What's In Store with Maggie Moore

Here we are in November already, fall and the scent of pumpkin spice is in the air, Thanksgiving plans are being made and in case you needed a reminder, Christmas decorations are everywhere in the stores. I just saw a giant, talking Yukon Cornelius at Lowes which was pretty tempting. Have you heard Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You" yet? The craziness of holiday shopping is here, whether we're ready for it or not. And if we can make your gift giving a little easier this year, all while you support a small business, it's a win win. Giving a locally inspired gift is like wrapping up a favorite memory — a nod to their hometown pride, beloved team, or happy place. It’s just as fun to give as it is to unwrap (trust us, we’ve seen the smiles!).

If an easy-peasy gift bundle isn't for you and you like to go the extra mile and put in a little Moore creative effort, how about a Maggie Moore art print pairing. We've got tons of fun ideas to make this simple, spark your imagination and inspire the Santa in you.

For the ultimate sports fan we have prints repping the Orioles, Ravens, Red Sox, Patriots, and Eagles.  Put the print in a frame and score bonus points,  pairing it with game tickets, a jersey or ball cap, a signed ball or a book about their favorite winning season. Get creative with it and make the gift personal to the fan you're giving it to.

Games are totally having a moment and our Decades prints - featuring the groovy 70's, rad 80's and nostalgic 90's make the perfect gift pairing! Try our Eighties Print with Games Room 80's Pop Music Quiz or our Nineties print with That's So 90's Game for the perfect throwback gift. 

If food is their love language, try our Maryland Food Print in a basket with local Maryland goodies like Utz Crab Chips, Zeke's Coffee, Old Bay, Berger Cookies, Moore Crunch Pretzels, or Otterbein Cookies. Pair our Massachusetts food print with a gift card to Dunkie, or in a basket with Fluff, Cape Cod Chips and Fig Newtons. 

Pair our Baltimore print with something special from a local business like a Hey Hon! candle from South Ann Street Candle Co., a Baltimore Hon' Rat Ornament from Lucky Bat Paper, (I have one on my tree) or a Raven Dishtowel from Fuzzy Mug. Let your imagination run wild! You can browse all of our Maggie Moore art prints, perfect for your own gift bundle, here.

We know the holidays can be super stressful so hopefully we've provided you with some ideas or inspired your inner gift giving elf with some creative ideas of your own.  And if you have a good one, share it with us below.  We would love to hear your gift ideas too and everyone can use some help this time of year.  Happy Shopping!

As I'm writing this, I'm not even sure how we got here.  How in the world is August over and how can we be talking about the end of summer?  It always goes by way too fast for me, though for Sam, her twin boys are back to school and she is beyond ecstatic. And how quick did that fall weather sneak in? Before we know it we're going to be picking pumpkins and stocking up on Halloween candy. Even though we may be behind in the stationery world, we are furiously working on holiday cards.  It's all coming people!

August is always a bit of a slow month in the stationery biz.  It always feels like the calm before the storm of the holiday season.  Yes I'm skipping pumpkin spice season and going right to the holidays!  But have you had a Pumpkin Spice Latté yet?  Too soon? Anyway, it's a great time for Stationery Store Day which was started by Kristina of Calliope Paperie in Massachusetts back in 2022.  She wanted to celebrate our independent stationery stores, encouraging people to visit and shop in what is typically a slower month, and she made it happen!  Not just in the U.S., but around the world. She even collaborates with an artist each year to create cool Stationery Store Day merch, like totes, notebooks, washi tape and stickers.  You can check out her collaboration with Suzy Ultman here. It's been really cool to watch this idea take hold and see stores participating all over in their own way and we have made it a point to visit The Paper Herald in Baltimore each year for stationery shopping in our little corner of the world.  This year was our first year to actually participate in the day.

Ashleigh, the owner of the Paper Herald reached out in July to see if we wanted to take part in Stationery Store Day and maybe do a demonstration or teach something.  With the craziness we had going on in July between summer travel and Faire Summer Market we didn't think we could make it happen.  We wanted to be able to prepare and basically we knew we didn't have the time to get our shit together.  Let's face it.  Ashleigh assured us this was no pressure and if we wanted we could just do a quick and casual pop up.  Well that we figured we could handle and obviously we wanted to be part of this special day.  We are paper people after all. 

