Paper Source

I went to Paper Source in a panic a few weeks ago, hoping for some guidance. I wanted to DIY invitations after reading about how much fun it would be on Apartment Therapy. A fancy cocktail party demands an even fancier, handmade invitation. Unfortunately, I am not the craftiest. Fortunately, the ladies at the Chestnut Hill Paper Source are!
When I walked in they could probably sense my distress. One of the girls who helped me (Elyssa) brought me over to a table so that I could show her what I had created so far (which was a mess). She then showed me a book of invites they’ve made with their product and asked me to describe the theme of my party. The level of care and thoughtfulness they put into my project was really top-​notch. I love Paper Source, and I always have a good experience in their store (the CH location included), but the entire staff took their time with me and were really attentive to my needs.
The best part was they showed me some how-​tos with the products (I can’t stamp to save my life) but now I’m embossing like a pro! I like the idea of being able to test out colors and techniques before I commit to buying a bunch of stuff and then feeling lost at home.
I brought a finished invite back into the store, and everyone there oohed and ahhed over it. It really makes me feel valued when the staff seem genuinely interested in customers, and this Paper Source gets an A+ for that! Thanks ladies, even if I forget the champagne and burn the cake, my party will still be a success because of your crafty help with the invitations! You’re the best!

Sigh. Big Sigh. Another customer service disaster (which could have been really easily diverted):
I was at the new Chestnut Hill Square on July 1^st with some time to waste, so I wandered into the Paper Source store to see what they had. Brookline is the best location, IMHO, but I figured that since all of the shops here are new (and some are still opening) they would really be on the ball with service since they ARE new, not to mention the Newton, um, clientele.
Before anyone tries to jump all over me for this (i.e. anyone who works at this store, their BFF does, etc) I tried to get in touch with Sally Pofcher, CEO of Paper Source first to give her the heads up. It’s been 10 days, so here’s my review:
It was about 12:30PM, and three (separate) customers were in the store (I was one of them). Two employees were having a really weird conversation about store policy… as in «what is acceptable at Paper Source, what’s not». They were actually reading what sounded like their employee manual OUT LOUD. My guess is that somewhere in there — and not hidden on page 362, paragraph 12, subsection 2 — is a big part about greeting customers and saying HELLO.
No, not here. No «hello», no eye contact, no smile, no nothing. NOTHING. Big hint to the two girls working that afternoon (and their boss, if he/​she reads this): you won’t do well in customer service.