selling Valentines in 1942

found this article, from 1942, 

addressed to greeting card dealers 

from Rust Craft cards and as the heart says it's

 "TRIED and TRUE TIPS

 to INCREASE your 

VALENTINE CARD SALES"

the greeting card industry worked to teach the public the 

etiquette of properly exchanging cards. 

" Be sure to use rack signs to attract 

your customers' attention to the

 fact that these are Valentine cards,

 or some of them may take it for

 granted that all cards on 

display are Everydays. 

This sounds like superfluous advise,

 but there are 

many people who are not 'CARD WISE' "

1942 ad for store or window banner
 (you can see one hanging in the window display photo, below) 

"When Sweetheart, Wife or

 Husband Valentines 

are being bought, 

suggest that a

 humorous one, 

as well as a serious one,

 be sent"

"A great many dealers do not separate 

Humorous and General Valentines

 but mix them in together 

and claim greater sales."

"Put 'em in the window to get results."

"Show unusual titles in your window display"
"Special titles, more than any others should be displayed in your window as near the front as possible,
for regular merchandise sells of its own accord, but special titles are oftimes unknown.  If correctly displayed, you will sell more."

Emphasize in every way possible

 the growth in popularity of Valentines

 and the fact that it is

 a day for Sweethearts 

and

 for 'joshing' our friends.

The general use of Valentines

 have grown steadily, 

and the increase in the sale 

of higher priced cards 

is very noticeable."

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1940 Happy New Year!

Calendar of Memory for 1940

 ~ Rust Craft Cards

Does she look familiar?!

this ad shows the "Calendar of Memory for 1940" offered

by Rust Craft Cards.

In case you missed it... HERE you can see the Christmas Card

List with the same image which I previously posted. 

I went looking through my Rust Craft Rustlers to see 

if I could find out more about this pretty illustration and voila! 

Rustler, August 1939

<<< thank you Mr. Chase, 

for publishing such a 

wonderful and THOROUGH trade magazine! >>>

this sign was designed for store window display

"This sign will let your customers know that
the Calendar is free for the asking,
and should be placed in your window
as soon as your Calendars are unpacked."
 

I found this ad in the
November 1939 Rust Craft Rustler
urging dealers to 
"START DISTRIBUTING YOUR
CALENDAR OF MEMORY NOW!"
"Every Calendar works for you  365 days in the year at less than a cent and a quarter apiece. "

it goes on to point out,
"RUST CRAFT DEALERS
 WILL DISTRIBUTE
OVER TWO MILLION
CALENDARS THIS YEAR"

indeed this pretty image was so well received by customers it was deemed,

"THE MOST POPULAR CHRISTMAS DEALER BAG EVER PUBLISHED"

"Brilliant red bag with the Calendar of Memory design beautifully reproduced by the PHOTOGRAVURE process."  

wiki tells us: Photogravure is an intaglio printmaking or photo-mechanical process whereby a copper plate is coated with a light-sensitive gelatin tissue which had been exposed to a film positive, and then etched, resulting in a high quality intaglio print that can reproduce the detail and continuous tones of a photograph.
and Intaglio (/ɪnˈtæli.oʊ/ in-TAL-ee-oh) is the family of printing and printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface, and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink. It is the direct opposite of a relief print.

this ad, from the 1939 August edition
shows this image featured as a
"Large Christmas Background Sign"

Wishing You and Yours a

 Happy and Blessed New Year 2015! 

~jen *vintagerecycling*

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ye olde Christmas Card List

these little

 Christmas Card Shopping Lists

 were once a useful 'give away'

 advertising tool. 

this adorable example is from SWEIGART'S, in PA.  I only found the cover but 

how CUTE!  Made for the 1939 Christmas season 

~this image is also found on the 1940 Calendar of Memory
 -another store advertising giveaway.
 (SEE CALENDAR HERE)

published by RUST CRAFT CARDS ...
 stores names were printed on the cover.

here the backside shows a typical layout~just
Check the cards you need and bring it shopping with you
 so you're sure to remember all your special loved ones!
the greeting card industry has never been shy about 
teaching the public how to properly use
their products!

"You'll find this list a time-saver and a help in determining your Christmas Card requirements"

This Christmas Card list was also put out
 by RUST CRAFT,
probably 1950s
given out by the Circle Gift Shop Rochester NY

"It's Never Too Early To Help You....