When we arrived at the Paper Herald, Ashleigh had set up a display table where Confident Canvas (our new friend) was presenting journaling to a seated group of ten people or so and streaming on Instagram Live.  We realized we needed to think on the fly and figure out what we were going to talk about because this was going to be more than a casual pop up. Before you knew it we were doing our first Instagram Live! And we're here to tell you we survived and actually had fun chitty chatting about how we got started in the stationery world, our inspirational Grandmom, and how we create our designs for cards, prints and stickers on the iPad. We may have even inspired someone to buy an iPad or give drawing in Procreate a try. However we can't possibly go back and watch it for fear we will die of embarrassment.

What are we excited for in September?  Well Sam is all about her boys being back in school and we're not sure how they are in first grade already.  How did that happen? They have stated fall baseball and I can't wait to catch a game.  I miss the days of my son playing baseball!

We have two events coming up in September so we hope you will join us.  On September 13th we will be popping up with our stationery goodies at Brightside Boutique in Fells Point.  And on September 16th come out and join us for Ladies Night at Ace Hardware in Federal Hill. Never thought I would say I would be attending Ladies Night at a hardware store but if you haven't been to Ace in Fed Hill, it is a cool hardware store so we are excited for that! We would love to meet you at these events.

You can find us in a few Moore stores this month and we love that.  We collaborated with Hartford Prints! on two new Hello from Connecticut cards so check them out if you are in the Constitution State. For Philly and University of Delaware fans, check us out at Rooted in New London Township, PA.

And what were your faves of the month you ask? Your top spot for cards was a tie with our new Connecticut cards making a strong debut! Thanks for following our stationery biz and hope to see you at an event in September!

Charm City has a come a long way since then with 279 unique neighborhoods from Patterson Park to Pimlico, Federal Hill to Fells Point, Locust Point to Little Italy and Moore. Baltimore might take a lot of shit but for those of us who live here, we love and appreciate everything this quirky city has to offer. In the words of Baltimore's own John Waters, "You can look far and wide, but you'll never discover a stranger city with such extreme style.  It's as if every eccentiric in the South decided to move north, ran out of gas in Baltimore, and decided to stay." We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

There's so much to do and see in Baltimore.  For the history buffs, there's Fort McHenry where during the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the Star Spangled Banner.  It doesn't get Moore American than that. Baltimore has a great art scene with something for everyone starting with MICA where our own grandmother Maggie Moore was a student.  And check out our art museums, the BMA, The Walters Art Museum and the fabulous American Visionary Art Museum.  Don't skip the gift shop!  The beautiful Harbor is a must visit and it's now swimmable. Really, jump right in!  And while you're there check out the National Aquarium. If fish aren't you're thing, give the Maryland Zoo a try.

Baltimore can now boast  a great restaurant scene. But we prefer Baltimore's quirky food culture. Where else but Mount Vernon's Flower Mart can you soak in spring blooms and sip on an iconic Lemon stick? In Baltimore you can make a stop at the local snowball stand for an egg custard with marshmallow topping or even find Old Bay in our ice cream. Check out The Charmery's Old Bay Caramel.  And speaking of Caramels, Baltimore gave birth to our very own caramel creams at Goetze Candy in 1918.  Sweet! I mean Domino Sugar is made here hon'. Let's not forget Natty Bohs, the perfect summer sipper for watching the Orioles at the Yard and did you know that without Baltimore we might not have the six pack?  Yup, it was invented here in Brewer's Hill. Of course you haven't truly experienced the city unless you've cracked crabs, with Old Bay of course, over a table covered in brown paper.

You've seen the benches.  Baltimore is the City that Reads.  We have over 20 independent bookstores, The Ivy Bookshop, Greedy Reads and Snug Books just to name a few.  We all know Edgar Allen Poe. But how about our favorite women writers of Baltimore, Laura Lippman, (Murder Takes a Vacation is on my summer TBR) and Anne Tyler's latest, Three Days in June?

