New Beginnings: Webster's Endures, Finds New Locale in Altadena

The Webster name has moved with the ebb and flow of an economic river for many years, but this is one bend Webster's could not navigate.

The shopping complex that Webster's Fine Stationers has called home for six years, and which has been in the family for 87 years, was sold in November. Store owners Lori and Scott Webster found the daunting news at October's end.

To celebrate their new beginnings the Websters will hold a closing party on Friday, Jan. 24, at 4 p.m., to celebrate the old and usher in the new.

The duo announced last week via Facebook that they have found a new home for Webster's Fine Stationers, a storefront at 2591 North Fair Oaks Avenue.

"I'm very happy with it. It's a lot smaller than our current location, but we needed to downsize anyway," Lori said.

Webster's FIne Stationers prides itself in offering the works of Altadena artists and authors, personalized stationery, gifts, wood art and vintage signs.

When Lori and Scott learned of the sale, it wasn't until Thanksgiving approached that the principles involved in the sale actually talked to them, Lori said.

Lori and Scott felt betrayed by not having been let in on the news far sooner.

In the face of adversity and family drama, however, Lori and Scott desire to continue celebrating the artists, creators and writers of Altadena. The search for a new locale began right after Christmas. Finding a new store was difficult and almost fruitless.

"There was a couple of weeks there where we said 'well, we'll just have to find something else to do,'" Lori said.

Webster's Fine Stationers has managed to endure for the nearly seven years it has existed, but with great sacrifice.

Lori and Scott were forced to sell her family home in Westchester. The duo have poured every cent they had into the business and, a few years ago, faced bankruptcy.

"What happened six-and-a-half years ago when we purchased this store from my father in-law's corporation, we were never allowed to market to their customers. They never gave us the customer base," Lori said. "When you buy an existing business, that's what you're paying for. I've never been able to contact any Webster's customers."

But Webster's has been able to endure, even as technology has shaped the collective mindset of people.

"Our biggest seller in the past has been monthly calendars. I can't sell those anymore because everybody uses their smartphones. The technology changed and it was affecting the stationery market. We couldn't sell what the store traditionally sold. So we decided to focus on locally-made products and local artists and I think that's what endeared us to a large portion of Altadena," Lori said.

It has been a miracle that she and Scott have lasted as long as they have at Webster's Fine Stationers and Altadena reflects their desire and passion for creative people, Lori said.

"There are so many creatives up here and I feel a resonance with them. I think that we have so many here, but you never hear about them. We need a place here that celebrates our creativity and I'm happy to be that place," Lori said.

The new location, which has yet to be named, will be open for mail customers only starting February 1.