Some of us get our best ideas in our sleep, in the shower or on the subway. The idea to open Scribble Press, a colorful, do-it-yourself-bookmaking shop with locations on the Upper East and Upper West Sides as well as in Los Angeles, came to life in an unexpected place—on a flight across the country.
It all began when Darcy Pollack and Anna Barber, two literature-loving moms, happened to sit next to each other on a flight in 2006. “The conversation began when I commented on the book that [Darcy] was reading, and we discovered that we had a lot in common,” says Barber, a mom of two sons and two stepdaughters and a trained lawyer who had worked in internet marketing, consulting and corporate law. “We both lived in L.A, we were both mothers, we both loved books, and we went to the same college. By the end of the flight, we exchanged our whole life stories,” Barber says. Pollack, also a mother of two, holds an MBA and had worked in investment banking and the entertainment industry.
The conversation eventually led Pollack to share her vision of a store where kids could publish their own books, a place that would inspire creativity and foster a love of writing. “I come from a book-loving, publishing family—my father is an editor, my mother is a literary agent and my sister is a writer,” Barber says. “So when I heard Darcy’s idea, it was like getting struck by lightning, it was one of those moments.”
Just hours after meeting, Pollack and Barber decided to become business partners. “I was seven months pregnant at the time, so when we got off the plane my husband sort of looked at me skeptically and asked, ‘Do you really think you are going to start a company with someone you just met on a plane?’” Barber says with a laugh. “Which, of course, only made me more determined to actually see it happen!”
After their initial meeting, Barber and Pollack worked diligently to make their vision come to life, researching different technologies, finding equipment suppliers and reaching out to other parents for support. In 2008, their hard work paid off when Scribble Press opened its first storefront in Los Angeles, a brightly-colored creative oasis as alluring to kids as a candy shop—and much better for them, too.
Barber, a native New Yorker, knew that Scribble Press would be a tremendous asset to New York City families as well. “I always wanted to [bring Scribble Press] to New York,” she says. “Families here care a lot about education and the arts, and everyone in New York is looking for something to do with their children.”
Fueled by Barber and Pollack’s passion and the enthusiasm and support from New York City parents and friends, Scribble Press subsequently opened its Upper East Side location in April of 2010, followed by its Upper West Side outpost this past November.
But regardless of what side of the city your child is scribbling in, the process of getting started is easy and inviting. When kids enter the shop, they begin by choosing the format in which they want to present their work, selecting from hard and soft-cover book templates, notebooks, calendars, greeting cards, bookmarks, placemats and more. The projects range in price from $17 for a lined notebook with the child’s design on the cover to $40 for a calendar filled with a year’s worth of drawings. Plus, while older children pen their stories, kids ages 2 and up can have fun with a simple drawing project. After they choose their projects, guests can grab a wooden caddy and head over to the vast marker wall to grab as many colors as they like before setting up shop at a large drafting table.
If kids need more inspiration along the way, there are stencils, idea cards and fill-in-the-blank “cueprints” on each table, with prompts like “I Love My Mom” and “All About Me.” “We want to provide as many tools and opportunities as possible to get kids to roll up their sleeves and be creative,” Barber said. What’s more, children are encouraged to take their time on their creations. “We want kids to feel like they can take as long as they want to work on their projects, and [for parents] not to be concerned that they have spend a lot of money each time they visit.”
After children finish their masterpiece, the books are whisked off to the production studio, where they are scanned, printed and bound into a professional-looking finished product—all in about 30 minutes. “It was important to us that children be able to leave the same day with their book,” Barber says. “We think a big part the magic is being able to see your work transformed instantly into something permanent—there’s nothing like feeling like your work has become indelible,” she says. “The idea of thinking of yourself as a writer is so tied up with seeing your work in print.”
In addition to drop-in sessions, Scribble Press also offers a variety of classes for children of all ages, from simple art classes for toddlers to more advanced courses—like vocabulary building and creative writing—for tweens and teens. What’s more, Scribble Press’ unique birthday parties have also been a huge hit with city families. “I think people like the idea that there’s a creative and literary birthday party option,” Barber says, “and that all the children all get to go home with the book that they created.” Barber hopes that parents see the unique opportunities that Scribble Press has to offer in nurturing children’s creativity and helping them find their voice. “We see our objective as inspiring kids and giving them the tools they need to be creative, and the finished product is really personal,” says Barber. “When a kid comes in here and writes a story called ‘Deepa The Magical Ninja’—who rescues a lost cucumber from the sunken forest—you just couldn’t make that up!”
Scribble Press is located at 1624 First Avenue (between 84th and 85th streets) and 215
W. 84th Street (at Broadway). For more information, visit scribblepress.com.
Scribbling At Home
There are many small things parents can do at home to open up the world of storytelling for their kids. Here are a few ideas from Scribble Press co-founder Anna Barber.
Make up stories for them. There’s nothing more exciting for a child than the words “Once upon a time…” spoken by mom or dad.You don’t have to be great at making up stories—you can borrow liberally from classics, movies and books you’ve read recently.
Use books you’ve read together as a starting point. You can also borrow the structure of a favorite picture book and add your own personal details. This shows kids that it’s okay to copy (all writers start out by copying), and gives them an easy way to structure their own stories.
Keep a one-line journal with your child. She can write (or dictate to you) one sentence a day about something that happened. This is easy to do and has the added benefit of creating a great keepsake. I like to use an old-fashioned composition book with wide lines for this. This can be a part of your bedtime routine.
Make “books” out of construction paper. Take three pieces of copier paper and a colored piece of construction paper for the cover, fold in half, and staple. It’s very tempting to create a book when presented with the empty pages. You can paste a photo of your child on the back and write a little author bio every time they create a book.
Make a library of their work. If you put all the books your child makes in school and at home on the same shelf, they’ll have a real sense of accomplishment, and also be able to see their progress.
For more ways to inspire your kids to love writing, visit the Scribble Press blog (scribblepress.wordpress.com.) Happy scribbling!
Photos by Andrew Schwartz
