Salmonton, North Dakota
A popular store for stamp artists and collectors of irregular sizes of paper, owned by 3rd generation Salmontonite Peter Gleason, has announced it will be moving to a central location due to requests from vested locals. Known as the second most visited Salmonton establishment after popular grocery and shoe store Eat and Feet, Gleason’s Greetings became the big name in stationery. Opened in early 1971 on the heels of a communist postage scare, the “Stampede of ’61” changed the town dynamic to one with the highest population of scrapbookers and thank-you-noters north of South Dakota. Famous for introducing locals to the innovation of pens with 3 different colors available at the click of a thumbnail, Peter was a town celebrity who also acted as family breadwinner while wife Lindsay played point guard for two time WNBA Championship team the Minnesota Lynx.
In early 2014, predicting that news of a burgeoning interest in letters would soon make its way to Salmonton, Peter decided it was time move to a new location and rename itself. Financial backing for the newly named “Words With Pens” was generously provided by small business supporters Washington Mutual to the tune of $7,092 at an adjustable interest rate of 14%, and the move of fixtures and inventory was completed in three trips using Peter’s son’s skateboard. Peter, having never removed the Grand Opening sign, found it easy to transfer the banner from window to window without excessive use of new tape or string. As an added bonus, the location upgrade solved one of the store’s biggest liabilities — townspeople talking and jay-walking from the Eat and Feet across the street to stop in Peter’s shop. The new placement, directly adjacent to the Eat and Feet, was a monumental improvement to safety and convenience in the neighborhood, decreasing incidents of steering wheel tapping and threatened horn honks by 77%. Throngs of loyal stationery fans are flocking to see the new layout and a hanging sign promising that envelopes will soon be available in manila.
As for the future plans for the staple of local paperwork, Gleason says “The stationery store isn’t going anywhere soon.” For directions to the new store, set your GPS navigation to the previous location and turn your head in the direction you didn’t used to. Parking validated upon qualifying purchase.
