Andrea was truly intuitive and helpful with wedding invitations. It's a store that absolutely inspires trust. I knew right away that they could get the job done. We could've asked for any kind of paper and Andrea would have quickly laid her hands on 3 options for it. This is where someone who knows a lot about invitations should go for their invitations. read more

Excellent service, huge selection of invites, and worth it!! Andrea has been so helpful in the whole process of choosing wedding invitations. We walked in without an appointment, and we were able to be seen same day. There's a huge selection of wedding invites to get inspiration from. Andrea is so knowledgeable from everything to the type of font to use, to the ply of the paper, to helping us write out what to say. She's very communicative and transparent about pricing as well. The whole process from deciding on our invites to sending them to the printer and getting them back maybe took about 3ish(?) weeks. I highly recommend for any occasion! read more

Scattered around the neighborhood are little Shops with history. Higher prices but personalized service. This shop is the ultimate meaning of support your local business. Why would we want these stores to be a thing of the past? If you are in the neighborhood go in to take a look around. You will find one of a kind Items. Buy school supplies. Supply your home business with personal details. The items make people say to you "where did you get that?" It's recommended by residents in the neighborhood too. The article I posted tells the story..... read more

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This is a magical place full of lovely, fun, quirky, and creative stationery supplies! I came looking for specific elements to make a special gift and walked away with the exact right pieces I needed, far better than what I had imagined in the first place. Vanessa and her mother were very helpful in addressing my very specific requests. There was another man whose name I didn't catch, but he knew every inch of the store and was able to find the other missing elements to package my gift! I will most certainly be visiting again for future creative projects. Support a family-owned business that has been alive since the 60s and survived the Covid shutdowns. It is a gem! read more

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I heard about Blacker & Kooby through family members that have been using their services for over a decade now. I am so thankful that I was directed to this place and especially to Vanessa who was so patient with me and really dedicated her time to helping me with my wedding invites. I walked in with barely an idea of what I wanted and found all the guidance to help me through this process of selecting, creating and sending wedding invites. Everyone at Blacker & Kooby is impeccable at their job and I could not be happier with my wedding invites. They turned out better than I could have imagined and I am so thankful for a place that has some really talented and kind people. There is no world in which you could go wrong selecting Blacker & Kooby! read more

This review is over a year overdue, since our wedding was delayed due to COVID, but I had an incredible experience working with Andrea on our wedding invitations. It was a breeze working with her and highly recommend to any brides. I am nitpicky and the quality was bar to none. Superb service! read more

Yelp, let me tell you a story about how the owner of this store just lost a customer that has supported this store for as long as she's worked on the Upper East Side (2 years) over a $20 picture frame that probably cost B&K no more than $3. On Monday, I went in to buy a simple 5x7 picture frame. The sales associate was nothing but sweet and helpful and we found a frame that suit my needs within minutes of me entering the store. Another cashier rang me up and I was on my merry way, happy to have completed my task so quickly and effortlessly. A few hours after getting home, I opened the picture frame only to find that it was missing a tiny screw that kept it together (it was a two window, book-style picture frame that folded in the middle). Knowing that these things happen, I saved the receipt and decided to return it the next day. I wanted a return, not an exchange, so I could simply recover the money I lost over being sold a hunk of junk to buy a higher quality frame for my next purchase. When I went back to make my return on Tuesday, what followed was probably the most bizarre returns experience I have ever personally had, and it leaves me questioning what kind of business Vanessa is running here. I went into the store with my receipt and picture frame ready and let the woman at the register know that I wanted a refund. She took one look at my receipt and informed me that since I paid cash, I only qualified for store credit. That would have been absolutely fine, even though I had no interest in buying anything else here since I didn't exactly need anything related to stationery or crafts. The cashier asks me the reason for my return and I inform her that it's broken, take it out of the package, and show her the missing screw. At this point, she isn't completely sure of what action to take, so she asks me to wait at the register while she speaks to Vanessa. Well, I'm not sure if Vanessa treats every customer making a return like a criminal or just people of color, but the cashier's demeanor NOTICEABLY shifted upon her return. Cashier informs me that I'll have to come back tomorrow when the cashier that sold it to me was going to be working, since for all they know I broke the picture frame and am trying to return it and they can't accept broken merchandise. At this point, I'm incredibly confused since I'm not sure what difference the presence of the cashier that sold it to me would have made. Did this magical cashier possess the ability to travel back in time and x-ray packages before they're sold to customers? What power could this cashier have that the owner doesn't?!? So I ask the cashier if they legitimately believe that I unscrewed the picture frame just to return it for $20 worth store credit. That would be the crime of the century, right Yelp? She repeats once more to come back tomorrow but only for an exchange, no refund or store credit. As I have mentioned, I had no interest in exchanging what turned it to be an inferior product, so this was unacceptable. SO YELP: the lesson here is, if you want to go to Blacker and Kooby for invitations, I guess they're your spot! But if you're interested in buying broken crap so the criminal that runs this store can refuse to refund your money without any consequences, THIS IS THE PERFECT SPOT. $20 lesson learned, I love supporting local businesses but I definitely won't be back. Congrats on losing a customer you would have kept had you simply handled this incredibly simple issue with class. read more

