New owner purchases PaperWorld in last-minute deal

A single piece of paper saved the 'World.

Jenny Baldwin's 22-year-old business, PaperWorld, had been for sale for a year and a half. With no offers, Baldwin decided to shut down the business March 26. But two hours before PaperWorld was to close forever, Tim Gammon showed up with a piece of paper. On it was a written offer for the business from his wife, devoted PaperWorld customer Jan Gammon.

Baldwin accepted the offer.

"I had many, many interested people, but most people, when they saw what kind of time commitment it was going to be, they decided it was not the right time in their life to buy," Baldwin said. "After a year and a half of trying to sell it, I decided to close it. I was ready to move on."

Gammon first approached Baldwin about purchasing the store a few days before it was set to close.

"When I came in and I saw their quitting business sign, I just panicked. I thought, There is nothing else in Springfield like it,'" Gammon said. She went home and discussed it with her husband, and decided to go through with the purchase.

Gammon officially bought PaperWorld, at 2726 S. Glenstone Ave., on April 11, acquiring the PaperWorld name and the remaining store fixtures. Gammon and Baldwin declined to disclose the purchase price.

Gammon said her love for the product was a motivation in buying the business.

"I love anything with my name in print; I love stationery and even monogram clothing. There is just something about having your name or initials in print," Gammon said.

Since all of the products were sold before the business closed under Baldwin's ownership, Gammon will be adding new product lines.

"I am bringing in a whole lot of fresh new lines that Springfield has never had, so I'm really excited," Gammon said.

The store will continue to carry several exclusive lines, including Mont Blanc pens and paper and Crane's stationery. The store will continue to carry and special order invitations, stationery, greeting cards and journals.

Paper history

PaperWorld was started in October 1981. The original owner, Sue Burwell Phillips, opened the store at 3057 S. Fremont Ave. in the Fremont Center. Jenny Baldwin purchased the business in November 1991. In 1996, PaperWorld moved to its current location in the Brentwood Center, where it gained more visibility, Baldwin said.

"I wanted to be in the front of a shopping center where I would get more walk-in traffic. The exposure in the Brentwood Center was a lot better," Baldwin said.

The move helped increase sales of the already successful business. Baldwin said that under her ownership, PaperWorld had 11 straight years of growth, with last year marking the highest gross sales ever. But results aside, for Baldwin it was time to leave the business.

"There were a lot of things I really liked about (PaperWorld) and a lot of things, after 11 years, that just wore me out. I loved my customers; getting to interact with the people was one of my most favorite things," Baldwin said.

She added that she is looking for new opportunities. "When one door closes, another opens," she said.

A whole new look

The store will reopen May 15 and will retain the PaperWorld name. "It is such an established wonderful name with such a wonderful reputation," Gammon said. "That was one of the things that drew me to purchasing it because of its long-term reputation. I think a lot of businesspeople have used it for years and have known it as PaperWorld."

While the philosophy, location and phone number remain the same, some things will change.

"We're getting all new carpet, all new floors and new paint so it's going to look like a beautiful new store when we open, " Gammon said.

A new computer system was installed during the weekend of April 11-12. Gammon said E-Net, a Kansas City-based computer company, installed wireless computer equipment that will help scan sale items and track inventory, making record keeping easier.

New store hours will be 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m.-6:30p.m. Thursday; and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.

New Faces

A new full-time manager, Annie Tracy, will join Gammon at the store, along with two part-time employees, Jill Denton and Lueda Lucas.

Gammon said even with extra employees she will still have a presence at the store.

"I plan to be out greeting the customers. I really like pushing the home-owned business instead of the franchise business. I think it's important for the owner to be out there so people can see that it is a home-owned business, and that I am interested in the customers," Gammon said.