The history of Paper Mill Direct

Paper Mill Direct may be a recent phenomenon with a start date in 2000; however the Company can trace its ancestry back through five generations to 1845 and to a story of romance and love. It was in that year that a 22 year old James Cropper left his home city of Liverpool in passionate pursuit of a young woman named Fanny Wakefield who had stolen his heart and who had moved to the Westmorland town of Kendal. Later that year and with a new wife to support, James decided on a career in papermaking and took over the lease of Burneside Paper Mill just outside Kendal.

This mill, now appropriately named James Cropper PLC, is still the source of the coloured and textured paper and card sold by The Paper Mill Shop. What’s more, the tradition of papermaking in the Cropper family has been successfully handed through succeeding generations and the current Chairman of the Company, James Cropper is the great, great grandson of his namesake who founded the business over 160 years ago; however the Burneside Paper Mill has a history dating back in excess of a further 100 years.

As the mill produced ever more specialised papers, it became clear that the excesses from its vast range of colours would be ideal for sale to the general public if cut to A4 or A5 size. The idea for The Paper Mill Shop was born.

The growth of this retailing business led to The Paper Mill Shop in 2003 having its own conversion, picking, packing and distribution centre on the south side of Kendal. From here its retail shops are managed, exciting new products are developed and customer orders from the website are fulfilled. In 2009 The Paper Mill Shop website and Paper Mill Direct, another James Cropper PLC division were merged and a brand new website was launched offering a wide variety of paper, card, inkjet papers and accessories.

As well as stocking a huge array of paper and cardstock from their own mill, Paper Mill Direct also offer their customers a comprehensive selection of craft, wedding & photography items from top brands such as My Mind’s Eye, Sakura, Crafter’s Companion, Penny Black, Making Memories, Doodlebug and Jolly Nation.

You will be able to find project ideas, hints & tips, competitions, a store locator and a demonstration listing on the site so you can do so much more than just shop for craft materials when you visit Paper Mill Direct.

To buy items from Paper Mill you can either visit one of their many stores nationwide (if you are unsure of where your nearest store is visit http://papermilldirect.co.uk/shop/page-store_locator where you will be able to do a search) or by buying online through www.papermilldirect.co.uk.

You will receive free delivery on orders over £30 and, as a special bonus for Crafts on the Net visitors, you can claim 10% off your total order until 31/12/2009 by using the voucher code XXCRAFTNET