Kimprints

What Kimprints does

Kimprints is a privately held, Vancouver-based custom framing and gift retailer that has operated continuously since 1984. The company runs two physical storefronts in Vancouver, BC (41 Powell Street and 1179 Denman Street) and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at kimprints.com, serving individual consumers seeking novelty gift items and personalized framing services. Its product mix spans custom framing services for artwork, photos, and memorabilia; art products (Art Blocks, Posters & Prints, Canvas Prints); greeting cards across roughly fourteen occasions; and a broad novelty gift assortment including ceramic mugs, candles, apparel, pet gifts, garden items, games, socks, and stickers.

The core product surface is anchored by a humor-forward ceramic mug line (approximately 19 SKUs at CAD $29.95 each, featuring provocative slogan designs) and a growing pop-culture candle line including 'Saint Heated' parody prayer candles (CAD $28.00) tied to contemporary media properties. Kimprints also carries exclusive Ken Foster Vancouver-themed art products, including a paperback art book priced at CAD $49.95. The technology stack is a standard small-business e-commerce platform with social-sharing integrations (WhatsApp, Facebook, X, Pinterest, Telegram) and no disclosed AI, API, or proprietary software capabilities.

The business model is straightforward unit-pricing, one-time product sales (plus service revenue from custom framing) priced in Canadian Dollars, with no subscription, licensing, or recurring components. Distribution is exclusively direct — no third-party marketplaces, wholesale, or institutional channels are evidenced. The company employs 1-10 people, holds a Better Business Bureau A+ accreditation, and shows no evidence of institutional investment, M&A activity, or leadership change in the available data.

Name

Kimprints

Legal name

Kimprints

Website

https://kimprints.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kimprints is a privately held Vancouver, BC custom framing and gift retailer founded in 1984, operating two retail storefronts and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site. It sells humor-forward ceramic mugs, pop-culture candles, greeting cards, art prints, and novelty gifts to individual consumers in Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Framing & Gift Retail

NAICS

Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942)

SIC

Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRALAJAB

Novelty & Humor Gifts Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Retail

SECONDARYCRALAJAE

Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Retail

Keywords

• Custom framing services
• Novelty gift products
• Greeting cards retail
• Art prints shop
• Ceramic drinkware

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver, British Columbia

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: One-time product sales of custom framing services, ceramic mugs, candles, art prints, and gift items through retail and e-commerce channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Kimprints is a Vancouver-based custom framing and novelty gift retailer that has operated since 1984. The company provides custom framing services and sells humorous ceramic mugs, candles, art prints, greeting cards, 3D wooden maps, and a curated assortment of gifts through two physical retail stores in Vancouver and an e-commerce storefront serving customers across Canada.

Product overview

Kimprints is a Vancouver-based custom framing and gift retailer operating since 1984, offering a diverse portfolio of products including custom framing services, art products (Art Blocks, Posters & Prints, Canvas Prints), greeting cards for various occasions, and novelty gift items. The product lineup centers around ceramic drinkware featuring humorous and irreverent designs, specialty candles inspired by pop culture (Heated Rivalry parody art prayer candles), 3D wooden maps, and Ken Foster Vancouver-themed art. The company operates two physical locations in Vancouver, BC (41 Powell St and 1179 Denman St) and maintains an e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Framing Service

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hallmark: Industry-leading greeting card and gift retailer with thousands of stores and a national brand. Overlaps with Kimprints on cards and gift categories but operates at vastly larger scale and as a broad incumbent rather than a niche local specialist.
• Urban Outfitters: Lifestyle retailer carrying novelty gifts, home goods, and personality-driven SKUs. Comparable irreverent branding and gift assortment, but operates as a multi-category mass-lifestyle incumbent.
• Anthropologie: Lifestyle retailer offering curated gifts, cards, and home decor with a distinctive brand aesthetic. Comparable curated gifting experience but at a much larger scale and broader category footprint.

Direct peers

• Uncommon Goods: Online-first curated gift retailer featuring handmade, novelty, and artisan products. Comparable mix of unique gifting SKUs and direct-to-consumer e-commerce emphasis to Kimprints.
• Indigo Books & Music: Canada's largest lifestyle gift and book retailer with physical stores and a strong e-commerce platform. Comparable multi-category gift assortment, omnichannel retail model, and Canadian consumer base to Kimprints.
• Archie McPhee: Novelty gift retailer famous for irreverent, humor-forward products (mugs, plush, gag gifts). Highly comparable brand voice and novelty-gift assortment to Kimprints' slogan mugs and pop-culture candles.
• Spencer Gifts: Specialty retailer of humor, pop-culture, and gag gifts operating physical stores and an online storefront. Comparable irreverent product positioning and gifting-driven retail model.
• Paper Source: U.S. specialty retailer of greeting cards, stationery, and curated gifts across multiple occasions. Closely comparable product mix and customer use cases (gifting, stationery, cards) to Kimprints' card and gift assortment.
• Firebox: UK-based online and physical novelty gift retailer focused on quirky, designer, and pop-culture-inspired products. Comparable curated-novelty gifting model and direct-to-consumer e-commerce emphasis.

Others

• Etsy: Online marketplace for handmade, custom, and personalized goods including cards, art prints, and novelty gifts. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — represents the broader ecosystem in which Kimprints' curated novelty positioning must compete for attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kimprints

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kimprints