New owners, same staff: Traditions continue at Hallmark store in Mount Pleasant that nearly closed | Local News

Linda’s Hallmark Shop, which shared a plaza with Festival Foods and Kohl’s on Washington Avenue (Highway 20), was slated to close in May to the disappointment of loyal customers and employees.

It was closed for some time — a little over a week, said manager Liz Lewis — before it caught the attention of a new owner who purchased it and opened it back up as Jane’s Hallmark Shop on May 7.

The store is celebrating “Christmas in July” with a wall of holiday ornaments already up. Starting Friday, the store is hosting an ornament event until July 18; buy more ornaments, get more rewards. For every five ornaments you purchase, you’ll be able to draw a ticket from a fishbowl and get a chance to earn discounts or free prizes.

When and where

Jane’s Hallmark is located at 5630 Washington Avenue, Suite 7, next to Festival Foods. It’s open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The owner, Lewis said, owns three Hallmarks in Illinois and has also taken ownership of the Franklin location. The shops are now known as Jane’s Hallmark Shop.

According to the Jane’s Hallmark website, the three locations in Illinois are in Niles, Skokie and River Grove, all Chicago suburbs.

Could the closure of Linda’s Hallmark speak to a larger decline in buying greeting cards? Did COVID-19 play a factor?

Lewis said she couldn’t speak for the previous owners — who announced the closure of Linda’s Hallmark in January, when some businesses were still in limbo as COVID precautions were beginning to loosen — besides knowing they wanted to retire.

Lewis and Singleton both agreed there was still something unique about going into a Hallmark and picking out gifts or decorations there, in person, versus online.

“As a customer, I want to go and and see the product, smell the candles … I want to feel the clothing,” Lewis said.

Singleton agreed, adding there’s nothing like getting a heartfelt, hand-picked card in the mail: “It has meaning.”

In 2020, the Greeting Card Association reported 6.5 billion greeting cards are bought each year. The baby boomer generation buys the most greeting cards, but millennials actually spend the most money on greeting cards, averaging $6 a card.

According to the Statista Research Department, in 2019, the U.S. population included 72.12 million millennials and 69.56 million baby boomers. However, according to government data, fewer than 30,000 Americans under the age of 45 died from COVID-19, compared to more than 220,000 among those ages 50-74.

Greeting cards may still be alive and well, despite the arrival of the digital age. The GCA also reported eight out of 10 people agree greeting cards can’t be replaced by social media. In fact, people tend to acknowledge birthdays and events more because of social media, but that doesn’t mean they’re sending less physical cards out.

Regular customers have walked in excited to see the Hallmark shop is still open. Lewis recalled a mother and son who cried when the shop first announced its closure, then cried again when they found out it was going to remain open.

Singleton said it’s exciting to see customers coming back to the store, surprised it’s still open.

“When they come in, they say, ‘Wow, it’s so nice,’ “ Singleton said.

The store was completely empty when it closed, so to see it full of new product with new paint and fixtures feels fresh, Lewis said.

Lewis said she is looking forward to be able to help families continue their multi-generational traditions of buying keepsake ornaments from Jane’s Hallmark.

“Just the tradition of grandma buying the ornaments, and then all of a sudden the grandson is 18, and now he’s walking out with the ornaments,” she said.