What we love most about Baltimore is its quirky charm.  In what other city's harbor can you find a giant Mr. Trash Wheel eating garbage with giant googly eyes? We cheer on the Orioles and the Ravens but the city's most iconic bird is the plastic pink flamingo lawn ornament.  Thanks again John Waters. Who in Baltimore hasn't sipped cocoa on 34th Street during the holidays and strolled by a Christmas tree made of hub caps? And are you really from Baltimore if you haven't donned a bee hive wig at Hon' Fest?

Whether you live in Baltimore and love it's charm or  you know someone who has moved away and is missing home our Baltimore print includes all these great things about our city and Moore.  And if Snail mail is your thing, send a bit of Baltimore to someone far away. We promise it will bring a smile to their face.

You only turn 40 once and I finally could give Sam one of our Fuck Yeah Times 40 birthday cards!  Yup, we have a card for that. She turned the big 4-0 on the 1st of the month (how can that be?) and we celebrated the the Maryland way, with a family crab feast. And it wouldn't be a celebration in our family without cake!

We made a trip to the Maryland Zoo with Alex and Brooks to celebrate their sixth birthday. It may have been a little sweaty but it was worth it and the boys loved the elephants that put on quite a show for us and a playful otter friend.  Of course the giant tree slide was a bit hit too.  

It was a super busy month over here for us as we gear up for Faire Summer Market - our favorite virtual wholesale event that rolls around every July. It's a chance to connect with independent retail shops all over the country, and we've been hard at work putting the finishing touches on a fresh batch of designs just in time for the big drop and scheduling what seems like a kajillion emails in the hopes of attracting some new shops.

This year feels extra special -  it's my first summer running Maggie Moore as a full time boss, and for once, I'm not scrambling at the last second to come up with new designs (cue the confetti!) I've actually been ahead of schedule on design and even had the time to design a fun mailer to show off our new goodies with a New England Summah theme. Here's a peek.

We love local and of course we will not disappoint our faithful Maryland fans (Maryland themed notepads anyone?), but we're going all in this summer with a big line up of cards and stickers that celebrate Boston, Cape Cod and Rhode Island.  Fingers crossed they help us expand our reach to the north.  

In July besides Faire Summer Market we're looking forward to kicking back and getting in some summer relaxation time with trips to Cape Cod, Upstate New York, Ocean City and Lewes. It's going to be a busy month! 

And what was your favorite card of month you ask?  We happen to think it's the perfect choice for Maryland summer.  I Love You Over the Bay Bridge and Back and we love all of you for your continued support of this small biz! Until next time and have a happy 4th!

It was June 1st and there I was mindlessly checking out Instagram as I tend to do, when a post by Governor Wes Moore serving up orange crushes in his Orioles finest came up and stopped my scroll. He tends to have that effect on me.  Can he just be our President now? The caption read, "Happy Orange Crush Day to Maryland and Maryland only."  Take that Delaware!  I did a double take and watched again. Let's face it, I can watch Governor Moore bartending on repeat. This wasn't fake news.  Maryland had an official state cocktail, the orange crush!  Well it was about time! 

It just so happened that we had just finished two new designs for Orange Crush stickers to celebrate our favorite drink of summer.  Every once in a while we manage to be trending, even if it's completely by accident.  I said to Sam, "We need to release those stickers now!"  

The Orange Crush came on the scene way back in 1995 (yes, that was 30 years ago) in Ocean City or as we like to say, Downy Oshun.  The bartenders at Harborside Bar and Grill came up with this citrusy concoction of vodka, fresh squeezed orange juice (must be fresh squeezed), triple sec and a splash of lemon lime soda.  It was served over crushed ice, because as we all know, the ice does matter. To get it just right, check out their recipe. The refreshing summer cocktail was a hit and before they knew it bartenders were working their biceps at the juicer at bars all along the shore and beyond.  Yes it even became a local favorite in Delaware, where they claim it was perfected at the Starboard, and in 2024 Delaware named the Orange Crush their official state cocktail. The nerve! A rivalry was born. 

