News
Postcard Season
It’s Postcard Season
It’s postcard season and even though it’s much more expedient to send a text with a picture of your travels, discovering a handwritten postcard within a pile of mail still remains a thrill. Someone who cares about you purchased this postcard from a place you may have never been, had to compose a small but perfect message, then retrieve your address from their contact information and the most challenging part of all, had to buy a stamp. Just imagine all the miles that single postcard travelled in planes, trains, and trucks to arrive in your mailbox. I try to imagine my friend writing it hurriedly before leaving their hotel, composing it while taking a break at a cafe or bakery (like BonBonerie) or writing it while standing at the counter in the post office which was a lot farther walk than they thought it was going to be.
That’s a lot to do, just to say, “Having a great time. Wish you were here.”
But I am a hopeless romantic. I greatly appreciate a handwritten thank you note, or a get-well card and I still send Valentines and Christmas cards to dear friends. I sigh with delight from an occasional sweet message written on a post-it-note from my husband stuck to the kitchen table attached with a reminder of what he would like from the grocery store.
Recently at an antique flea market, I discovered two packages of very old party invitations. I bought them and I am now motivated to send these “antique” invitations for a party this summer. Getting a formal invitation in the mail is like getting a gift. Amazon has taken much of the excitement out of receiving packages but receiving handwritten anything in my mailbox transforms my day. The excitement lasts a lot longer than an electronic message.
Back to the subject of postcards. As some of you are well aware, on the counter of our Bakery and Cafe we offer an assortment of postcards for you to take as you please. They are always free. We have been doing this for as long as I can remember. Each one reflects something having to do with BonBonerie, whether it’s one of our cakes, cookies or tea parties, artistic contributions for the Art of Food or portraits of some of the talented people who work here. It’s been a joy to choose what image becomes a postcard. Recently, a Cincinnati artist named Josie Masset created 15 watercolors of pastries, cakes, and nooks of the BonBonerie. As soon as I saw them, I thought they were going to make great postcards. And so, they have. I am beginning to have them printed into postcards and will continue to put the entire series out over the summer. There’s another thing a postcard can be, a miniature piece of art. Cincinnati collage artist, Sara Pearce, created a number of pieces of art for us, many of which have ended up as postcards too.
Since it is postcard season and many of you will be traveling this summer, I would love to hear from any of you who have used or sent one of BonBonerie’s postcards. It would be a thrill for me to know what you do with them or who you sent them to. We print thousands of postcards every year and I know there has to be a story or two out there written on the backs of those cards. And, if during your travels this summer, you happen to visit an interesting pastry shop, bakery or any interesting location that also has postcards, please send me one. Each postcard I receive will be posted in the bakery throughout the summer. As a way of thanking, you for your participation, anyone who sends me a postcard or a story will be included in a drawing for a $100. gift certificate. The winner will be picked on Labor Day, 2024. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank You.
Sharon Butler, Co-Founder
Mail cards to :
Sharon Butler
2030 Madison Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45208. Or email your story to: sharon@bonbonerie.com
