In an age when digital media is the go-to for communication, the art and elegance of paper products and stationery can be lost. But one woman is breaking through the landscape of emails and social media announcements to offer premium paper products for every occasion.
Schuyler Polk founded Polk Paper to offer luxury stationery and design solutions, with a focus on custom stationery, event paperie, invitations, and more. A lover of paper since childhood, Polk says she got her first job in the Miami-based custom paper studio Paperie when she was just 14. The formative experience helped solidify her love for paper that had begun years earlier.
“I basically lived in [the stationery store Papyrus] when I was a kid,” Polks tells theGrio. “Years later, I found myself in the Paper Source store on Fifth Avenue, browsing their collection of handmade papers. Something in my childhood memories of paper and craft, patterns and color just clicked.”
Polk Paper was founded in 2017 from this love of craftsmanship and a few sheets of Japanese paper that Polk purchased to make a custom stationery set for herself. She eventually gifted paper items to friends and family, leading her to create the company.
“Whether it is a stunning wedding invitation or a note from your grandmother in her perfect, loopy cursive, there’s something about getting a beautiful envelope in the mail that cannot be replicated in an email or a phone call,” she explained.
And customers agree with her sentiments.
Those who value artistry and memories eagerly shop Polk Paper’s note cards with matching envelopes and custom paper options. Recently, Polk designed and created cards that highlighted notable figures that resonated with Eboni K. Williams when she hosted a Harlem Renaissance-themed function for her Real Housewives of New York co-stars.
Polk Paper offers ready-to-purchase stationery at prices that start around $35 (but some sets, like Piano Forte, are on sale for as low as $31.50). Custom stationery, wedding and event invitations are available and priced based on customers’ needs and a consultation.
The company’s Instagram page showcases inspiration and custom work created for Polk’s discerning clients. Polk says paper can link people to one another, and the past to the present.
“The beauty of paper, stationery specifically, is to give us a moment to pause and connect. My family keeps cards and letters and I like to believe the work I make becomes part of my clients’ family archives as well.”
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