeting Cards, but they own a lot of the Hallmark stores and enjoy the right to sell Hallmark-branded products (among others).

The Hallmark Gold Crown store in my hometown got bought out years ago by the Paper Store, so when I came down here I was actually surprised that the Hallmark store hadn't already been bought out.

The Paper Store was started by a guy I know, in Maynard, MA back in the late 60's. His Dad & Uncle owned the local Ford Dealership and Bobby Anderson bought the local "paper store". When I say "paper store", that's exactly what it was. It was tiny and sold newspapers, stationary supplies and some greeting cards. Bobby also partnered with a couple of other guys, on a "free Advertising" booklet that they distributed.

The original Paper Stores claim to fame back in the day, was the hired the prettiest and smartest female students to work behind the counter. Getting a job at The Paper Store, for a high school girl, was like getting named Prom Queen. You had to be smart, pretty and adhere to a very strict dress code while working there.

Bob eventually expanded the existing store and then opened a couple of more stores in neighboring communities. One in Clinton and I think the next, was in Acton. He then started to expand his inventories to include "knick knacks" and other gift items. As recently as 10-15 years ago, Bob himself was at the Maynard store most every day.

They've now expanded to well over 100 stores and Bob grandson is now the CEO, if I'm not mistaken. Their only major hiccup, was when they filed Bankruptcy during Covid. It turned out to be a very smart move for them, as they renegotiated many of their Leases and lowered their operational costs, significantly.

I think Bob's father lent him $5,000 to get it all started. The Paper Store is a great American success story.

[HeleneGB]

Family Dollar Store

[NoMo50]

Dollar Tree is the place to go for greeting cards, wrapping paper, gift bags and the like. They have a huge selection of cards, many of which are just 50 cents.

[bowlingal]

walmart also has cards starting at 99 cents

[Gunny2403]

No offense but you’re one of the reasons they made the change. Clearly you don’t go there often since the change is well over 6 months old.

[Suzay]

I don't know when it happened, but the two Hallmark stores at Lake Sumter and Lady Lake are now called The Paper Store. Hallmark says they are closing a number of stores because more people are using the Internet to send greeting cards. But, to me, the huge increase in the cost of greeting cards may also have something to do with it. I eceiving an electronic greeting card.

I buy Hallmark Cards at the Dollar Tree Stores,your paying 5.99 or more in a Hallmark Stores

[retiredguy123]

No offense but you’re one of the reasons they made the change. Clearly you don’t go there often since the change is well over 6 months old.
Probably. I don't see any reason to go to a Hallmark store when you can buy Hallmark cards at Publix and other stores.

[Rwirish]

Very, very old news.

[mlmarr]

Called rebranding

[mlmarr]

1.25 tree, Ollie's LB ..

[LucyP]

I went in other month and was told Hallmark did not own the store, they were brought out. Trademark for cards will stay.

[Hockey dude]

The outrageous cost of greeting cards led to people going other routes.
Not to mention the price of stamps and delivery times.

[spinner1001]

I went in other month and was told Hallmark did not own the store, they were brought out. Trademark for cards will stay.

Hallmark Stores are mainly franchises operated by independent franchisees. My guess is The Paper Store acquired the franchise rights of the prior franchisees of the two locations. The two stores are still listed in Hallmark’s store directory indicating they are still Hallmark stores.

[Gerrys]

Dollar General sells ver nice greeting cards for $1 and $2.

[Two Bills]

Don't know if there is similar in US, but here in UK we use Moonpig quite a lot.
You can personalize cards or use stock cards.
They take care of postage.
Reasonable price, and very convenient.

Moonpig | Greetings Cards For Every Occasion (https://www.moonpig.com/uk/)

[paminix]

An alternative, if you're inclined, is to make your own cards to send. It's fun, relaxing, and I enjoy thinking about the person as I make the card. There are some fun groups in The Villages that do this.

[juddfl]

Dollar Tree sells 2 cards for $1.25, buy one get one.

[stargirl]

As a joke at Christmas I made my own greeting cards, I folded a piece of paper, wrote merry Christmas on the outside and on the inside “I thought you’d rather have the cash” and put $5.95 inside!

[bilclif]

You may not expect but Ace Hardware has great cards at a reasonable price. All Ace stores may not carry them but the store in Wildwood and the store at Southern Trace do.

[Sherrilee]

I dont mind electronic cards .. there entertaining and means someone is thinking about you!!

[Txcottage]

I like the Paper Store…

[anpo532]

The Hallmark store devoted a tiny amount of space to greeting cards and the selection has suffered. It's mostly a gift shop now. Where can one find the best selection of funny greeting cards that don't cost $6. each?????

The Dollar Tree. They are available and cost 2/$1

[chrissy2231]

I don't know when it happened, but the two Hallmark stores at Lake Sumter and Lady Lake are now called The Paper Store. Hallmark says they are closing a number of stores because more people are using the Internet to send greeting cards. But, to me, the huge increase in the cost of greeting cards may also have something to do with it. I never like receiving an electronic greeting card.
Yes, cost of cards too high. I use $ Store. Electronic cards run risk of virus!

