Noble Paperie

What Noble Paperie does

Noble Paperie is a San Diego-based boutique stationery company founded in 2016 by Katelyn (Kate) Woolley. The company designs, produces, and sells a line of greeting cards, stickers, gift bags, ornaments, suncatchers, and boxed sets, with a distinctive specialization in cards for sensitive and underserved life moments including miscarriage, pregnancy loss, infertility, NICU stays, complicated pregnancies, and LGBTQIA+ occasions. All cards are designed by the founder and offset-printed locally in Southern California on SFI-certified heavyweight uncoated stock using soy-based inks, with matching compostable kraft envelopes.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce through thenoblepaperie.com with a wholesale channel spanning an independent sales rep group covering California and Colorado, the Faire marketplace, direct invoice, and physical retail at Barnes & Noble and Paper Source alongside 100+ independent retailers nationwide. Cards are priced at $5.50 at retail, with discounted Advocacy Account bulk pricing available for hospitals, non-profits, support groups, NICU parents, and bereaved parents. Revenue is complemented by a selective custom card design service for organizations such as RESOLVE New England, CooperSurgical, and Changing The Narrative.

Noble Paperie is a privately held, founder-owned company with no external institutional investment. It operates as a small family-run business with 1–10 employees, primarily Kate and her partner Jonathan, supported by an independent sales rep group. The company has earned five Louie Awards from the Greeting Card Association, including the 2021 Card of the Year, and has been featured in CNN, The Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, and The Skimm. Charitable donation partnerships with Trans Lifeline, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, and Miracle Babies tie a portion of designated SKU sales to community causes, reinforcing the brand's mission-driven positioning.

Name

Noble Paperie

Legal name

The Noble Paperie

Website

https://thenoblepaperie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Noble Paperie is a San Diego-based boutique greeting card company founded in 2016, specializing in cards for sensitive life moments including pregnancy loss, miscarriage, NICU stays, and LGBTQIA+ occasions. Products are sold via direct e-commerce and 100+ retailers including Barnes & Noble and Paper Source.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Greeting Cards & Stationery

NAICS

Greeting Card Publishers (513191), Stationery Product Manufacturing (32223), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942), Office Supplies and Stationery Retailers (45941)

SIC

Greeting Cards (2771), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)

akta.pro primary industry

Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail (CRALAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Greeting Cards, Gift Wrap & Party Paper Goods Distribution (CRAOALAJ), Stationery & Office Paper Products (notebooks, pads, forms) (IMAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Greeting cards
• Paper goods
• Sympathy cards
• Stationery products
• Gift packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct Retail Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of greeting cards, stickers, gift bags, ornaments, and suncatchers through their e-commerce website. Cards priced at $5.50 each. Ships within 1-2 business days via USPS or UPS.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale sales to over 100 independent retailers nationwide. Available through Faire marketplace, direct invoice, or via sales rep group in California and Colorado. Carried by major retailers including Barnes & Noble and Paper Source.
3. Custom Design Services: Custom greeting card design services offered to select clients each quarter, including branded cards for organizations and collaborative products.
4. Donation-Based Revenue Sharing: A portion of sales from specific cards (e.g., Father's Day cards) donated to Trans Lifeline; CooperSurgical partnership includes donation matching to RESOLVE. These are deductions from revenue rather than revenue streams themselves.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Noble Paperie designs, prints, and sells greeting cards and paper goods focused on difficult and meaningful life moments such as miscarriage, NICU stays, grief, illness, and gender disappointment. The company offers single cards, boxed sets, stickers, suncatchers, gift bags, and ornaments, and produces these via offset printing on SFI-certified paper with soy-based inks through a partner printer in Glendale, California. Sales are split between direct-to-consumer e-commerce and wholesale to more than 100 independent and national retailers.

