American professionals are among the most capable individuals in history. That’s why we’ve dedicated over a century to supporting their pursuits. Crafted by hand and machine in our workshop, we produce premium stationery using traditional printing techniques and the finest papers. It is, we believe, the only method worthy of the names we’re trusted to ink.
It all started in 1908 in Zion, Illinois. Harley hung a sign over the side door of his father-in-law's bicycle shop, reading just "H.A. Friend & Company" in red letters.
Originally selling office supplies, Harley would take the train north towards Milwaukee and south towards Chicago, selling various office products to professionals along the way.
In 1922, Wilbur joined the business, Harley's first born son. Wilbur was one of four boys that would work with their father: Richard, Howard and William, Wilbur's younger brothers, would join later in 1945.
Above draft age, Wilbur led & managed the business when his younger brothers were overseas. It was during this time he developed relationships with paper and printing press manufacturers, focusing the business into Friend Paper.
Following their service, Richard, Howard and William returned to the company. They consolidated their effort around Wilbur's relationships in the stationery industry, growing Friend Paper into the #1 cotton-content paper distributor in the United States.
As the years went along, the brothers continued to refine Friend Paper's printing abilities, while investing in new equipment and training for young printers.
The growth of the company continued throughout the middle of the 20th century, though a stationery alternative was beginning to form.
Randy joined the company in the early years of the personal computer. Upon completing university in Miami, Randy joined Friend Paper and began implementing a new toolkit: digital processes. For the first two decades, the computer revolutionized management & order processing. However, upon the advent of the internet (and with customers undergoing similar transformations) the future of stationery was unclear.
It was exactly this uncertainty that attracted Eric back to the business. Eric was working as an investment banker in New York City when he found inspiration for stationery's future from an unlikely source: the candle.
Like stationery and the internet, the candle saw its utility all but eliminated by the light bulb. But that was not the end of the candle's journey. Instead, the candle was recast as a personal luxury, something that reflected style & nostalgia.
Contact
connect
