"Dress Me Slowly, I’m In a Hurry"

How the simple task of buying stationary reminded me of the value of slowing down....and provided one of the best buying experiences of my life.

This ironic title is an old saying a good friend shared with me, which originates from Napoléon Bonaparte. The basic concept: sometimes the best way to "go fast", is to do things slow (and also, very well).

In our hurried and frenzied world this idea of slowing down really stuck with me. Full disclosure: I recently made the very difficult decision to leave a wonderful but intense position in search of something different…call it, a change of pace, so the value of slowing down has been on my mind.

I’m a big fan of writing (and receiving) hand-written notes. I'm also a big fan of expressing lots and lots of gratitude, so I thought it may be wise to invest in some quality stationary.

I had a faint recollection of a stationary shop in Newport Beach near Fashion Island, so I drove by and walked into Patricia Ducharme’s Fine Stationary. This started what became one of the best buying experiences of my life and a surprise reminder of the power of doing things with purpose, passion and patience – in short, doing things extraordinarily well.

Walking in with the seemingly simple goal of buying stationary went something like this (my thoughts and experiences are paraphrased):

Be Patient. The owner of the shop, Patricia, was seated at a small wooden table at the center of the room with what appeared to be a soon-to-be bride and her mother. She politely excused herself, picked up a business card with only her name and phone number on it. She said I was welcome to look around but asked me if I would please call her back and schedule an appointment. I complied. There would be no stationary order today. 

Planning to Meet. Later that day I received a return call from Patricia to set an appointment. She explained to me that she was available Thursday through Saturday from 11am to 5pm. We set an appointment within the next day or two.

Please Sit There. When I arrived for my appointment, a number of stationary books had been laid out on the same wooden table. I was asked to please take the seat facing these books. The displays had samples in them but we didn’t focus on the books, instead Patricia wanted to talk.

The Paper Serves You (You Don’t Serve the Paper). Patricia explained to me that the first thing I should consider was what size paper fit the notes I planned to write. That it was important that the paper be the right size – too big or too small would just not work. I thought through and shared the general composition of my thank you notes (surprised there was such a thing) and we picked a paper size.

How conservative or adventuresome are you? This was the "windup" question for - what color paper should we go for? Do you have a business card you might include from time to time? We weighed the options, looked at various samples held up against my business card, thought through my personal image and picked a paper color that worked on all fronts.

Keep it Simple. Next, we had to decide how much information would be printed on the stationary. Patricia gently enlighten me regarding the virtues of “less is more” and we agreed upon my full name, no middle initial, centered at the top of the page and the rest of the page blank. Simple and classic.

We Need a Writing Sample. We now needed to pick a font and it was explained to me that it should be a font style that complements my natural handwriting style. I was handed a blank piece of paper and asked to write something with a pen that I liked. I wrote a basic line of thank you text that we then compared to dozens of different font styles. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for but with some guidance I felt like I was starting to “get it” - a sense of what worked and what didn’t. We selected the perfect font.

Are You too Young to Remember Cary Grant? My creative muse's question while explaining to me that she first fell in love with stationary because of letters her uncle used to write her. She went to the back of the store and pulled one out for me to see. It was old and beautiful just as she had described it. She loved the elaborate swirls of his handwriting, big and bold on the page. She recounted that she once saw the private stationary of Cary Grant at a museum of sorts, that it was tan and textured like a man’s suit, with faint hair-like fibers you used to find in US currency. But to her, most memorable was how small Cary Grant’s name was pre-printed on the top of the page. This small font was as if to say, "I am not important here, this note of thanks is all about you". Patricia was adamite that there was no right or wrong way. Nonetheless, I want to be like Cary - we went with the small print.

The Envelope. Should we consider pre-printed envelops and if so, where should the printing go and what size should the font be? After discussing the options for a bit, we settled on the strategy of making the envelope return address font slightly bigger than the stationary font, primarily to make it more legible for the mail carrier. We went with a clean and classic address only (no abbreviations) on the back of the envelope cover. We must be done now? Nope.

The Lining. Now this is a world that I never knew existed. There are literally dozens upon dozens of options of colored and patterned lining for the inside of the envelope. It was explained to me that this was not required and that more conservative approaches would not even include this embellishment. But again, I was sold – we had come too far to cut corners now. We found the perfect liner, with colors and geometric patterns that complemented my print style and business card design. I was connecting dots like never before! I was creating a stationary masterpiece. 

The Stamp. Would you believe that some people would go through all the trouble of obtaining fantastic stationary and then slap a color-clashing Santa Claus stamp on it in the middle of February? Guilty. We discussed how much money people spend on a suit, a watch, a car to create an image. Patricia explained to me the stamp had to be just right and it completed the presentation. Did you know that there are beautiful commemorative stamp options that are quite literally works of art, available through the United State Post Office? We reviewed stamps that evoked emotion, nostalgia, and color pallets that matched our design. I ordered some vintage stamps featuring the World Stamp Show, U.S. Presidents, and the great artist John Lennon. Color pallet to match. I was set.

The Quantity. Because we are talking about all custom printing, there is naturally a big price break as the quantity goes up. We reviewed a number of pricing options and settled on a quantity that was sufficient for some reasonable price breaks, but small enough that I could live with the stationary a while and see how I liked it. Reordering would be cheaper and easy. 

The Proof. Despite proof reading the order form during my visit, upon completion, I was told that an actual proof would be ready within a couple of days for me to review in person and approve. A couple days later I received the call that it was time, so I made the trip back to the shop to review and approve it one last time. My order was now complete and I could expect the final product within a few weeks.

I’m not sure what impressed me most about this buying process. The care and professionalism. The fact that the process was slow, thoughtful and deliberate. That this experience was in such harmony with the spirit of taking the time to write a heartfelt hand-written note. The realization that I had to slow down to appreciate the beauty of the process I was experiencing. Or that all of these things seemed so contrary to the way things are often done today in our hyper-efficient, sometimes impersonal, high-speed and high-tech world.

It was a clear and impactful reminder to me of the power of doing something extremely well. I’m grateful and look forward to writing my first thank you note with all the care, thought and patience that went into the stationary itself.

Patricia Ducharme can be reached at (949) 759-1480 if you’d like to experience this unique journey for yourself.

Ken Robertson is a leader in commercial real estate. He enjoys writing, investing, time with family and following commercial real estate trends. He has a passion for working with people and making a positive impact. Email:[email protected] or Phone: (949) 354-1510.