The Company

queenie’s cards is a stationery and gifts company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded by Queenie Best in 2008, the cute, cartoony designs that make you smile and say “awww!” are inspired by everyday life, puns and inside jokes! The illustrations start off as greeting cards before they are re-designed into products such as our popular enamel pins and plushies. Each cartoon has its own punny story to tell :)

queenie’s cards debuted at the 2014 National Stationery Show in New York City which kickstarted the wholesale side of the business.

From 2015 to 2017, Queenie exhibited in several events to gain more recognition, and was highlighted by several notable press features such as BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, The Food Network Magazine, The Toronto Star, and Reader’s Digest.

 

In the spring of 2017, queenie’s cards opened up a brick and mortar shop! The new storefront drew thousands of visitors and became an authorized retailer of popular licensed brands including Pusheen, tokidoki, Sanrio and Squishmallows.

 
   

In 2019, they outgrew their space and moved to a huge location on The Danforth and carried even more products such as Sloane Tea, Nintendo, and Squishmallows! They hired additional staff and was able to host lots of in-store pop ups and organize their own local events.

 

Nearing the end of 2021, the team realized they missed the creative process and collaborating with brands, so Queenie decided to shift gears. By refocusing on exciting opportunities that keep coming their way without the need to maintain and manage a storefront, they are now flexible to design at their own pace. queenie's cards moved once again into their current studio and pivoted the company back to online-only with more projects than they've ever had, including concentrating more on organizing the PIN + PATCH Show and Toronto Stationery Show. Keep following the adventure on Instagram for live updates to see what they're up to! 

Read the store closing post HERE :)

The Creative