CR Gibson

What CR Gibson does

C.R. Gibson is a private wholesale designer, marketer, and distributor of stationery, memory books, journals, planners, greeting cards, and related gift products, founded in 1870 and operating with an estimated 101-250 employees. Corporate operations are anchored at 5226 S 31ST PL, Phoenix, AZ 85040, per the company's own site, while firmographic metadata lists Berwick, PA — an unresolved address discrepancy.

The catalog is organized into five core product lines: Markings (journals, notebooks, planners, address books, calendars, guest books, desk accessories, tabletop games), Expressions (greeting cards for baby through sympathy, boxed notes, letter paper, pens, bookmarks), Kitchen (recipe books, binders, refills, tins, decals), Kids (activity books, puzzles, games, growth charts), and Baby (memory books, brag books, photo frames, teethers). These lines are further differentiated by themed collections such as Coastal Watercolor, Forage, Lily & Val, Hello!Lucky, Bold Bright Beautiful, Botanic Garden, and a licensed Spode Christmas Tree pattern. Acquisition activity is evidenced by the June 2018 purchase of Fitlosophy, now a sub-collection within Markings.

The business model is wholesale B2B: products are sold in bulk to gift retailers, specialty stationery stores, and baby/book retailers through a BigCommerce-powered trade portal at crgibson.cb-gift.com, supplemented by catalog distribution and gift/stationery trade show participation. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; wholesale accounts must register to place orders. The company is privately held with no disclosed parent, investors, or management team in the available data.

Name

CR Gibson

Legal name

C.R. Gibson

Website

https://crgibson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

C.R. Gibson is a private wholesale designer and distributor of stationery, memory books, journals, greeting cards, and gift products, selling to gift retailers and specialty stores via a B2B trade portal, catalogs, and trade shows across five core product lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Stationery and Gift Merchandise

NAICS

Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (459410), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)

SIC

Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Greeting Cards, Gift Wrap & Party Paper Goods Distribution (CRAOALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail (CRALAJAE), Seasonal & Holiday Gifts & Decor Retail (CRALAJAD)

Keywords

• Wholesale stationery
• Gift merchandise
• Memory books
• Greeting cards
• Keepsake products

Headquarters

HQ city

Berwick

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct sales of branded stationery, journals, planners, greeting cards, baby and kids products, and kitchen accessories through wholesale channels to retailers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

C.R. Gibson designs, markets, and distributes branded stationery, memory books, journals, planners, greeting cards, recipe books, kids' activity products, and baby keepsakes across four core product lines (Markings, Expressions, Kitchen, Kids, Baby) and multiple themed collections, selling wholesale to gift retailers and specialty stores.

Product overview

C.R. Gibson is a stationery, gift, and keepsake company offering a multi-category product portfolio. The company operates four core product lines: Markings (journals, notebooks, planners, and desk accessories), Expressions (greeting cards and stationery), Kitchen (recipe books and organization products), Kids (activity books and games), and Baby (keepsake books and gifts). Products are also organized into themed collections such as Coastal Watercolor, Forage, Lily & Val, Spode Christmas Tree, Hello!Lucky, and Bold Bright Beautiful. The company sells primarily through wholesale channels and positions its products as premium keepsakes for life's meaningful moments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Markings A core product line of stationery and journaling products including journals, notebooks, planners, address books, calendars, guest books, bookmarks, desk pads, mouse pads, pen sets, and tabletop games, offered to wholesale gift retailers and specialty stores.
• Expressions A core product line of greeting cards and desk accessories spanning baby, birthday, celebration, everyday, love and friendship, sympathy, thank you, and wedding and anniversary occasions, along with boxed notes, letter paper, pens, and bookmarks.
• Kitchen A core product line of recipe organization and kitchen stationery products including recipe books, binders, page refills, kitchen decals, kitchen diaries, recipe cards, recipe tins, and recipe boxes.
• Kids A core product line of children's activity products including flash cards, activity books, board games, card games, lacing cards, matching games, nesting boxes, pop and plays, puzzles, growth charts, board books, and vinyl decals.
• Baby A core product line of baby keepsake and gift products including brag books, first year calendars, greeting cards, growth charts, memory books, photo books, photo frames, and teethers.
• Coastal Watercolor Collection A watercolor-inspired themed collection featuring coastal motifs available across Markings, Kitchen, and other product lines.
• Little Darling Collection A baby-themed collection featured in the Baby product line.
• Forage Collection A nature-inspired themed collection available across Markings, Expressions, and Kitchen product lines.
• Lily & Val Collection A branded collection featuring Lily & Val artwork, available in Markings and Kitchen lines.
• Spode Christmas Tree Collection A licensed Spode Christmas Tree pattern collection available in Markings and Expressions lines.
• Hello!Lucky Collection A branded children's illustration collection featured in the Kids product line.
• Bold, Bright, Beautiful Collection A vibrant, colorful themed collection available across Markings and Expressions product lines.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Paper Source: Specialty retailer and wholesaler of stationery, journals, greeting cards, and gifts with a similar product taxonomy to CR Gibson's Markings and Expressions lines. Highly comparable customer base in gift and specialty stores, with overlapping presence in the wholesale stationery channel.
• Rifle Paper Co. Lifestyle stationery and gift brand offering journals, planners, greeting cards, and home goods with art-driven collections. Directly comparable product mix and aesthetic positioning to CR Gibson's themed collections, though with a stronger DTC orientation.
• Crane & Co. Heritage stationery brand producing fine letter paper, cards, journals, and engraved social stationery. Comparable to CR Gibson in heritage positioning and core stationery/greeting card assortment, with similar distribution through specialty and gift retailers.
• Galison Publishing: Publisher of stationery, journals, greeting cards, puzzles, and gift books, including licensed art collections. Direct overlap with CR Gibson's Expressions, Markings, and Kids lines, and similar reliance on specialty retail and gift shop distribution.
• Compendium Inc. Maker of gift books, stationery, and curated gift products sold through specialty retailers. Closely comparable to CR Gibson in product category, gifting positioning, and wholesale go-to-market.
• Studio Oh!: Designer and wholesaler of journals, gift books, calendars, and stationery with art-driven collections. Directly comparable to CR Gibson's Markings and Expressions lines, with overlapping distribution in gift and bookstore channels.
• Designworks Ink: Designer of journals, stationery, and gift products distributed through specialty and gift retailers. Similar mid-sized wholesale stationery profile to CR Gibson, with comparable product breadth across journals, boxed notes, and gift items.

Broad incumbents

• Hallmark Cards: Largest greeting card and gift company in the US with a much broader product portfolio. Competes with CR Gibson's Expressions and Baby lines at retail but operates at substantially greater scale and channel reach.
• American Greetings: Major greeting card, stationery, and gift producer with broad mass-market distribution. Overlaps with CR Gibson's greeting card and stationery assortment but at far greater scale and with deeper retailer relationships.

Emerging players

• Papier: DTC stationery brand offering personalized journals, planners, and paper goods. Overlaps with CR Gibson's Markings line in journals and planners, but competes primarily through direct-to-consumer channels rather than wholesale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CRGibsonLLC
• Facebookfacebook.com/CRGibsonGifts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cr-gibson

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CR Gibson