Sidelines Snapshot: Candles, Cards, Buttons and Journals

From Row House 14

At Greedy Reads in Baltimore, Md., owner Julia Fleischaker has had a lot of success with locally made sidelines, including two Baltimore candle lines: KSM Candle Co. and 228 Grant Street Candle Co. She also pointed to a company called Tiny Dog Press, which is run by a woman who creates letterpress greeting cards featuring Baltimore landmarks, as well as a variety of posters, enamel pins and other goodies. A similar cards and stationery supplier is Row House 14, which is also local. Fleischaker reported that these and other locally made, locally themed products sell like "gangbusters."

Fleischaker also carries greeting cards from companies like Red Cap Cards and Dear Hancock, as well as notebooks and planners from Chronicle Books and Princeton Architectural Press. She joked that she is probably the only indie that doesn't carry Moleskine journals, but noted that she plans to "beef up" certain sideline categories when she opens her new location, including notebooks, journals and children's sidelines. She said that she does not typically carry many games and toys, but she does sell playing cards and has brought in some Pendleton travel games for the holidays.

According to co-owners Amanda Bachmann and Amanda Thronson, Prairie Pages Booksellers in Pierre, S.Dak., sells a lot of magnets, buttons and bookmarks, especially magnetic Harry Potter page clip bookmarks from Re-marks. Other popular items include small, wooden handmade crosses from The Crossmakers in Seward, Neb. Bachmann and Thronson source handmade pouches and dolls from local artists and crafters; those items are sold on a consignment basis. The pair bought the store just over a year ago, and one of their first sideline additions was book-themed candles from Frostbeard Studio, which is located in Minnesota. Those have been extremely popular, with Bachmann and Thronson noting they "can't say enough about them."

Woodchuck journal

Prairie Pages also carries Dionis lotions and chocolates from Abdallah Candies, which are made in Minnesota. When asked about stationery, Thronson and Bachmann said they've "done a little bit," but it has been "kind of hit or miss." Magnets, buttons and cards from Fresh Frances do well, along with notecards and journals from Peter Pauper Press. Bachmann and Thronson explained that their store is located across the street from a small flower shop that sells a lot of greeting cards, and they don't want to compete directly with their neighbor. Looking ahead to holidays, Prairie Pages plans to bring in wooden journals from Woodchuck.

Cookie cutters from Santa Barbara Design Studio

Judy Crosby, owner of Island Books in Middletown, R.I., reported that boxed notes from Earth, Sky & Water are currently "flying out" of the store. Their seasonal cards, which for the fall include pictures of pumpkins, apples, turning leaves and birds, are "beautiful with a good price point." Next to her store's cookbook section, Crosby has a kitchen table displaying cooking-related gift items, and she and her team recently brought in a line of Cardboard Book Sets from Santa Barbara Design Studio that are packaged in cardboard, open like books and contain items such as cheese knives and cookie cutters. Crosby's kitchen table also features locally made items such as sea salt, granola and spice mixes from a nearby food incubator.

Plush fox from Douglas

When asked about perennial favorites, Crosby said night shirts by Relevant Products are strong sellers "year in, year out," and she and her team carry mostly book-themed shirts, with some pet- and wine-themed shirts in the mix as well. Socks and tea towels from Blue Q are always popular, and Crosby recently brought in tea towels from Colonial Tin Works that have also done very well. She sells plenty of cards from lines like Cardthartic, Calypso and Sun Day Greetings, and her store's strongest children's lines are Eeboo games and puzzles along with plush from Douglas. Soaps from a variety of makers, including Simply Be Well and Summer House Soaps, are very popular, as are scarves from Anokhi and Rock Flower Paper. --Alex Mutter

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