82 SPRING//SUMMER 2018 with Lucy Edmonds, founder of Quill THE LAST WORD STATIONERY BIZ months but was time very well spent. I made mistakes on paper instead of in real life.  What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? I love the variety, that things never stay still and that I am learning every day. Whether it’s choosing paper stocks for a new product collection, managing an HR issue, coming up with new workshop ideas or addressing envelopes for an aspirational brand... What are your plans for Quill in 2018? In 2018 I hope to see a new shop, and a little more focus and attention back on stationery – my first passion – after the exciting but unexpected jaunt into modern calligraphy these past three years. What advice would you give to young people starting off in the industry? Plan, plan, plan! Know your market and where you fit in… and find your unique voice and point of view. Any embarrassing stationery crushes? The only pencil case I can remember having at school was a tin case shaped like an Egyptian mummy which I must have bought on a trip to the British Museum. I absolutely loved it but can’t imagine it would make it into my store now! Which came first, a love of stationery or calligraphy? Definitely stationery.  How did Quill start? I used to work in homeware and so I spent many a season working on stands at trade shows. As I’d walk the aisles during lunch breaks, I realised there was so much talent from independent stationery designers and brands, and not many retail destinations specialising in design-led, high-quality stationery. I spent a lot of time researching the market, and felt there was a gap to fill there.  What were the biggest challenges when you started out? The challenges I faced were the same for anyone running a business for the first time in that everything was new and had to be learned. This meant everything was – and still is, daily – a learning experience. Perhaps the steepness of that learning curve was the biggest challenge! When you began, did you have a clear vision for Quill, or has it evolved more organically? For example, did you set out to host workshops, start a letter-writing club and pen a book on modern calligraphy? I started with a very strong vision, but five years down the line Quill looks pretty different to how I first imagined it would. I have been very open to organic development, led by customers, hence why the modern calligraphy element has become such a big part of our business. Learning calligraphy and teaching workshops was absolutely not in the plan, and if anyone had told me then that I’d publish a book on calligraphy I would have told them they were insane. But I do, and I did, and it’s great fun. Best advice you’ve received in business? I’m not sure about advice specifically but I have been lucky enough to have worked for some inspiring, talented bosses in my career and I have learnt and absorbed so much from them about business. One of the best things I ever did was to write a business plan before I launched. It took me eight – the green brand of teNeues creative joyful eco-friendly and experience the natural haptic of GreenLine Journals, Calendar & Diaries Meet us at the London Stationery show on stand M416 For full programme details contact Claire Trigger at ctrigger@teneues.co.uk Tel +44 (0)203 542 8997