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- Challenging retail conditions led boutique stationery owner Liz Quinn to close the store she has owned for 16 years.
- Stationer on Sunrise offers an extensive selection of custom stationery and invitations, unique greeting cards and sophisticated gifts.
- Quinn offers virtual consultations, and also encourages customers to browse online or reach out by phone, email or text.
The boutique stationery and gift shop Stationer on Sunrise closed its doors for good in July after 33 years in Palm Beach, but owner Liz Quinn has not stepped away from her business.
The New Jersey native, who purchased the store in 2009 from previous owners Jack and Darlene Blanchard, still works with customers and processes orders remotely after 16 years of greeting shoppers in her 1,000-square-foot space at 247 Sunrise Ave.
The move has been a bittersweet one for Quinn, who told the Daily News she is saddened by the store’s closure but eager to continue serving customers in new ways.
“We were able to help people in so many different venues and areas of life, which is so nice because you never knew who was going to walk through the door, whether it be a wedding, or it could be maybe a Christmas or holiday card, or even a sympathy notification,” she said.
“We were really there from start to finish for people. We have prided ourselves on really being that touchstone for people. So going forward, we’ll obviously keep all those things, but just, unfortunately, not as face to face as we once were.”
Quinn cited rising rent and a challenging retail environment for her decision to close her store.
She said the stationery industry has struggled since COVID, with fewer people writing letters or hosting gatherings on the island.
“Stationery, unfortunately, is a business that has taken a hit over the past few years,” she said. “Obviously, people aren’t writing as they once were. Once COVID hit, people aren’t entertaining necessarily as much and as big as they used to. That’s not to say that people aren’t doing very special things, but some of that has changed the landscape of things.”
She added that rising costs for goods and services have forced many vendors to close, while her own rent keeps increasing.
“As a small business — and a mom-and-pop — there’s only so much you can take,” she said.
Quinn said the tough retail climate is a global issue, but it doesn’t signal a completely new way of doing business, though that would be “OK too.”
“Sometimes change is good,” she said.
With her storefront closed for nearly two months, Quinn has embraced her new retail routine.
In addition to offering virtual consultations, she also encourages customers to browse online or reach out by phone, email or text.
“I just really want people to know that I will still be there in every capacity and providing the service that I have been providing over the last 16 years, even though it’s not going to be in person,” said Quinn, who runs her business without assistance. “I don’t want people to be worried that I won’t be there for them in their big occasions if they need me.”
For information on Stationer on Sunrise, visit its website at https://stationeronsunrise.com/ or contact Quinn at 561-833-7971 or liz@stationeronsunrise.com.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com.
