Paper Trail

I tried to stop by Paper Trail after work today (Monday). After driving through lots of traffic, I got there shortly after 6:00 pm… and they were closed!!! No lights on inside, door locked, open sign not lit. Their hours weren’t posted on the outside of the store either, so I decided to call…
They don’t even have a customized answering machine message. It was a generic one telling me I had reached «425-​xxx-​xxxx» and leave a message at the beep”. I had to double check the number to make sure I had the correct one…
So, closed before 6:30 on a Monday evening, and phone etiquette is very poor.
Yikes…
I really appreciate the added touch of quality stationery and drove out of my way to get to Paper Trail. I definitely will never be returning.

I like going to Paper Trail, as they have a large selection of cute items, like picture frames, candles, plaques, etc. They are a little on the expensive side. Some employees aren’t friendly, but some are. I will continue to shop here and support local businesses.

Live in Redmond Ridge and love to be able to shop in my neighborhood.
It WAS a great place when the original owner was there. Then she sold and someone who obviously never has had any retail experience bought it. I used to go in and find something that I absolutely had to have. Now, with the new owners, all I see is tinkets and junk and overpriced stuff. Keep going in every month but haven’t bought a thing in over two years. Maybe the stuff they have appeals to the 9 – 16 year olds of Redmond Ridge, but doubt there is much there that appeals to the thousands of homeowners who reside in the immediate surroundings. Check your demographics and your target market instead of just filling the store with ‘stuff’.
No merchandising — just put out on whatever surface was open and available. Seasonal stuff crammed into an area. Merchandising means just that — displaying things to enhance their desirability — displaying to make me be able to ‘see’ it in my own home. These people don’t have a clue.
And customer service — haven’t experienced it yet. I don’t think either the owner or her family knows exactly what all goes into customer service. Not greeting customers who walk in, not engaging them while they are shopping (and I don’t mean being pushy but inquiring if there is something they can help me find or locate) instead of keeping their interests browsing through catalogs.
Here’s a free suggestion — how about having a ‘focus group’ meet in your store — recruit those coming into your store to participate for an 1 hour ‘chat’ to share with you why they are not buying and/​or buying more.
Remember — the customers will be your success or your lack of success.
Maybe if one or both would have actually worked in a real retail environment, they would have known what to bring to their own store.

We ordered our wedding invites from there– despite proofing nightmares (not the fault of Paper Trail), they were on top of everything, keeping me in the loop via email the whole time.
Weddings can be super-​stressful and to have this handled so well was greatly appreciated.

One of my very favorite small local businesses! This shop offers a great selection of cards, small gifts, and candles. I once made a harried stop there, seeking ribbons for a Mothers’ Day project. When the owner found out I was a teacher, she GAVE me several items to use. The owner and her daughters also allow customers to shop in a leisurely manner, and are very attentive whenever shoppers seek assistance. Wonderful place!!!

I’ve been shopping at Paper Trail for years now. I appreciate their great selection, friendly service, and the fact the store is close to QFC, therefore, it’s easy to stop by when we’re picking up some groceries.
News flash to another reviewer here: I owned a retail business as well. MOST small retailers depend on the holiday season to stay in the black. Thanks for the reminder to shop local; I’ll make sure to visit Paper Trail today, and encourage our friends to do so, too.

Horrible customer service. I’ve been to this store a couple of times, and one of the times I overheard the owner talking about how the store hardly makes any money and she depends on the holidays to make profits…
So, I had a bunch of cards to get and decided to support this business even though they are a little pricier than anywhere else.
I go in there, find about 6 cards that I needed, looked all around and then went to pay. The cashier didn’t even look at me. She didn’t say hi. I said «Hi, how are you» and she gave me a ¼ smile and still said nothing. She rang up all my stuff and only opened her mouth to mutter the total. I open my wallet to take my card, and she snatched it out of my hand, jammed it through the card reader and practically flung the card back at me.
She crammed my cards in a bag, gave them to me and turned her back. No, «bye, have a nice day» that EVERYWHERE ELSE SAYS…
You’d think that if the business is only profitable around the holidays, they would at least try to be decent. I’m not asking for a 20 minute conversation, but a simple «hello» would have been nice. I will NEVER go back there.
***I don’t know what «RESEARCH» Marilyn K. has done, but out of 115 reviews, I have only given 9 places 1 star, and 54 have gotten 5 stars. In fact, 75% of my reviews got either a 4 or a 5. I am HARDLY difficult to please. This is definitely the OWNER****