The scope of all things paper, yes paper<\/em>, is thriving in Uptown. Warren Tales \u2014 an independent greeting card company chock-full of printed, hand-typed, and hand-sewn, all-occasion cards \u2014 is resurrecting the art of letter writing.<\/p>\n The brainchild of Lindsey Warriner, Warren Tales connects people through prose and poetry creatively displayed on hand-crafted designs. From \u201cthank you\u201d to \u201cI miss you\u201d to thoughts of \u201csolace\u201d and \u201cencouragement\u201d to \u201csmile\u201d and \u201ccongratulations,\u201d Warren Tales cards serve as a catalyst for conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cWarren Tales are created, cut, packaged and plucked by unique humans to ensure the finest quality for every letter-writing experience,\u201d said Warriner, a 27-year-ol Hillcrest resident. \u201cSome say print is a dying industry but look around you, everything is printed. The technical revolution has simply removed the fluff and left messages deemed important and beautiful. Printing is a tactile form of art that has become a specialty item, like Warren Tales. My greeting cards are artistic keepsakes that force us to articulate our feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n Warriner\u2019s paper trail began as a child rummaging through her father\u2019s office trash for paper to cut shapes, draw cards and build cities.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve loved the feel of paper since I was old enough to hold scissors,\u201d she said. \u201cHow fantastic as a 10-year-old to be able to acquire as much paper as I wanted to make things, scrap them and make new things.\u201d<\/p>\n The paper sleuth continued to investigate all things paper before turning to greeting cards in college.<\/p>\n \u201cMy college roommate was obsessed with greeting cards while I originally found them weird and lame,\u201d the Emerson\u00a0College graduate said. \u201cI became smitten when I realized that I could [find] better, so I scoured shelves for the well-designed, well-made, and well-phrased. I followed greeting card presses like someone follows a band, pining for a new release or limited print run.\u201d<\/p>\n As a member of the\u00a0Boston\u2019s poetry community, Warriner wrote, designed, printed, bound and sold her collection of poems at the school\u2019s poetry lounge. The small-scale project gave her the comfort, and ultimately the confidence, to work with design and print production.<\/p>\n \u201cTranslating the design into typesetting the artwork while having my hands on paper felt so good, it became an obsession,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was great to have something handmade and sellable. Because handmade is art that can\u2019t be sold at wholesale prices, I learned how to balance the difference between selling a single, one-off product and repeatables, which looped me back to greeting cards.\u201d<\/p>\n Sporting a degree in poetry and publishing, Warriner pursued her paper passion in a children\u2019s publishing house before returning back to Hillcrest to further explore her quest for all things greeting cards. Early labor intensive cutting, molding, manipulating, layering and sewing the worlds of crepe and paper into greeting cards \u2014 including hand-carved stamps \u2014 instigated requests for wedding invitations and birth announcements. The work poured in and Warriner knew that she had found her niche.<\/p>\n \u201cWarren Tales was born from a wonderful, pocket-sized print project that just kept growing until finally, I was struck with the cockamamie\u00a0idea of going into business,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Warriner described her impressive collection of all occasion cards of as the fung shui of greeting cards. \u201cCards don\u2019t have to be elaborate,\u201d she explained. \u201cThey have to be well-stated. The beauty is in the edit. Stripping away the redundancy and over decoration leaves you with a great snapshot of what you want to say.\u201d<\/p>\n The now self-described jack-of-all-trades \u2014 writer, poet, designer, and print production manager \u2014 compared the craftsmanship of greeting cards to the craft of beer-making.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople won\u2019t spend money drinking lousy beer,\u201d she said. \u201cBut they will spend money on unique and regional beers. The same can be said about greeting cards. Today, people drop 20 dollars to buy four greeting cards. That\u2019s quite a bit of money. So designers are forced to make that money worthwhile. Quality control calls for exceptional designs and meaningful messages.\u201d<\/p>\n Warren Tales\u2019 accolades include a spot as a 2014 finalist for Martha Stewart\u2019s American Made Award. Highlighting community artists who fashion their artistry into sellable goods, these awards \u201cspotlight the next generation of great American makers, entrepreneurs, artisans, and small-business owners who create beautiful, inspiring, useful products; pioneer new industries; improve local communities; and change the way we eat, shop, work, and live.\u201d<\/p>\n Stewart believes that America is in a culture shift for creative entrepreneurs to define a new American economy as shoppers choose Main Street over mini-malls to support local artisans.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019What does made in America mean to you?\u2019 was one of many of Stewart\u2019s American Made application questions,\u201d Warriner said. \u201cFor me, \u2018American Made\u2019 is a brilliantly broad term inspired by interacting with the infinite elements of this country. American Made celebrates a highly inclusive selection of goods, given each person’s unique exchange and circumstance. It also extends to supporting the use of materials made and sold within the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n Warriner explained that Made in America is significant because America is so big. \u201cMade in San Diego is different than made in New York, which is different than made in Montana. Same country, different states, different worlds yet all under the same umbrella,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Warriner juggles Warren Tales between working full time at DeFrance Printing Press in National City.<\/p>\n \u201cMy day job is a paid apprenticeship while Warren Tales\u2019 pays for itself,\u201d she said. \u201cAlthough I have my own equipment and paper supplies, I have cool plans to expand my business which includes having someone else produce small batches of printing. It\u2019s only natural to delve into learning everything I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Warren Tales can be purchased in North Park\u2019s Simply Local, online, specialty boutiques nation and worldwide, including Itoya in Japan.<\/p>\n “Everyone who looks through the Warren Tales\u2019 card instantly smile,\u201d Simply Local owner Brian Beevers said. \u201cEach card is extremely witty with such well-done and fitting graphics, sure to bring a smile to whoever you are giving it to!”<\/p>\n Warriner noted the genesis behind the company name and logo.<\/p>\n \u201cWarren, which refers to my surname Warriner, is a rabbit burrow,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe etymology translates as \u2018the keeper of rabbits.\u2019 Bunnies are even displayed on my family shield! Tales pays homage to my years working as a writer in the whimsical world of children’s publishing. The rabbit and literature combination naturally lent itself to a gentleman bunny and the final illustration sealed the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Warren](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Warren-Tales_National-Stationery-Showwebtop.jpg\")
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Tales. (Courtesy of Lindsey Warriner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n