About twenty years ago, Rebecca Ruebensaal found herself weeping in a bathroom stall at her dreaded corporate job. Desperate to make NYC rent, there was only one probable solution. She called upon her childhood imaginary friend, a globetrotting gentleman named Mr. Boddington, and started a small business devoted to paper. Her parents were dizzy with worry.
In its early years, Mr. Boddington created engraved and letterpress invitations for picky yet impeccable brides in Manhattan. You might have one of these invitations rattling around your drawer... The telltale sign was fine printing on 100% cotton paper (not wood) and an envelope lined by hand. Eventually the business evolved to offering hand-illustrated greeting cards, stationery, books and globally-sourced desk accessories, always with Mr. B's idiosyncratic perspective as the guiding muse.
Today, anyone who loves paper can find Mr. Boddington in over 500 stores worldwide, online, or by visiting our retail shop in Brooklyn. We are fortunate to design for brands including Anthropologie, Paperless Post, Air Mail, Schoolhouse, Penguin Random House, Chronicle, Paper Source, The Laundress and Maisonette. And for the record, one of Mr. B's oldest products is still a beloved best-seller, the Santa Writes Back Kit. On behalf of Santa, Mr. Boddington responds to children's letters, writing back clever little responses to thousands of children every holiday season.
Although the fictitious alter-ego Mr. Boddington remains firmly at the creative helm, in reality the company is run by a team of strong, talented women. They would agree that the business' purpose for existing remains steadfast: in a tech-obsessed world that has gone bananas, we seek to deepen one's relationship with paper.
