It’s a memento that sits on Pam Dunford’s desk and always brings a smile to her face.
The light blue card depicts a tall brown tree and green leaves, and it reads, “Today seems to be the perfect time to thank you for making work such a pleasure.” It features personal messages from each of Pam and Jim Dunford’s staff.
“It meant everything to me and my husband,” Dunford said. “There is something that is heart-rending when people write because they don’t have to, but they thanked us for being nice bosses.”
The Dunfords have owned PJ’s Hallmark at Camino Real Marketplace since 2000, but the couple plans to close up shop in February.
It’s been difficult to compete with e-cards and the digital era, Dunford acknowledged. But this doesn’t mark an end to “snail mail,” she said.
“I don’t think anything replaces the touch and feel you get when selecting a card for someone,” Dunford said. “You can’t replace that on the Internet.
“I think there’s a place for both. We’re at a crossroads similar to the U.S. Postal Service. It’s all up in the air but we’re not going to stop doing some of the things that connect us and help us communicate on a personal level.”
The Santa Barbara residents have been in the gift business for more than 25 years and previously owned Present Time in Goleta. Business was good and the privately owned store fulfilled a niche with its card and gift selection, Dunford said.
But that started to change in 2008 and as they’ve recently tried to sell the business.
“In this economy, it’s awfully hard for people to think about investing,” she said.
Nine out of 10 American households buy greeting cards each year, amounting to more than $7.5 billion in retail sales, according to the Greeting Card Association. The average card costs between $2 and $4, according to the association’s Web site.
“Yes, there’s a tradition and people like to receive a card, but $5.50 makes a difference,” Camino Real Marketplace manager Mark Ingalls said.
There may be a generational gap, Dunford said.
“I worry about your generation when I see people texting across the table instead of talking,” she told Noozhawk. “I hope the written word will not be lost.”
Ingalls says he is always reminding his teenagers that it’s important to send thank-you cards rather than an email.
“It’s a wonderful tradition that won’t be replaced,” he said. “I continue to send cards but I do it less.
“As a business model it has to replace lost sales with other services. You have to make it easier for the consumer (to print and send cards).”
Changes in technology bring new opportunity but it’s dependent on the business to adapt, Ingalls said.
Some Hallmark cards include postage-paid envelopes, voice recorders and Web-cam cards, Dunford said. Those who receive a Web-cam card hold the it up to their Web cam and watch the monitor display an animated feature that tracks the motion of the card.
“I think it can be a sustainable business model but it may not look like the Hallmark of today,” Ingalls said.
When the Dunfords close their store by the end of February, they will spend more time with their family and travel.
Dunford will also have time to look at all the cards her husband, her children and grandchildren have sent her over the years because she “can’t do anything but keep them,” she said.
“There’s nothing quite so pleasant as receiving a colored envelope that has a message just for you,” Dunford said. “The bottom line is everyone needs to love and be loved, and we need to connect on a very personal level.”
— Noozhawk business writer Alex Kacik can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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