As a mother of three, Cheree Berry appreciates email invitations that allow guests to RSVP electronically and download directions to a party while en route to swim meets and soccer practices. But weddings, births, and milestone anniversary celebrations call for a little more pomp and panache, and that is exactly what Berry provides.
Berry’s firm, Cheree Berry Paper, was founded primarily as a custom stationery studio in 2007. It has since evolved to offer a wider variety of graphic design services and off-the-shelf products, which are now on display at the company’s first brick-and-mortar store, at 9220 Clayton.
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Before the store opened, potential clients had to set an appointment at the studio, which originated in the Central West End before moving to a tucked-away spot in Clayton. It’s been in its Ladue location (9214 Clayton), in the same building that now houses the shop, for about a year. Berry chose the property in part because it also offered a retail space.
“Really we wanted people to be able to come in and not feel like they had to make an appointment. We wanted to be more accessible,” says Berry, a former associate art director for Kate Spade New York.
The shop, which held its official grand opening August 2, is just two doors down from the company’s studio. This allows custom clients to browse store shelves for ideas and inspiration before scheduling appointments.
“We’re all here together, but we can separate the operations from the brick-and-mortar space. It’s just perfect for us.”
In the store itself, back-to-school shoppers can find products ranging from props and signs designed to add personality to those ubiquitous first-day-of-school photos to lunchbox notecards on which parents can pen encouraging messages to their kids throughout the year. The window displays and some shop merchandise will shift with the seasons, and customers who need birthday or hostess gifts can always find such stationery staples as blank notecards, Berry says.
The store is open 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Berry realizes that it won’t be in most shoppers’ regular rotation, but she would like it to boost brand recognition, especially in the St. Louis area. Right now, most custom clients are elsewhere, so she wants the shop to serve as a local resource for people planning special occasions and those who simply want to write friends and family meaningful messages on pretty paper.
Berry also hopes that the store encourages the company’s continued evolution into a lifestyle brand that keeps people coming back well after their weddings to buy birth announcements, back-to-school items, and more.
“When we first started, our clients were primarily brides and grooms. They’d come to us for their weddings, and we might not see them again,” she says. “Now, we’re able to stay with people as they grow.”
