Local Business Offers Personalized Gifts for the Holidays

Papel may translate to paper, but that’s not all you’ll find behind the doors of the stationery store located at 1913 Knickerbocker Road. Planners, cards and creative customizables stock the shelves of the shop; the offspring of a century-old printing location native to San Angelo.

“From 1992-2007 I had a store downtown called Holcombe Blanton…it was opened in San Angelo in 1908,” says Kim Mikeska, owner of Papel. “It was a printing and supply company…for many reasons, we decided to close it in 2007, and about two weeks later I started Papel.”

Mikeska and her husband had been running a local magazine since she graduated college called “City Lights,” and had bought the printing store as a location to print their magazines and do other commercial work. Ironically, just a few weeks after purchasing the store, the magazine went out of print.

Some years later, Kim Mikeska cut the commercial stuff almost entirely and focused on stationery, designing cards and invitations for different occasions.

“We had the printing company and people were buying these pre-bordered invitations…and bringing them to me to print, and I thought ‘well, this is dumb, why don’t I just carry it and they can buy the invitations from me and I can print them.’ That’s kind of how it all got started,” Mikeska says.

Having taught herself how to lay out a magazine and experimented with graphic design, the stationery end was ready to launch full force by the time she opened Papel in 2007.  Now, design work comprises a majority of her day.

“We do a lot of designing, and actually, I think the industry is moving that direction…people pretty much just want everything personalized now,” Mikeska says. “It’s not just a birthday invitation anymore, it’s a birthday invitation with their kid’s picture on it, so we’re trying to meet that demand as well. “

Along with personalized paperstuffs, Mikeska’s Papel also offers creative gift ideas for family or friends, including cookbooks, kitchen gadgets and even jewelry.

One such item that Mikeska personally favors is the line of Visible Faith and myGodTags jewelry designed and hand-made by Shandon Camarillo-Whitson.

“One day, I had a girl walk in because she had been at Sloper Jewelry,” says Mikeska, explaining that her previous location was at Park 2400, near the jewelry store, “ she was a jewelry designer, and had had some of her jewelry cast over there and she walked in to buy some thank you notes,” Mikeska continued.

“We got to talking and…she brought in some of her jewelry, and it was this line called God Tags. They look like dog tags, but they each have hand-drawn designs on them and a bible verse…I’ve always been very involved in church and stuff and I immediately thought ‘wow’ this is cool,” she continues.

Mikeska bought into the line and began carrying the jewelry in her store. Back then, says Mikeska, Camarillo-Whitson was doing the majority of her selling at weekend shows and events. Nowadays, she sells to over 200 stores and has over 50 different tags.

Camarillo-Whitson personally makes all of the God Tags and charms for Visible Faith out of sterling silver. Each is customizable depending on size and available for order.

However, although she’s been wildly successful with her jewelry design business, Mikeska says that for Camarillo-Whitson, it’s never been about the money. “It’s really an expression of her faith and she feels really strongly about the meaning of it,” Mikeska says. “It’s not all about the money.”

For the first time ever, Camarillo-Whitson will be hosting two holiday trunk shows in San Angelo, allowing local residents to come in and get personalized pieces or make wishlists that their ‘Santas’ may fill at her second visit. "It's a chance for shoppers to choose from a larger selection of My God Tags than we carry day-to-day here," Mikeska said.

The first trunk show will take place Nov. 16, and the second on Dec. 20. Those who bring in two canned food items on the 16th will receive a free colored charm courtesy of Kim Mikeska. Papel will also soon begin its annual “Countdown to Christmas Sale,” which will run for 10 days and will feature a different item each day.