Amidst the turmoil that has enveloped the country since March, it’s understandable that the travails of stationery companies wouldn’t receive much attention in the mainstream national press. Still, Crane & Co.’s decision to drastically reduce their workforce by 200+ individuals and close their North Adams, Massachusetts manufacturing facility is notable not only because it’s a cautionary tale for those stationery companies that fail to adapt to modern realities, but also because it marks yet another end of an iconic American stationery manufacturer with more than 200 years of history behind it.

Based on the limited media coverage and my own discussions with knowledgeable sources, the January bankruptcy and closure of retailer Papyrus - Crane’s largest distributor and retail footprint - threw the Company into a precarious financial situation from which it simply couldn’t recover once COVID-19 forced the shutdown of the North Adams facility in March. What followed was a series of apparently ham-handed efforts to manage the fallout, which saw the company get embroiled in a dispute with the local officials over their attempt to re-open as an “essential business” in alleged violation of local COVID-19 guidelines, followed by an announcement that the “reopening” would be temporary, and that 200+ Crane employees would be laid off on June 19, and the North Adams manufacturing facility closed.

Indeed. #feelingrightnow #dowagercountess #penaddict #fpgeeks #crane #cranestationery #stationery #finewriting #downtonabbey

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It’s unclear whether this is the end of Crane as a brand. Parent company Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc. has stated that they plan to relocate an unspecified (i.e., small) number of employees to their main facility in Cohoes, New York. Other sources say that all remaining employees will be laid off by September. As of now, the Crane website is still live, and their COVID-19 statement still emphasizes that “Crane products are exclusively produced in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and have been for 2019 years. We are inextricably connected to the wellbeing of our community, and its wellbeing will always be our top priority.” In my opinion, not the best look given everything that’s occurred, and one would think that clearer messaging might be in order. Then again, I’m not sure whether Crane’s “core consumer” cares as much about the history behind the company and American stationery traditions in the same way readers of this blog might.

Regardless of whether “Crane” stationery continues to technically exist, the end of a storied 200-year run of making stationery in the Berkshires will be sad to see. I have the Crane engraving plates for the personal stationery for three generations of my family, as do, I suspect, many in this community. I’ve not paid much attention to Crane outside their (well received) efforts a couple of years ago to expand their business beyond wedding invitations and formal stationery, but when I visited their setup at the National Stationery Show in January, the company seemed poised to branch out further with some new licensing deals and collaborations designed to appeal to a more modern consumer. I presume that going forward, Mohawk will continue to fulfill orders for wedding invitations and personal stationery via Crane’s existing retail footprint, but it will be interesting to see whether any effort is made to grow the brand further. They could continue to build on 200 years of tradition, or Crane could simply go the way of Eberhard-Faber and other former stationery “greats” and become just another label. This will likely be a story I continue to follow, so stay tuned….

One of the United States’ premiere stationery manufacturers, Crane & Co., has decided to get in on the notebook game, and graciously sent me some samples for review.

The large A5-ish notebook compared to the smaller, pocket notebook.

As you would expect from Crane, the presentation is outstanding. Crane & Co. makes luxury stationery, and if you decide to pull the trigger and shell out the money, they make every effort to give you what you pay for. I have several sets of engraved Crane correspondence cards that I use on occasion, and it’s excellent stationery that is pleasant to write on, has held up over the years, and will take any fountain pen or ink you can throw at it.

Crane sent me one sample of each of their notebook designs.

My notebooks arrived in Crane's signature navy blue box, carefully wrapped in tissue paper, just as my correspondence cards did. The notebooks themselves feature several attractive engraved cover designs, and I received one of each of the following: “Engraved Starfish on Beach Glass,” “Engraved Queen Bee on Pink Blush,” “Engraved Vintage Airplane on Espresso,” and standard “Notebooks” in both a medium A5 and smaller pocket. Apart from the engraved covers and the fact that they contain Crane paper, the design of these notebooks should appear familiar: Both the A5-ish version and the pocket-sized notebooks contain 48 pages, feature rounded corners, and are “saddle stitched,” which is just another way of saying that the pages are folded over and stapled through the cover (like Field Notes, Word, etc.). All Crane Stationery is made in the U.S.A.

Let me start by saying that the 24 lb., 100% cotton-rag “Crane’s Crest” paper used in these notebooks is extremely tactile, with a hint of tooth, and offers a very pleasant writing experience. The cotton-rag paper also does a fantastic job of containing feathering, even with the wettest fountain pen nibs. When I first saw the rag paper with all those fibers, I expected fountain pen ink to feather like crazy - I shouldn’t have worried, as the paper performed fantastically in this regard. I was a bit surprised, however, to see pinpoint spots of bleed-through and show-through on the back of the page.

Certain low-maintenance inks, such as Waterman blue in my Edison Glenmont with a gushing broad 14kt nib, had no issues. However, as I tested out different pens, including a Montblanc 146 with a medium stub (Robert Oster Fire & Ice), a Visconti Homo Sapiens with a Masuyama needlepoint (Montblanc Burgundy), a Pelikan M800 with a Masuyama Cursive Italic (Franklin-Christoph Spanish Blue), the same didn’t hold true. I even had a hint of bleed and show through with a rollerball refill, though you have to look pretty hard to see it.

Granted, as you can see in the photos, this is far from terrible bleed-through that certainly wouldn’t prevent me from using both sides of the page, and it doesn’t impact the functionality of the notebook. Some might file this away as a minor annoyance and not care or think twice about such things. But, as I’ll discuss further below, at the price point Crane is asking for these notebooks, I personally don’t believe it’s unreasonable to expect absolute perfection, especially when those of us who don’t mind paying a lot for stationery tend to use fountain pens, and the pens and inks I used to test the paper weren't anything crazy in terms of width or wetness. While the paper performs relatively well for 24 lb. stock, and Crane was probably limited to using 24 lb. paper in order to constrain the thickness of the notebook etc., I can’t help but wonder how Baron Fig has figured out a way to make it work using similarly textured paper in the Vanguard and Confidant, while at the same time keeping to a lower price point. A luxury stationery company like Crane shouldn’t necessarily compete on price, but when you’re pricing the product this high, it raises expectations in terms of versatility and performance.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

As with most Crane products, these notebooks are high-quality and beautiful, but expensive. The “Notebook” engraved 5.5" x 8" (A5-ish) book, which is my favorite of the bunch, costs $12 for a single 48-page book. The smaller, 4” x 6” notebook runs $9 for a single 48-page pocket notebook. That’s steep, and if I’m going to pay this much money for high-end stationery, I personally expect to see no bleeding or even show-through. I’m sure Crane will find a market for these notebooks in Crane enthusiasts and the gift market - probably the intended targets - but the price point likely prevents them from becoming a “daily driver” for most people.

You can purchase these notebooks directly from Crane & Co’s online store. Since I do love the look and feel of Crane’s paper, I’d be interested in seeing whether they release a larger notebook or journal with the 32 lb. stock and more pages. Based on my past experience with Crane stationery, I’d gladly pay a premium for that.

Disclaimer: Crane & Co. sent me these notebooks free of charge for review purposes.