Maryland lawmakers couldn't sit idly by and watch Delaware try to stake claim to Maryland's orange crush cocktail. Delegate Wayne A Hartman brought forth a bill to make the orange crush the official state cocktail in Maryland where it belongs, stating, “We’ve all heard that Virginia is for lovers, but Maryland is where you had your first crush.”  It passed unanimously. At least that's one thing both sides can agree on.

With warmer weather finally here, the orange crush is just the drink that says summer!  Especially if you're enjoying one by the water, and with a bushel of crabs, even better. Our personal favorite is a grapefruit crush. Which variation are you crushing on and where's your favorite spot to drink crushes? We love the roof top at Watershed or by the water at Nick's Fish House or of course anywhere Downy Oshun! If you want to show your support for our new state cocktail, check out our new orange crush stickers!

The weather is getting warmer here in Baltimore and when we think summer months, we think snowballs, that nostalgic treat you grew up with.  While I'm not from Baltimore, I would come from Massachusetts to visit my grandparents every summer and going out to get a snowball after dinner with G-Mom and G-Pop was a special treat that I looked forward to because I couldn't get them at home.  I remember Gramom (our very own Maggie Moore) always got a chocolate snowball with marshmallow, which was of course pronounced "marshmella".  Sam recalls Gramom always got Egg Custard, which Sam thought was gross!  Whether it was Egg Custard or Chocolate, one thing we can agree on, her snowballs always had to have marshmella. Which reminds me- Granpop would get up early to go to the bakery on the weekend and get marshmella buns! I kind of just like saying marshmella.

The snowball is a childhood rite of passage, and as a Baltimore native, Sam grew up on snowballs, hon'!  Her favorite growing up was chocolate (hold the marshmella), which was basically just ice and Hershey's syrup dumped on top.  She would smush her snowball with her spoon, to properly mix in the chocolatey goodness, so it was nice and juicy.  When she got a little older and her palate became more refined, she graduated from simple flavors to the memorable 'Little Mermaid', which was different colorful flavors all mixed together and how cool was that?! And remember Skylite flavor?  What was that and is that still a thing?

The snowball dates back to the 1800's in Baltimore when ice trucks would roll through the city giving kids extra ice shavings.  They brought these home to their resourceful moms who added flavoring, like egg custard, for the perfect summer treat.  During the Depression, this was an inexpensive way to make extra money serving up shaved ice with simple flavorings, and they were known as the "hard times sundaes" or "penny sundaes".  And the iconic snowball stands could pop up anywhere, always serving a cup mounded high with shaved ice, a few pumps of that sweet sweet flavoring and if they were doing it right Marshmallow in the middle and on top.

Some of our favorite  places to get snowballs you ask? Some of our first Maggie Moore Studio business meetings were held over Quality Snowballs.  Quality Snowballs is on the Avenue in Hampden and their flavors have come along way from Egg Custard and Skylite, like Watermelon, Basil and Lime (a personal favorite) with chunks of watermelon on top, Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake, and Pineapple Upside Down Cake.  Yes Please! Still  trying to make my way through all the flavors.

We also love a trip over to the Peggy. The Peggy  at The Margaret Cleveland is a full on experience boasting it is the oldest snowball stand in the country.  The Egg Custard originated right there on Walther Avenue, and they have delish organic marshmallow topping.  Not sure you can call that marshmella. While enjoying your snowball you can tour the beautiful grounds to pick up a  little something for your garden, wandering through their gorgeous greenhouses, browsing in the Farmhouse for a gift or to treat yourself. And if you plan  it right you can check our live music or a movie for a true Baltimore community experience. Check out the Peggy Insta to plan your trip.

And if you're Downy Oshun we recommend The Snowball Stand in Berlin.  They have wild flavor combinations topped with everything from traditional marshmallow to ice cream, popsicles, sprinkles, cotton candy and Moore.  They even serve flights if you just can't decide.  What a genius idea!

Our greetings are the perfect was to deliver a smile to someone, far from home, who is missing this signature Baltimore sweet treat. We would love to hear from you. Share a special childhood memory or your favorite stand below.

