shop@postmarkonline.co.uk
The 11th November is Postmark's 21st Birthday, so we have decided to celebrate all things 21 this year!
It's hard for us to believe but it's been 21 years since we opened the doors to our lovely, little greeting card shop in Balham. When we first opened the doors on that Thursday, November 11th, 2004 there was no way of knowing the road we were about to set off on. In fact, our main concern that day was whether or not anyone would come and shop with us! Luckily for us they did and they not only liked what they saw, they loved it, establishing Postmark as a real neighbourhood favourite.
Since then, we've gone on to open an incredible 15 more Postmark retail stores, the most recent being our shiny new shop in Canary Wharf, and become an award-winning retailer winning Best UK Card Retailer at the annual RETAS - celebrating Greeting Card Retailers around the country - an unprecedented three times!
It hasn't always been easy, there's been a lot of blood, sweat, tears over the years, but we've loved it all and are sincerely grateful to every single customer who has shopped and supported us on this journey.
As we celebrate this milestone, we thought it would be fun to look at some other things that also turned 21 this year. Turns out we're in good company! The iconic London building the Gherkin, a striking landmark in the city’s financial district, also opened in 2004. And who could forget the music of that year? Hits like Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield and High by James Blunt.
Throughout the 21 years we have always been so proud of the wide range of birthday cards, blank cards and stationery we offer in our stores, and we are so thankful for the suppliers who have been with us since the beginning. Our first sale on that first day was for two Museums and Galleries art cards and a thank you pack by Rachel Ellen - two suppliers we still deal with today!
In fact, looking at the suppliers of the products we sold on that first day (79 items in total!) there are some real long lasting favourites, including Cath Tate, Kiss me Kwik, U Studio and Portfolio.
We asked a few of our long standing suppliers to give their favourite memory or a message about their time working with Postmark over the years, here's what they said:
"An amazing and inspiring milestone for Mark , Leona, Emma and the rest of the Postmark Team. A continuous and steadfast beacon of card, stationery and gift amazingness across the highstreets and Transport hubs of London. The team’s passion for their brand is second to none, and it is a genuine pleasure and privilege to have been working with Postmark for all these years, as well as a fabulous personal friendship that I very much cherish. From humble beginnings in their Balham store, to nearly 15 stores and counting is quite simply amazing. Happy Birthday Postmark, you legends x" - James Mace- Sales & Marketing Manager- The Art File
"Huge congratulations to Mark and the entire Postmark team on reaching your 21st Birthday. Since 2004, you have exemplified what it means to be a wonderful customer, and it’s been a true pleasure working with you! Here’s to an even more inspirational future ahead from Rachel and all the team at Rachel Ellen Designs!"
"We‘ve supplied Postmark from the early days of the Balham store in 2004. It’s been fantastic to see the growth and progress of the Postmark brand over the years. Mark and Leona have run the business so well, choosing great products, in the right locations and running the business with genuine integrity. The survival and growth of the business is no surprise to us and 21 years is a fabulous achievement, we’re sure that we’ll be toasting their success for many more years to come!” - Cath Tate Cards
Do you know someone turning 21? Check out our wide range of 21st birthday cards and other age cards on our website!