Category Archives: Event

Valentine’s Day 2012. INK MEETS PAPER teamed up with Sweeteeth chocolate to hold a valentine pop-up shop at COAST Brewing Company in the Park Circle neighborhood of North Charleston. Chocolates, letterpress cards, beer– what could be better?
As much as we love our North Charleston neighborhood (Park Circle), there aren’t any local card or gift shops. This year we wanted to make shopping locally for one’s valentine even easier. We thought pulling together three local, Park Circle artisans would be the perfect match. For two Saturdays, Sweeteeth and INK MEETS PAPER set up at COAST during their regular tasting hours. It turned out to be a great opportunity to meet locals and to share our love of locally produced goods.

Jamie and I designed the flyer, focusing on handlettering and a handcrafted paper effect to follow the theme of the pop-up shop.

While Jamie and I have participated in several craft shows, we still feel like there’s something new to learn at each event. In the case of the pop-up shop, we set up outside for the February 4 shop, which proved to be a BIG challenge when it came to paper goods. While the weather was nice and calm during setup, it got really windy during the actual event, which meant we were always trying to keep the cards (or, worse, the tent) from flying away. Thankfully, setting up inside  the brewery wasn’t a problem for the following week; however, Jamie and I are definitely back to the drawing board in terms of a good display for outdoor venues.

The other element of our craft fair / pop-up shop displays that we wrestle with is the best way to display our Card Stories. We have so much to share about our cards, and our current displays still don’t fully communicate everything we offer.

We participated in the North Charleston Artist Guild’s first $5 to $50 Gift Market this December. The two-day market was held at The Meeting Place along East Montague Avenue in the old village area of Park Circle. Jamie and I both had  a great time. Since it was indoors, we didn’t have to worry about any trouble from the weather. I also loved the bazaar-type feel of the market. It was small and intimate without feeling cramped, and attendees could wander through the various vendor spaces.

Both days had great turnouts, and it was nice to have people drop by our table specifically to pick up cards from us. I also love that I’m seeing familiar faces stop by too.

Our INK MEETS PAPER display:

Our holiday card section, complete with a miniature aluminum tree:

Local artisans. Food trucks. Live music. Neighborhood people and friends. Gorgeous Charleston weather. The first Maker’s Market, hosted by Mixson, was definitely a community gathering. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Mixson in the past, so we jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Maker’s Market– we love the energy they bring to Park Circle.
Tents and food trucks lined the big lawn in front of the Mixson barn.

(Photos by Yve Assad for Mixson.) 

We loved talking letterpress with everyone who dropped by, and we also unveiled our 2011 holiday collection.

The North Charleston Artist Guild and the Olde North Charleston Merchants Association hosted a fall arts festival along East Montague Avenue in Park Circle. The street was blocked off to traffic, and guild members set up tents along the street (selling everything from glasswork and ceramics to jewelry and mixed media pieces). There was live music and a kids art area as well.
This was our first big outdoor arts festival for INK MEETS PAPER, and we were not only participants but also event coordinators. While it took a lot of hard work (and late nights), we had over 20 participating artists and brought a huge crowd out to Park Circle. It was really refreshing to see such support of the arts community, and I think it really helped showcase to the public the amount of local talent.

Our booth featured lots of vintage elements (including a type tray, mason jars filled with little treasures, an old roller box).

One of my favorite parts of our booth was a separate letter writing area. I loved how many people took the time to pick out a card and then sit down to write a thoughtful note. We even made mailing the letters easy: we had plenty of stamps, and there was a cute blue mailbox on the sidewalk several yards away.