Gift Focus - Jul/Aug 2018 (Issue 108)

Who started the card company Molly Mae, and what was the reason for doing so? Follow joint-owner Stacey Barthorpe and I started the company because we both have a huge passion for design. Stacey had a gift shop and supplied local shops with handmade cards, and I was working as a graphic designer at Great Ormond Street Hospital but wanted to work in a more creative environment. We both felt we’d like to join together and each had some great ideas, so back in 2009 we booked a tiny stand at Home & Gift before having sold a single card. So there in Harrogate, Molly Mae was launched. How has the company developed over time? Molly Mae has grown from the two of us to seven people in the team based in our studio/ office with another two or three outworkers, who do the hand-finishing and sleeving. The ranges have grown too – we have cards for every occasion you could possibly think of, and in terms of design, Molly Mae has perfected the foiled and embossing look seen on many of the new designs. Where does the name come from? Molly Mae is a combination of my daughter’s name, Rosa Mae and Stacey’s daughter’s name, Molly. Tell us about your product offering. Molly Mae focus mainly on greetings cards, but we also do wedding stationery, Christening invitations, party invitations, thank you notes and gift wrap. What’s your most popular collection? The Carried on the Breeze range has been incredibly popular, with its many titles covering a huge range of occasions as well as birthdays. Have any designs taken you by surprise with their popularity? Or any designs that simply didn’t sell? Some of the higher-end age cards in the Flutter on the Breeze range have sold incredibly well. Molly Mae has always had fabulous sales with the age range, but recently age cards from 50 onwards have flown out of the door. How do you keep your cards fresh? How often do you launch new lines? We tend to look outside of the industry for inspiration, such as at clothes and jewellery Gift Focus talks to joint-owner Jude Kenney of Molly Mae as the card company celebrates 10 years of exhibiting at Home & Gift warm greetings Joint-owners Jude Kenney (left) and Stacey Barthorpe giftfocus 29 company profile