Product overview

The Noble Paperie is a stationery brand offering a unified portfolio of paper products centered on greeting cards and paper goods designed for joy, grief, and everything in between. The core product line consists of Noble Greetings (greeting cards) complemented by add-on products including Noble Stickers, Noble Gift Bags, Noble Ornaments, Noble Suncatchers, and Boxed Sets. The company also offers custom greeting card design services for wholesale and branded collaborations. All cards are designed by founder Kate Woolley, printed locally in Southern California, and made from sustainable materials. Product categories span occasions including Birthday, Love + Friendship, Sympathy, Infertility + Adoption, NICU Support, LGBTQIA+, and Holiday.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Noble Greeting Cards Single and boxed greeting cards designed for sensitive and meaningful life moments such as miscarriage, NICU stays, grief, illness, and gender disappointment, sold direct to consumers at $5.50 per card and wholesale to retailers.
• Noble Stickers Stickers that extend the Noble Paperie design language to additional paper goods and gifting contexts.
• Noble Suncatchers Decorative suncatcher paper goods sold as part of the Noble Paperie product line for gifting and home decor.
• Noble Gift Bags Hand-assembled gift bags that coordinate with Noble Paperie card designs for complete gifting solutions.
• Noble Ornaments Paper-based ornaments sold as seasonal keepsakes and gifts, produced under the Noble Paperie brand.
• Boxed Card Sets Curated boxed sets of multiple Noble Paperie greeting cards, packaged for retail and gifting purposes.
• Custom Greeting Card Design Services Custom design service that creates bespoke greeting cards for organizations such as healthcare providers, non-profits, and advocacy groups needing tailored language and branding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-time Louie Award winner including 2021 Card of the Year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CooperSurgicalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create cards helping friends and family lend support during infertility journeys. CooperSurgical matches a portion of sales and donates to RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. Cards created with CooperSurgical branding component include NGC072-CSI 'Thinking of You Support Card'.
• Trans LifelinecoreOthersA portion of sales from specific cards (e.g., Father's Day cards) donated to Trans Lifeline, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization combining a grassroots hotline and microgrants offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis.
• RESOLVE: The National Infertility AssociationcoreOthersA portion of card sales donated to RESOLVE. CooperSurgical partnership also includes donation matching to RESOLVE. RESOLVE is dedicated to removing stigmas and changing the conversation around infertility.
• Miracle BabiescoreOthersA portion of sales from Noble Paperie products goes directly to Miracle Babies, a nonprofit supporting families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The founder's personal connection includes co-founding by Dr. Daneshmand, head of Perinatology for San Diego.
• FaireminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale marketplace platform through which retailers can purchase Noble Paperie products.
• Independent Sales Rep Group (California and Colorado)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales representative group covering California and Colorado for wholesale account management.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Egg Press: Independent greeting card and paper goods studio based in Portland, OR with hand-illustrated designs sold through independent retailers. Comparable indie producer serving overlapping wholesale channels.
• 1canoe2: Independent paper goods and greeting card brand focused on illustrated, often nature- and lifestyle-themed designs sold wholesale to boutique retailers. Comparable indie illustration-led stationery producer.
• Sapling Press: Independent letterpress greeting card studio. Comparable small-batch artisan stationery brand selling through wholesale channels to independent gift shops and boutiques.
• Daydream Society: Independent stationery and greeting card brand with whimsical illustrated designs, sold DTC and through wholesalers. Similar indie/small-batch producer competing for similar boutique retailer shelf space.
• Lovepop: Direct-to-consumer pop-up greeting card and gift brand with both DTC and major retail distribution (Target, Nordstrom). Comparable premium gifting positioning and omnichannel retail strategy, though specializing in 3D pop-up formats.

Broad incumbents

• American Greetings: Major greeting card publisher with broad occasion coverage and deep retail penetration. Comparable in core product (greeting cards) and wholesale distribution model, though serving mainstream rather than niche emotional markets.
• Papyrus (Designer Greetings): Premium stationery and greeting card retailer/publisher with significant mall and boutique presence. Overlapping premium paper goods category and wholesale-to-retail dynamic, though broader and more mainstream.
• Hallmark Cards: Dominant mass-market greeting card manufacturer with vast retail distribution. Represents the entrenched incumbent Noble Paperie must differentiate against; overlapping product category but vastly broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Emily McDowell & Friends: Independent greeting card and stationery brand focused on emotionally honest, often difficult-life-moment cards (illness, grief, mental health). Closely aligned with Noble Paperie's niche-first, emotionally authentic positioning and direct-to-consumer plus wholesale model.
• Rifle Paper Co. Premium illustrated paper goods and greeting card brand sold DTC and through major retailers (Target, Anthropologie). Comparable in artist-led design, premium positioning, and wholesale-plus-DTC omnichannel strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheNoblePaperie
• Instagraminstagram.com/thenoblepaperie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-noble-paperie

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Noble Paperie