Select Your RUST CRAFT Christmas Cards"

sections for
 "IMMEDIATE FAMILY and RELATIVES"
"SPECIAL FRIENDS and DEAR ONES"
"CHILDREN to SEND and RECEIVE"
"SPECIFIC TITLES for SPECIAL PURPOSES".....
for example "For a Dandy Family", "For Nun" , For December Birthdays" " Money Holder" etc. 
and 
"SPECIAL CARDS to DECORATE the TABLE OR MANTLE"
for example: "The Nativity" ~3D
"Stagecoach and Horses" ~for holding cards
"Santa and Sleigh" ~for holding cards

"Haven't you often been delighted at the
 holiday season to receive a
Rust Craft Christmas Card
that you know has been
specially selected for you~~
and when that card includes a
short personally written note,
it is doubly appreciated!
It is also true,
that specially chosen Rust Craft cards
 received from you will carry that same
 friendly feeling that mean so much
 more than the usual Christmas greeting.
Remember~ it's these little extra
friendly and kindly thoughts at
this season that mean so much"

this colorful little booklet
 was given by Olney Savings and Loan PA~
not only for your Christmas card list but also
a handy shopping list!
remember the Christmas Clubs? 

used for Christmas Club marketing
the first part of the booklet
 is for a shopping list
 ...including the name, gift and cost!

 Number One On Your List!

 Let Our Christmas Club Help You Save

and the Christmas Card list section
 to record names and addresses

Are you sending traditional through the mail cards?

*just don't forget that "personally written note" 

to make your cards "doubly appreciated!"

time to get my cards ready!

https://www.bonanza.com/booths/vintagerecycling

mid century Halloween Card Shop

Get in the Spirit with a Halloween Window!

Rust Craft would test and suggest various 

window displays for their distributors.  

This is their suggestion for a

 Halloween theme window 1957.

 excerpt as follows: 

Spooks, hobgoblins and witches will be in their favorite haunting grounds the night of October 31st !  Rust Craft suggests a window display which captures much of the spirit of the 'Witching Hour' by the use of traditional (but inexpensive) Halloween symbols and suggested use of colors.

When putting in your window, by all means use BLACK for your background; it will be a contrast for the colorful oranges and yellows of your Halloween cards, particularly Rust Craft........

In the upper half of your window...tack white masks on colorful party streamers.  Place your Rust Craft Window Streamer in the center  Cut out several bats from black cardboard...tie them to string or wire..  

Halloween wouldn't be complete without a witch...so tack up a cardboard witch, taking her annual broomstick ride, in the upper right hand corner...then add a crescent moon to brighten things up. 

  The friendly Rust Craft Ghost fits in the bottom left of your window along with grinning Jack O'Lantern! 

 The finished window won't frighten anyone...

but it will "scare up" lots of customers for 

Halloween cards and party goods!"

Oct 1957 Rustler

Interestingly, I didn't notice any Halloween cards or mention of them in the 1940s issues of Rust Craft that I have.  Although there certainly were Halloween cards they apparently didn't have the marketing value they soon developed. The Sept. and Oct. issues during WWII emphasized the marketing of Christmas cards and the importance of relaying to customers that they should mail early so that soldiers could receive cards in time for the holiday. I found this one pumpkin graphic in 1943 issue, whereas the 1957 issue of the dealer publication features a jack O'lantern on the cover as well as the above window suggestion.

1943 Rust Craft ad

Source: Rust Craft Rustler October 1957 and 1943

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see more
Rust Craft window suggestion for September 1957 

1957 Rust Craft Greeting Card -September Window Display

Try A Modern, Abstract Window

 the following is an excerpt from Rust Craft Rustler, September 1957,

 "The Magazine for Greeting Card Dealers"

 Following the current trend of sophisticated styling in Greeting Cards,

  Rust Craft's window suggestion for September  

features Rust Craft's 

exiting new FUN 'N' FROLIC cards

 in a smart contemporary setting of abstract design.

Many dealers by experimenting have discovered 

that an uncluttered, simple window display 

draws more attention and

 leaves a more lasting impression on the passerby

 than the window that is too busy.

Limit your display of cards in this type 

of window for a heighted dramatic effect. 

 Heavy black cardboard paper cut in diamond 

against a white background creates 

a striking harlequin design. 

 The cards are tacked on very narrow gold ribbon

 onto black cardboard..

Use the black and white color scheme

 with touches of gold throughout your display.  

Place the window streamer against

 the upper right of your window

 and the window sign in the lower left..

Simple? 

Yes...but terribly effective!

Resist that temptation to embellish it with

 JUST ONE MORE ITEM! 

 UNDERDO, rather than OVERDO, for a more striking window! 

 Change window displays often. 

