This past weekend was Penny Post’s first anniversary celebration. So many people came out (in the rain, no less) to celebrate our anniversary, and not entirely because of the free champagne. The one year mark is a very special milestone for a number of reasons. Dumping your heart and soul into a new business is risky, and there is no guarantee how it will turn out. But here we are! It is such a delight to be a part of this city. We are so grateful to exist in a community that values small businesses, creativity, and, of course, paper.Appropriately, the traditional one year anniversary gift is paper. To keep the celebration going, I’ve decided to highlight some of our favorite paper products we carry. This Old Town Alexandria map, made locally by Cherry Blossom Creative, is new to the shop and has received a very, very warm welcome. We also carry their Del Ray, D.C., and NoVa maps. While the Old Town map speaks to my heart, I have to say the others are equally as wonderful!I suppose I’m a sucker for local artists using their gifts to celebrate their city. Carlos Carmonamedina is a local artist who captures and humanizes some of the most iconic sights in D.C. We carry several of his prints and postcards. Good luck picking a favorite.This card really spoke to me. I appreciate a card that subtly leans in the direction of inappropriate. I would say it is one of Penny Post’s genre specialties, and one of the top joys of working here. Penny Post has so many cards that jump right off the shelf, partially because there are so many, but also because you’ll see one that immediately reminds you of someone in your life who absolutely needs to receive that exact card. Lastly, I would like to give credit to our beautiful wedding invitation suites. Paging through the lookbooks in our shop is a nice way to spend a day, taking in all the font, color, texture, designs you could dream up. Bonus: you’ll also get the most knowledgeable, pleasant team in town to help guide you.I’m realizing that this could go on forever. I would write about every single notebook, notepad, stationery set, and planner if I could. I will instead leave you with one final thank you for all of the support you have shown Penny Post and all the lovely sentiments we have received over the past year. We are looking forward to connecting with paper lovers for many more years to come! 

Amy's Update

Week two is almost down. While you read this I will be doing my morning flow at FOR. For all my optimism I usually start out fairly skeptical about most things. The morning flow was one of them. It seems so quick and so minimalist, I thought, how can it help? Then I started doing it every morning as prescribed. After the five, short minutes and the simple movements, I feel stretched and little more ready to take on the world. It's been a great way to motivate me to stay on track for the rest of the day.For someone like me who hasn't regularly exercised in a long time, these are the baby steps I need to feel like I'm making progress and moving towards bigger fitness goals. And, it seems like flow is good for folks at all levels of athleticism. Apparently Jordan Reed, the Redskins' tight end, was caught on the sidelines doing a flow at a recent game. The internet went crazy! In a story in the Washington Post, he had this to say about the viral video, “They didn’t catch the full routine,” Reed said. “It’s actually like a minute long. That’s just firing my body up, getting ready for movement.”Well said, sir, well said.