[PugMom]

I always felt the Hallmark and the Paper Store were the same thing.

i did, too, & i think women like the Paper Store a bit more due to it's stock of decent clothing & purses. wasn't there a Hallmark in Spanish Springs? (can't remember the name of the plaza, but it's the one with MassageEnvy. )

[retiredguy123]

i did, too, & i think women like the Paper Store a bit more due to it's stock of decent clothing & purses. wasn't there a Hallmark in Spanish Springs? (can't remember the name of the plaza, but it's the one with MassageEnvy. )
I think you are referring to the one near Belk's, which I think is actually in Lady Lake. The other Paper Store is at Lake Sumter. Those are the only two that I know of.

[jimjamuser]

I don't know when it happened, but the two Hallmark stores at Lake Sumter and Lady Lake are now called The Paper Store. Hallmark says they are closing a number of stores because more people are using the Internet to send greeting cards. But, to me, the huge increase in the cost of greeting cards may also have something to do with it. I never like receiving an electronic greeting card.
That IS a "chicken and the egg" which came 1st situation. In this case, hallmark HAD to raise their prices to keep up normal profits because people started buying fewer CARDS. I would say that the drop in purchases happened 1st.

[coffeebean]

I dont mind electronic cards .. there entertaining and means someone is thinking about you!!

I LOVE E cards. Jacquie Lawson's Chudleigh is adorable and I love all the antics he gets into. E cards tell a story.

[Pairadocs]

The outrageous cost of greeting cards led to people going other routes.

The $7, $8, even TEN DOLLAR cards turned me off. My initial thought was a small $10 "card", like a Dunkin D, or similar, along with a short but HANDWRITTEN note would mean infinitely more to anyone in MHO. But also the price of a simple postage stamp may be a contributor too ! (like the demise of Christmas cards ?). Internet cards were an interesting and novel innovation. Captured my imagination for a few months... soon wore off. Emails took the place of letters, texting replaced the person to person "social" calls (usually made in the evenings, after the evening meal). Now most calls are at the convenience of the caller (I'm driving and bored, I'm shopping, or doing laundry, and thought I'd multi-task, etc.) and 50% of the time the caller is greeted with, "hey, I'm at the doctor, at the movies, we're at our friend's house and just stared a game of cards, etc. etc., can I call you back later ? I'm not sure if all this disengagement if good or bad, a case can be made for both positives and negatives. But, plenty of examples and cards, letters, etc. are just one aspect of it all. We have become comfortable with sitting at a dinner table, home or in restaurant, and simply texting back and forth. Progress always brings so many positives and negatives.. it's difficult to tell if all this "de personalization" will be the best, or the worst, thing that ever happened to our culture ! ?

[bandsdavis]

The Hallmark store devoted a tiny amount of space to greeting cards and the selection has suffered. It's mostly a gift shop now. Where can one find the best selection of funny greeting cards that don't cost $6. each?????

We find very usable cards at the Dollar Tree on 466A just west of Rt 462. 50 cents to a dollar each.

[dtennent]

My wife is a card maker/scrap booker. Given what I see her invest in paper, rubber stamps, Cricut, and other supplies, $6-9/card is a bargain. Then, add in the time that she puts into each card ( oh, I forgot. We are retired now so our time has no value.) Admittedly, her creations are are far more beautiful than what you can buy. Several of our friends keep her Christmas cards each year to display them in following years. What I have learned through all this is that people really appreciate the thoughtfulness of a card with a personal note written inside.

[MSGirl]

the hallmark store devoted a tiny amount of space to greeting cards and the selection has suffered. It's mostly a gift shop now. Where can one find the best selection of funny greeting cards that don't cost $6. Each?????
merle norman

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

My wife is a card maker/scrap booker. Given what I see her invest in paper, rubber stamps, Cricut, and other supplies, $6-9/card is a bargain. Then, add in the time that she puts into each card ( oh, I forgot. We are retired now so our time has no value.) Admittedly, her creations are are far more beautiful than what you can buy. Several of our friends keep her Christmas cards each year to display them in following years. What I have learned through all this is that people really appreciate the thoughtfulness of a card with a personal note written inside.

Up until my mom had her stroke, she always sent me "art cards." Usually she'd get them at craft fairs. Some of them were inked designs, some were colored pencil, some were Cricut-style things. Some of the artists made their own paper, and used pieces of dried herbs and flowers to decorate their cards. I kept most of them. Mom can't go to craft fairs anymore, she gets too tired to quickly and the crowds are too much for her now. I'm very glad I saved those cards.

I also usually make cards, though I do it on my computer with LibreOffice, and print them out on my photo-jet printer.

[ahrens fox]

Dollar Store

[sdos0106]

I don't know when it happened, but the two Hallmark stores at Lake Sumter and Lady Lake are now called The Paper Store. Hallmark says they are closing a number of stores because more people are using the Internet to send greeting cards. But, to me, the huge increase in the cost of greeting cards may also have something to do with it. I never like receiving an electronic greeting card.

The Paper Store not only offers greeting cards, but also a beautiful array of gifts. For those of you who purchase your cards at a dollar store, The Paper Store also offers 99 cents cards. There is always a special sale going on and the inventory changes on a regular basis. The best part is you don't have to go far to find a unique gift.