What happened to May? It is the official start to summer and we are ready for it! We started the month celebrating Mother's Day. Typically for us, for whatever reason, Mother's Day is not a big card selling holiday.  We always order too many cards, in anticipation of a flood of orders coming in, and get stuck with them until next year. This year we said we are not going to make that mistake again.  I kept resisting saying to myself, as much as you may want to, DO NOT order Moore cards because they're not going to sell.  There's alway this fear of not having enough. Well, it turns out people were really loving their Moms this year!  We had several requests from local retailers for last minute emergency deliveries because they were cleaned out.  We love and are always here for a good card emergency!  We sold out of many of our popular cards and our new cards for Baltimore's, Boston's and Philly's Best Moms were a hit!

And we got to spend a relaxing Mother's Day together with our favorite Baltimore Moms sipping on Aperol Spritzes.

Then I got to experience my first Black Eyed Susan Day at Pimlico hon'! There I was making a card delivery in Timonium, when Sam's Mom and Dad called me and asked how quickly I could be ready because they unexpectedly had an extra ticket.  I said I'm not even home but I'll be home at 12:42.  They said we will pick you up at 1!  Well it pays to be low maintenance and when you don't have the time, you don't have to worry about stressing what to wear.  You just grab the first thing you see. Unfortunately I couldn't come up with a hat that quickly but it was a good time experiencing this Baltimore tradition, though I lost every bet, and I agree that place is badly in need of a little renovation. If there is day drinking involved, I'm here for it!

We need a pick me up this month. Last year was a huge year of growth for us at Maggie Moore (thank you to all of you!) and May of 2024 was our biggest sales month of the whole year.  Yes, we do keep track of these things. This month, due to the current disastrous state of our economy, not so much.  Which can sometimes really piss you off, because people actually  voted for this mess. So it helps when you get some good news!  Hope you're ready for Thanksgiving because our Alcohol Before Relatives Thanksgiving card is featured in Gift Shop Plus Magazine's Holiday issue!

Sam and I got the nicest text from our friend Sheila.  Sheila opened the sweetest gift shop, Chosen back in 2020, yes in the middle of a pandemic.  We had just started Maggie Moore in the fall.  We both had such great timing!  We didn't have much of a clue of what we were doing, learning as we went when Sheila asked us to sell our products in her store.  You never forget your first store!  Well five years later, Sheila texted us from her father's 85th Birthday dinner.  She said "Both my sister and I gave him Maggie Moore cards",  with the below photo. When your cards go out in the world you don't  always get to see the result, and this was a nice little reminder of why we do what we do. Is it cheesy to say it warmed our hearts?  Well it did.

The Abe Babes turned 6! Sam's Boys had a big birthday on the 30th!  We started this biz shortly after they were born and back then they were the perfect models for our Maggie Moore onesies. Now they're graduating from kindergarten, losing teeth and riding bikes!

What are we watching?  Did anyone see the Pee Wee Herman  documentary, Pee Wee as Himself?  Recommend, all the stars.  If you haven't seen it, run to your televisions now.  I remember Sam had a Chairy from Pee Wee's Playhouse when she was a kid and I loved his appearances on David Letterman.  And the Survivor finale was epic!  Of course we are excited about the announcement of the cast of Survivor 50.  How does Mike White have time for Survivor between White Lotus seasons?

What are we drinking?  My new summer cocktail on repeat is Trader Joe's Sparkling Watermelon Juice with vodka, mezcal, tequila or really any spirit on hand.  If you're looking to get any of this watermelon juice, sorry I think I bought it all and I'm hoarding it in my basement.

What are we looking forward to in June? Sam turns 40!  What?  How can that be? I remember the day she was born.  I was 12 and my mother was having her annual yard sale and I was yelling out our apartment window about the new baby. Get in on the big sale.  She only turns 40 once!

You can find us in a new store this month.  If you're in Boston check out Parkside Bookshop. We love a good independent bookstore!

What was your favorite greeting card of the  month?  Despite the fact that the Orioles are sitting in last place (while my Red Sox continue to slide in that direction) it's still your favorite.  The Happy Bird Day Orioles card!  We definitely need some Orioles Magic.