Instant-Postcard-Collection.com

Vintage Postcard Kiosks: Now available for placement in retail establishments

At first glance it might seem a bit nostalgic to find a postcard rack in a store or cafe, in an age where now even email seems hopelessly verbose and slow.  But postcards have kept their charm even as other communication technologies have gone though dozens of generations of development and refinement.  There’s the heavy stock; the image - surprising, maybe, or a photograph better than you could’ve taken, even if you had a helicopter, as well.  There’s theintention of writing furthered by the purchase, or maybe, after use, a message from the past, along with indicia, clues like stamp and postmark, addresses, and even minutae like publishers’ name and often a code, identifying the card.  Examining a postcard from the past is like getting a little glimpse of how life was lived in different times, even down to the styles of clothing or transportation.

But there’s also a small pleasure in having cards that depict the contemporary landscape (literally), or current bands, humor, fashion  and art.   It’s been 100 years since the Golden Age of Postcards, but a postcard received in the mail still creates more interest than yet another email or facebook posting.  Ironically, while it is considered to be “ephemera”, it is more long-lasting in some ways than many online postings, subject as they are to hosting arrangements and lapses in domain names.  And, of course, postcards are very easilycollectible in that they require no special storage (a shoe box works great), and a collection of hundreds could be comparable in size and volume to a book.

So, yes, it might seem a bit nostalgic having a rack of postcards to choose from, but what’s wrong with a little nostalgia?  Especially how we do it at Portland Arts and Crafts.

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At Portland Arts and Crafts and at Instant-Postcard-Collection.com, we’ve proven it works.  At the Friends of the Library  pop-up store in NW Portland, we started off selling hundreds of postcards the first month, and sales volume increased every month following, until the store was closed to allow the landlord to renovate the space.  Another kiosk, at the Dollar Scholar sells hundreds of our postcards every month.

A spinning rack, or kiosk, can fit in as few as 3 square feet, but can bring in hundreds in sales.  One of the reasons for our kiosk’s success has been variety.    Each rack holds 3-6,000 *different* cards.  Most racks you find around town (if you can even find them) have a dozen slots, and each slot is filled with more copies of the same card, the same tourist card in every rack in every store.  Our racks are different.  We specialize in out of print, vintage and antique, ready-to-use postcards.  Most of our postcard racks have 30-70 different slots, and nearly every card in every slot is different, giving a great variety to choose from.  Another reason for our success is “categorization”.  Each slot is filled with cards in a different “category” (Portland, Hot Air Balloons, Cats, Whales, Sunsets and  Sailing Ships, Statue of Liberty, Pumpkins, Ireland, Michigan, etc.).

We keep the kiosk lively, by adding new cards as needed, and adding in new categories: postcards of dancers of different ethnic traditions, Disney, artists whose names with the letter “R”, Columbia River Gorge, Paris, etc.).  We make it simple.  Sorted into categories or locations.  One price.  We make it clear.  All postcards are ready to use.  We make it worthwhile.  Great variety of appealing postcard images across a variety of topics - some even have stamps!  What’s not to like?

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In November, we hope to place Postcard Kiosks in multiple retail locations.  We can customize the mix of postcards to match what works best for your location and your business.  By allocating just a few square feet of your store’s space, you could bring in an extra income to support your bottom line, and give customers another reason to visit your store.  Pleasecontact us directly if you want to see whether having a postcard kiosk in your store will work for you. We will meet with you to see what works best for you and your business.

Portland’s refrigerators never saw it coming. Two stores at Portland’s Milepost 5 are now carrying Instant-Postcard-Collection’s magnetic art products. “Just the Good Stuff” will be carrying pieces with a European flair, plus images of vintage and retro foods, and old-timey advertising. While Just the Good Stuff specializes in handmade candles, potions, and lotions that contain no chemicals, they also include a mix of home decor, and, as they say “necessary treats”. Our magnetic art pieces fit right in.

The other store “Field Work“, looks like the place that Indiana Jones and Ansel Adams might meet to stock up before their next adventure, including handmade jewelry pieces to celebrate that anniversary or to consumate a Himalayan marriage ritual. A Southwestern desert vibe sets the tone, overlayed with materials that would appeal to both the back country gold-miner, and the 18th century naturalist. Thay are carrying magnetic art pieces relating to a desert motif, plus a great selection of images of textiles and patterns. Again, our magnetic art pieces fit right in.

If you haven’t seen our magnetic art pieces, you owe it to yourself to take the trip to Milepost 5′s new art-mini-mall. These pieces are unique and hand-made. A perfect mix of old and new: some of the artworks are actual pieces printed over 100 years ago. The magnets give these artworks a new life!

While visiting Milepost 5, be sure to grab a bite to eat at the E.A.T. cafe (now open 6 days a week for lunch!). The spicy soup was delicious!

I’ll have a booth at this year’s Webfooter Postcard Show and Sale, April 16-17, 2011. I’ll be bringing nearly 100,000 postcards in hundreds of categories and sub-categories. This show is put on by the Webfooter’s Postcard Club of Portland Oregon. The club motto is “Every Subject Known to Man Can Be Found on a Post Card”.

Mention this post and get 10% off your total purchases from us.

Dateline: Portland Oregon, January 2011

Ready-to-use vintage and modern postcards, sorted into over 60 different categories, are now available for purchase at “The Dollar Scholar”, located near the heart of Portland’s Hawthorne retail district.

The “Dollar Scholar” store, already known for it’s fantastic bargains, selection, and funky friendly atmosphere, now has the best retail selection of postcards sorted into particular topics (particular cities, states, countries, animal, or other topics) currently available in Portland.

From Alaska to Wyoming, from Chicago to Venice, from Canada to Switzerland, from Birds to Whales, and from Artists to Sunsets, there are over 6,000 postcards available, in over 60 categories.  While they are a mix of modern, vintage and antique postcards, all are ready for postal use, as a gift, or as part of a collection.

Topics will be changing regularly, so you’ll want to come back to find your favorite cities, countries, animals, or other categories.  As of January 6, 2011, the topics include:

Plants & Animals
Birds
Cacti/Desert
Cows
Deer/Elk
Dogs
Flowers
Horses
Rabbits
Sheep/Goats
Squirrels
Whales

Cities
Chicago
Jerusalem Israel
London
New Orleans
New York City
Paris
Philadelphia
Rome
Salt Lake City
Venice

Countries
British Columbia BC Canada
Caribbean
China
England
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Japan
Ontario Canada
Russia
Scotland
Spain
Switzerland

States
Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Idaho
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Indiana
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York State
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Wyoming

Other
Artists – G
Birthday/New Year
Comic
Fashion Models
Rock Music
Sailing Ships
Sunsets

The Dollar Scholar is located at 3343 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon. Online at
http://thedollarscholar.net or on Facebook

If you’re in the Hawthorne neighborhood, be sure to stop in to see the Dollar Scholar in person, be sure to tell Scott or Lydia that you’ve never been there before (they’ve got a surprise for you!), and mention that you came for the postcards.

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