Notes & Queries

What Notes & Queries does

Notes & Queries, Inc. is a privately held wholesale distributor of imported greeting cards, stationery, gift wrap, and giftware headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1980, the company sources products from more than 25 publishers across the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Israel, offering a curated assortment that includes quilling, 3D pop-up, laser-cut, and hand-finished designs, with 2,400+ active greeting card SKUs plus stationery, gift wrap, and gift items under brands such as The Art File, Quire Publishing, Ricicle, Poet & Painter, Tracks Publishing, and Paper D'Art.

The company operates a B2B wholesale-only distribution model, selling exclusively to trade accounts including gift shops, card stores, boutiques, and specialty retailers. Revenue is generated through one-time wholesale product sales with a $200 minimum order requirement for new customers and MSRP per item ranging from $3.95 to $25.95 depending on product complexity. Distribution occurs through direct field sales engagement and an e-commerce platform at NandQ.com where trade accounts can browse the catalog, place orders, and manage their accounts. Marketing reach extends through the e-commerce storefront, email newsletters, multi-platform social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram), and trade events.

The company holds exclusive US distribution rights for select European publishers including Quire Publishing and Tracks Publishing, and maintains a closely-held ownership structure with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, or parent company relationships. There are no documented AI, automation, or technology platform investments; operations remain grounded in traditional import-wholesale logistics and relationship-based sales.

Name

Notes & Queries

Legal name

Notes & Queries, Inc.

Website

https://nandq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Notes & Queries is a privately held Baltimore-based wholesale distributor, founded in 1980, that imports and distributes upscale greeting cards, stationery, gift wrap, and gifts from 25+ European and international publishers to US retail stockists on a trade-only basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Greeting Card and Stationery Distribution

NAICS

Greeting Card Publishers (513191)

SIC

Greeting Cards (2771), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Wholesale greeting cards
• Stationery distribution
• Gift wrap wholesale
• International card publishers
• Specialty gift retail supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Product Sales: Primary revenue stream through wholesale distribution of greeting cards, gift wrap, stationery, and gift items to retail customers. Products sold in bulk with wholesale pricing tiers. Minimum order of $200 for new customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Notes & Queries is a wholesale distributor of imported greeting cards, stationery, gift wrap and bags, and related giftware, supplying retail stockists across the United States with products sourced from more than 25 publishers in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Israel. The company sells exclusively to registered trade accounts, offering exclusive US distribution for several publishers and a curated catalog of 2,400+ greeting card SKUs alongside stationery and gift items.

Product overview

Notes & Queries, Inc. is a wholesale greeting card, stationery, gift wrap, and gift distribution company founded in 1980. The company imports and distributes upscale products from more than 25 publishers across the UK, The Netherlands, Germany, and Israel. Their core product categories include 2,438+ greeting cards (blank, occasion-specific, 3D pop-up, and quilled designs), stationery (notebooks, journals, calendars, notecards), gift wrap and bags, and assorted gifts. The portfolio features distributed brands including The Art File (384+ products), Quire Publishing (52+), Ricicle (57+), Poet & Painter (61+), Paper D'Art (laser-cut 3D cards), Say It With Songs (QR code music cards), Stephanie Davies (hand-finished gold foil cards), and Origamo (paper quilling). Products are sold exclusively wholesale with a minimum $200 order requirement, targeting retail stockists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Greeting Cards Wholesale assortment of greeting cards including blank, mini cards, postcards, 3D pop-up cards, and occasion-specific cards for birthday, anniversary, wedding, sympathy, thank you, holiday, and more. Products from 25+ European and international publishers featuring various styles including embossed, foiled, quilling, and hand-finished designs, sold wholesale to retail stockists.
• Stationery Wholesale stationery items including address books, bookmarks, boxed note cards, calendars and planners, notebooks and journals, notecard wallets, notepads, organizers, password books, postcards, sticker books, sticky notes, writing accessories, and writing sets, sourced from international publishers for retail resale.
• Gift Wrap and Bags Wholesale gift wrapping products including wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, and gift tags, with holiday-themed gift wrap collections imported from European and international publishers for retail resale.
• Gifts Wholesale assorted gift items including umbrellas, calendars, coasters, coloring books, coloring posters, drinkware, holiday items, jigsaw puzzles, kitchen accessories, napkins, paperweights, pins, playing cards, pouches, soap bars, and tote bags, distributed for retail resale.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 25+ International Publishers (UK, Netherlands, Germany, Israel)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNotes & Queries serves as the exclusive US wholesale distributor for greeting cards, stationery, and gift items from 25+ European and international publishers. Publishers include brands from UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Israel.
• Quire PublishingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNotes & Queries is the exclusive US distributor for Quire Publishing products. Quire Publishing offers premium foiled and embossed greeting cards on luxury board.
• Tracks Publishing, Ltd.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNotes & Queries distributes Tracks Publishing products exclusively in the USA. Tracks Publishing specializes in humorous greeting cards with hand-applied wiggle eyes.
• The Art FilecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBased in Nottingham, UK. Founded 1997. Award-winning publisher supplying design-rich, quality cards. Notes & Queries distributes their 384+ products in the US.
• Paper D'ArtminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecializes in laser-cut 3D greeting cards. Notes & Queries distributes their innovative pop-up and 3D card designs in the US market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Designer Greetings: US wholesale greeting card distributor serving retail stockists with a broad portfolio of everyday and seasonal cards. Directly comparable in business model (wholesale-only to trade accounts) and category focus, though more domestic-mass than international-curated in positioning.
• The Gallery Collection: Wholesale greeting card distributor supplying independent retailers and specialty gift shops in North America. Closely matches N&Q's B2B trade account model and target customer base of boutique retailers.
• Avanti Press: Greeting card publisher and wholesale distributor serving retail accounts in North America. Direct peer in product category and channel (wholesale to retail stockists).
• Recycled Paper Greetings: Independent greeting card publisher/distributor with sustainability positioning, selling into retail channels. Comparable as a non-mass greeting card supplier to specialty and gift retailers.
• Leanin' Tree: Greeting card publisher with wholesale distribution to retail accounts across the US, complemented by art prints and related paper goods. Comparable wholesale B2B model in the greeting card category.

Broad incumbents

• American Greetings: Major greeting card manufacturer and distributor with wholesale and DTC channels. Comparable industry overlap but competes primarily in mass-market everyday cards versus N&Q's curated international niche.
• Crane & Co. Premium stationery and greeting card brand with wholesale presence to specialty retailers. Comparable in the upscale paper goods category with overlapping retail customers, though Crane is also a manufacturer with retail storefronts.
• IG Design Group: Global designer, manufacturer, and distributor of greeting cards, gift wrap, and stationery — including the former UK Greetings business. Comparable as an international greeting/gift wrap distributor serving multiple geographies, with broader category scope.
• Hallmark Cards: Largest US greeting card company with full vertical integration (manufacturing, wholesale, retail stores). Overlaps with N&Q's category but at vastly greater scale and with mass-market rather than curated premium positioning.

Emerging players

• Raspberry Blossom: UK-based greeting card publisher with FSC-certified, foiled/embossed designs — currently distributed by N&Q in the US. Comparable as a small premium publisher that could expand its own US wholesale distribution over time, becoming a partial competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/NandQ
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJicPA-RMGRL0snwFpIj4HQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/notesandqueriescards
• Instagraminstagram.com/notesandqueries

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 Notes & Queries