clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Good Gifts Require Good Cards; Here's Where to Pick One Up

By Susie Kostaras
View as Map
By Susie Kostaras

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Welcome to Weddings Week 2013, our week-long ode to nuptials in Boston.


Spaghetti & Meatballs card and Pair of Socks card by Smudge Ink, $4.30 each

Basically everyone snaps up their wedding cards at Paper Source and Papyrus, so if you want one with a bit of character (that ideally no other guests are bringing too) you'll have to dig a little deeper. If sorting through endless Etsy search results isn't your jam either, these five local stationery businesses make for great pit stops on your day-to-day errands.

Settle for cheesy Hallmark lace and pearl adorned cards no longer!


· Weddings Week 2013 [Racked Boston]

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Smudge Ink

Copy Link
This Charlestown letterpress studio is a well-rounded producer of paper goods—from gift cards to wrapping paper and especially custom save the dates and invitations. Online shopping and card prices hovering under $5 let's every wedding guest bring something quirky to the table.
50 Terminal Street, Boston, MA 02129
(617) 242-8228
(617) 242-8228

Black Ink

Copy Link
Black Ink is the kind of store where you pick up a funny ceramic creamer or something equally nonsensical and awesome along with the real purpose for going there—the cards.
5 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 497-1221
(617) 497-1221

Bob Slate Stationer

Copy Link
Another Harvard Square gem, Bob Slate is dedicated to (as its name suggests) stationery. The generations-old store stocks Crane & Co. among a wide variety of indie card designers. Shoppers can also DIY with blank cards and colored envelopes.
30 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 547-1230
(617) 547-1230

Rugg Road Paper Company

Copy Link
Leave Hallmark to the amateurs and select a card (they've even got a bunch of pop-up ones) from this perfectly edited Charles Street alcove. Discover quirky designs from companies like 9th Letter Press and Jonathan Adler, with creative paper displays always rotating in the front window.
105 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114
(617) 742-0002
(617) 742-0002

Gracie Finn

Copy Link
A gift shop as charming as this one needs a card selection to match. The refined boutique has an eclectic variety of Anne Made animal cards, Tom Gastel's art cards, and cult-favorite Rifle Paper Company.
Boston, MA
(617) 357-0321
(617) 357-0321
© 2023 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Link copied to the clipboard.

Smudge Ink

50 Terminal Street, Boston, MA 02129
This Charlestown letterpress studio is a well-rounded producer of paper goods—from gift cards to wrapping paper and especially custom save the dates and invitations. Online shopping and card prices hovering under $5 let's every wedding guest bring something quirky to the table.
50 Terminal Street, Boston, MA 02129
(617) 242-8228
(617) 242-8228

Black Ink

5 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Black Ink is the kind of store where you pick up a funny ceramic creamer or something equally nonsensical and awesome along with the real purpose for going there—the cards.
5 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 497-1221
(617) 497-1221

Bob Slate Stationer

30 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Another Harvard Square gem, Bob Slate is dedicated to (as its name suggests) stationery. The generations-old store stocks Crane & Co. among a wide variety of indie card designers. Shoppers can also DIY with blank cards and colored envelopes.
30 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 547-1230
(617) 547-1230

Rugg Road Paper Company

105 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114
Leave Hallmark to the amateurs and select a card (they've even got a bunch of pop-up ones) from this perfectly edited Charles Street alcove. Discover quirky designs from companies like 9th Letter Press and Jonathan Adler, with creative paper displays always rotating in the front window.
105 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114
(617) 742-0002
(617) 742-0002

Gracie Finn

Boston, MA
A gift shop as charming as this one needs a card selection to match. The refined boutique has an eclectic variety of Anne Made animal cards, Tom Gastel's art cards, and cult-favorite Rifle Paper Company.
Boston, MA
(617) 357-0321
(617) 357-0321