aboutus

Although Katy and I officially started
The Calligraphy Collection, Inc. in 1983,
a few months before our daughter Kara was
born, it has its roots in 1976. That was the year
a friend suggested Katy take her artwork to
an art show. The results were encouraging.

I earned my MBA in 1982. My final marketing project was to plan a business. I chose a gift business based on Katy's watercolor and calligraphy combination. She had taken her work to more and more shows each year and was winning awards regularly as well as increasing her sales. She had "learned by doing" what types of items people liked best and had become in tune with what her customers were looking for. The business plan envisioned selling only the best designs through gift shops. Testing would be required before a piece was released and designs which were not popular would be removed. We realized the only way we could compete in this market would be to have a better product.

- a publication that objectively tracks the product pulse of the gift industry. Our line is available in over 5,000 gift stores in the US and Canada. Katy continues to add to and refine the line and feedback is that her work continues to fill a need amongst our customers.
The Artist - Katy Fischer For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of being an artist. But it took my loving friend and husband, Alan, to make that dream come true. I had written and collected sayings for years that were meaningful to me. I found the combination of the watercolors and calligraphy to be a wonderful avenue of expression. It was heartening to see how well they were received. In 1983 we began selling to gift shops. We had a good track record and knew we were giving the shops strong designs. Quality and customer service have always been important elements of our product. When things didn’t work, we went back to the source until problems were solved. As a result, we have developed a reputation for a high quality gift item. We were fortunate to find employees who stayed with us and have taken pride in the products that we create. We have a group that we are very proud to be working with. Many of them have been with us quite a few years and often it feels almost like a family. Over the years we have watched the interest in our product grow. We have been told by buying groups like Ideation that we are one of their best selling items. We love what we do, and hopefully that is reflected in our work. By staying with something we love through the tough times and the disappointments and learning from the mistakes, we have been blessed with results beyond our expectations.