Gift Shop Plus

SARAH SCHUETZ Senior retail relations manager, International Market Centers Schuetz, involved with buyer services at Las Vegas Market, established strategic partnerships with 25 plus leading trade associations in her decade of service. Her signature initiative "non-profit retail symposium" connects a variety of association and buyer groups in the healthcare and museum profession. Schuetze is also the honored recipient of MSA Service Award 2017. KATIE SCOTT Owner, Well This Is Awkward Well This Is Awkward is the brainchild of Scott, a business owner and mother of four. She recognized a gap in the retail market and created merchandise that was relevant, meaningful, edgy, and reached specific demographics frequently left out. Snarky hats, button pins, greeting cards, stickers, and patches are sarcastic and spotlight the LGBTQ community, human rights, female empowerment, and animal rights. RACHEL SPENCE SIEGEL Engagement manager, Fair Trade Federation Siegel is responsible for the Fair Trade Federation's digital and print publications, communications, and online presence, supporting 250 wholesale and retail enterprises, all dedicated to fair trade. She is on the board of directors of Grow Ahead, a crowdfunding platform that supports small family farmers and the challenges of climate change. Siegel has also worked with fair trade farmer cooperatives in Ecuador. KATE THURMAN Owner, Smarty Pants Paper Company Thurman started creating stationery to sell at craft fairs in 2005. Eight years later Smarty Pants Paper Co. became her full-time job. Bright colors and retro style define all of her work. Cards are printed with a risograph, adding the quirky style of her brand. The product line has evolved to include fun and functional gifts and accessories. STACY STAHL Founder, Sweeter Cards Stahl, the founder of Sweeter Cards and HowHeAsked.com, searches for meaningful ways to be thoughtful. She even appeared on the Ellen Degeneres Show after raising money for a cashier. By combining clever greeting cards and delicious chocolate, Sweeter Card offers gifts that are more than a card and are not wasteful or overly expensive. MEG SUTTON Owner, Belle & Union Sutton is the boss lady and doodler behind Belle & Union, a company that creates letterpress printed cards, prints and artisan goods brimming with vintage wit and wisdom — 100% made in the USA. In 2018, Belle & Union opened its first brick-and-mortar in San Antonio, Texas, which houses the working studio and offers creative workshops VICTORIA PALACE VENTURI Founder/CEO, Paper Epiphanies In less than five years, Venturi has grown Paper Epiphanies from an idea to a global brand. Paper Epiphanies, a three- time Louie Award winner, can be found in over 1,200 stores globally. Venturi was a marketing executive for over a decade who wrote successful campaigns for networks and big brands including FOX, American Idol, and Disney. MAGHON TAYLOR Owner, All She Wrote Notes Taylor, an award-winning calligrapher, is on a mission to spread happiness through her handwriting. She spreads smiles with her cheerful, colorful gifts featuring encouraging words and uplifting messages. More than 7,000 women reignited their creativity with the penmanship parties and online lettering classes she conducts. She is the author of Happy Hand Lettering and loves life with her family. JANNA WILLOUGHBY-LOHR Owner, Papercraft Miracles Willoughby-Lohr is the artist behind Papercraft Miracles, an eco-friendly handmade paper company. Specializing in custom wedding and event goods and unique handmade gifts, the business collects waste material from other businesses to craft its products. She founded her company in her dorm room and now occupies a two-story solar-powered building in Buffalo, New York, and is a self-proclaimed mompreneur. REBEKAH TENNIS Founder/creative artist, Wild Ink Press Tennis is an artist and founder of Wild Ink Press, a letterpress studio and retail shop in California. Over 1,500 stores carry her products. She has sold 100,000 plus copies of her cards and has designed over 400 products since starting the business in 2009. She enjoys curating her downtown store, chasing after her four children, and taking runs.

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