0522HarfordSpring22 - Flipbook - Page 13
PHOTOS BY BARBARA HADDOCK TAYLOR
their concepts. “One couple’s
invitation resembled the [loan]
card that goes in the back of
library books, with the dates
stamped showing when they
met, when he proposed and
the date of the wedding. For a
pair of Orioles fans, we printed
trifold baseball tickets on which
the gates of Camden Yards
opened to show the date they’d
be married there.”
“It’s neat to see these ideas,
and we help them to follow
through,” she added.
It’s not the merchandise that
Bond’s great-grandfather sold
when the place opened in 1926,
when newspapers, cigars and
bookkeeping supplies stocked
the shelves.
“During the Great Depression, he sold whatever he could
get his hands on, from razors to
guitar strings,” said Preston, 73.
“The whole business has been
an evolution.”
Custom printing took off
in the 1990s, at Bond’s behest.
A graphics whiz, she walks
clients through the purchase
of everything from thank-you
notes and graduation announcements to peripheral wedding
products like menus, coasters
and napkins.
Of late, wedding invitations
have taken a more casual tone,
said Bond, 45.
“In the last 20 years, they’ve
gotten very colorful and personalized. There are still people
who want the traditional classic
invitations, but others choose
[more heartfelt] themes,” she
said. “One couple put a drawing
of themselves and their dog on
their card; another had a nautical theme, with seashells and
anchors. We’ve done invitations
in purple, for Ravens’ fans.”
On occasion, clients will
attempt to push the envelope,
Bond said. “Some artwork has
been questionable, but I make
subtle suggestions and they
sway in that direction.”
Customers can thumb
through hundreds of former invitations for ideas for their own.
“They’ll go through the
boxes and recognize the names
of their friends,” Bond said.
“Sometimes they’ll find one and
say, ‘Oh, they’re not together
anymore.’ That makes me sad.”
Not every couple arrives in
agreement on the style and text
of their invitation.
“We spent two-and-a-half
hours with a bride and groom
and her parents, all of whom
had different ideas,” she said.
“There was a lot of back-andforth; some moms can lose
sight that it’s their daughter’s
wedding. But we got it done and,
when we did, everyone cheered.”
Preston’s Stationery
319 S. Main St., Bel Air. 410-8385858. prestonsstationery.com/
Public Art Tour
EXPLORE LIKE NEVER BEFORE!
Scan the QR code or visit our website to
experience Bel Air’s self-guided Public Art Tour.
&
ENTERTAINMENT
DISTRICT
Robert Preston and his daughter,
Kim, are the owners of Preston’s
Stationery Inc., which is a fourthgeneration family business in Bel Air.
See more. Learn more. Experience more.
BelAirArtsAndEntertainment.org/Visit/Public-Art
let’s get
the band
back together
• “Best Store Turnaround”
Winner - NAMM
• Premium Showcase Fender Dealer
• Major Brands including Martin,
PRS, Yamaha, Blackstar, Marshall
and more!
• On-Site Repair Shop
• Private Lessons
• Serving Maryland Since 1971
• Hosting weekly open-mic nights,
live music and other special events
200 Gateway Dr,
Bel Air, MD 21014
(410) 879-1079
www.musiclandstore.com
harfordmagazine.com | SPRING 2022 | 13