Mrs. Grossman's Paper (Sticker) Company Tour!

Hi all! I fulfilled a crazy childhood dream and took a tour of Mrs. Grossman's Paper Company. Mrs. Grossman's is responsible for stickers. In fact, she basically created stickers. So the vast majority of my childhood spent collecting, swapping, and organizing my stickers is thanks to this lady.

Last weekend I stopped off in Sausalito on my way home from The City, and came across this fabulous little paper store, off the beaten path (but only by one block).  The company is the Pinestreet Papery, and it carries every Mrs. Grossman's sticker ever made. When Mrs. Grossman's discontinues a sticker pattern, Pinestreet Papery buys up the remaining stock. Needless to say, it's an awesome site to see. So, while I was snooping my way through the stickers, it dawned on me that as a kid, I always knew that Mrs. Grossman's was local. So upon returning home, I checked out their website. Turns out, they offer tours! Located in Petaluma off of South McDowell, they're only about a mile off the freeway. They have a picnic area (sans food), so it might be a fun stopover for some family members on the way to Mendo! P.S. Between 101 and Mrs. Grossman's is Mr. Pickles Sandwich Shop. The best deli sandwich I've ever had is made regularly by this phenomenal chain deli. Check them out!

For a very reasonable price ($3 for adults), tours are offered during the weekdays. You begin by watching a short video introducing you to Mrs. Grossman and the company, and then take a tour of the production floor. It's really neat to see all of the machines operating! In addition to stickers for collecting, scrapbooking, etc., Mrs. Grossman's Paper Company factory is also home to Paragon Papers, also owned by a Grossman family member. This company prints beautiful labels for regional wineries and high-end foods. As we were walking through, I spotted huge rolls of labels for wineries all over the area, including a Coppola winery label.

While pictures weren't allowed on the production floor, I did snap a couple of pictures upstairs. When the tour of the floor wrapped up, we went upstairs where little sticker baggies were handed out, and art projects commenced. The kids in the room seemed to love it, and I had fun with it too! I then wandered into the Mrs. Grossman's store, which had most (if not all) of the current stickers available. The prices were really rock-bottom, and it looks like they're having a lower-than-wholesale sale on June 26, for anyone crazy enough to battle scrapbookers for a sticker!