By experimenting you discover the type of window 

that attracts the greatest number of people

 in your particular vicinity into your store. 

 But always bear in mind that

 whatever type of window display you use, 

it is a reflection of your store's interior, 

the quality of your merchandise, and your own good taste.  

And your sales-results depend a good deal on the

 good or bad impression your window display creates.

MoRE about Rust Craft

Rust Craft Easter Window Displays 

Rust Craft vintage Valentines

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1943 a Day in a Greeting Card Store

Matlack's Greeting Cards~ Concourse of the 69th St.Terminal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A DAY IN A GREETING CARD STORE 1943

                                               I like the friendly people 

who come calling at our store,

most faces are familiar too,

 for they've been here before.

The Bonnie Brae Gift Shop, Chicago Ill. ~storefront

The morning now, for instance, 

first thing came Mrs. Brown

To get a little "Miss You " card

 for a friend who's out of town.

a peek inside the Bonnie Brae shows their newly installed fixtures

An then in came a stranger, 

and I could quickly see

From the way he looked so flustered,

 he needed help from me~

Catholic Gift Shop Minneapolis, Minnesota ~"Incidentally, many cards are sold from mounts  The special display rack is just at the left of the Star Spangled Banner.  Sales have increased steadily since the move was made and a radio program called 'The Queen's Hour,' intended to enlighten the public regarding Catholicism, is bringing in returns."

"I want a Special  card" he smiled

 "For a Special Girl I know" ~

And I knew he meant his Sweetheart, 

                                           so I pointed to the row.                                                   

Norris Square Gift Shoppe, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

While he was reading verses, 

along came pretty Sue~

"I need a card for Joe, " she said, 

" for Jim and Tommy,too  ...

For Gosh! The way they're fighting, 

it's the least that I can do!"

Jackson Jewelry Store, Rochester, New York (Mr. Jackson is on the right)

The stranger found his Sweetheart card

 but with a sheepish grin

He covered up the title 

when I took the card from him.

a peek inside Jackson Jewelry shows 100% Rust Craft cards and fixtures ~ "Mr. Jackson is a great believer in Modernizing, and keeps his store up to the minute at all times; and we (Rust Craft) certainly are happy to congratulate him on this fine set up" 

Next came some youthful callers 

and among them one small lad

Who had to have a Birthday card

 a "super" One for Dad!

The Open Book Shop ~ Owned by Mrs.J. D. Moulder, Buffalo, New York "the novel display fixtures were created by Mr. Moulder."

The girls troop in and boys come too, 

all feeling sure they'll find

The Special card that says just right, 

the thought they have in mind.

Fireside Gift Shoppe Woburn, Massachusetts ~Photo Post Card Advertising

For little things like greeting cards

 reflect our ways of life

The joys, the cheer, the happiness, 

the sorrows and the strife.

Henry's Gretting Card Store Worcester, Mass. "here you see one side of an excellent display, but we are wondering when it was taken, for it's almost impossible to step into the store at any time when there are not from one to twenty or twenty-five people selecting cards!"

New babies are remembered ,

 and wives come in for praise

When husbands pick out Special cards

 on Anniversary days,

The Carl Co., Schenectady, New York ~ "the fixtures are made of wood to match the wood used in the store... Mr. J. McNamee is the merchandise man for this department, who states that by installing this new display with the overhead lights there has been a very nice increase in business"

For men and women, both alike,

 have kindly thoughtful ways.

McVicker Stationery Co., Gutherie Oklahoma

And as I turn the lock at night, 

the thought comes home to me

How Great a Friend the Greeting Card 

has really come to be!

Poem is reprinted from Rust Craft Rustler December 1943

all the pictures are from my collection of 1943 issues of Rust Craft Rustlers

MORE about Rust Craft 
 1941 SHOP WINDOWS

1940s Easter Card STORE SIGNAGE

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1940s Mother's Day Rust Craft Cowboy Greeting Card

"FROM YOUR BIG BOY, MOTHER DEAR, ON MOTHER'S DAY"

made by Rust Craft Boston USA

charming curly blond cowboy...complete with cowboy hat, chaps and toy gun ........

"Someone who loves you, Mother, Sends this greeting to you
To tell you that you're very dear,
And, Mother, can you guess who?
Me! Your Great Big Boy! .....signed.....To my Mom Love your son Arnold"

Rust Craft Publishers is another of the great old card companies that was founded by brothers. Fred Winslow Rust opened a one-room bookshop in Kansas City, September 1906. He published his first greeting card just one month later. His brother Donald, joined him in 1907 and by summertime they had published their own line of cards.