I won't shop at Blacker and Kooby any more. About two months ago I bought a very cute umbrella from them for $23.99 which I used possibly two times. The other day I took it out in the rain, tried to open it and the entire umbrella fell off the stick/handle into the street. Nothing broke; it had just detached. I brought it into the store and the proprietors refused to do anything--neither give an exchange, a refund nor a credit. The woman (Vanessa?) showed absolutely no interest in the situation and never even expressed the slightest regret. She merely kept saying that I'd had the umbrella too long. When I pointed out that the problem was caused by a defect rather than from use, she ignored me. She said she would do nothing except speak to the umbrella company rep whenever she happened to see him and see if he wanted to take it back. Her attitude was so disinterested and implacable that it bordered on rude. I would have been happy with just a replacement cute umbrella, but now I will shop elsewhere for all my stationary and gift needs. read more

Andrea at Blacker & Kooby should be your first and last contact for your invitation needs! She could not have been more professional, resourceful, kind, or patient as we worked to develop our custom wedding invitation. She was a dream to work with at every step of the process. read more

The short story: Owner accused me of being a spy for other stores and treated me like a criminal when all I wanted was to buy some gifts for my niece. Handled the situation all wrong and lost a customer. The long story: I was on my way to a local toy store to find a gift for my niece when I passed this store with craft supplies and fun gift items in the window. I decided to step in and I was pleasantly surprised by their well-curated selection of paper products, craft supplies, desk accessories, and small gifts. What was supposed to be a quick stop for one gift turned into a long browsing session in which I picked up a few items I didn't originally intend to buy. I was about to tell them how impressed I was with their store, but then... After browsing the entire store and coming back around to the front, a man I hadn't seen before approached me and said "you must stop taking photos." I said "Fine, but I'm just sending pictures to my husband so he can help me pick out a gift for our autistic niece." The man shook his head, repeated "you must stop taking photos" and then walked away. I think it's ridiculous to forbid photos in a store and I thought about just leaving, but I decided to stay because I really wanted to buy the awesome taco socks I picked up for my husband and the art supplies I picked out for my niece. I was about to approach the cash register with about $50 worth of stuff when a woman came storming up from the back of the store. "So who are you working for?" she screams at me. "What?" I say completely confused. "You're taking pictures of our prices. Who are you working for?" she demands. At this point I dropped all my items (bye bye taco socks) and yelled back at her "Seriously?!?! I was about to buy all of this stuff, but you just lost a customer." She rolled her eyes and kept accusing me of being a spy trying to gather intel on their prices despite me telling her that I was just getting help to pick out a gift. I told her that while I disagree with their policy on taking photos in the store, I would comply with that request. I told her that I understand that she has to watch out for her business and protect her prices, but that it's wrong to automatically assume that your CUSTOMERS are spies. She asked how I would have handled the situation and I told her that she should treat her customers as exactly that--customers--until given proof to the contrary. She seemed to think she had handled the situation perfectly. I stormed out with promises to write this very review and walked down the block to the lovely toy store on 91st where the owner helped me pick out the perfect gifts and encouraged me to send photos to my husband. Hey Vanessa: I suggest you stop worrying so much about competing businesses and instead work on making your own business a bit more welcoming. You can have the best prices in the whole neighborhood, but it won't matter if you have alienated all your customers (especially vocal Yelp reviewers like me). read more

I gave my girlfriend custom Crane Stationery for Christmas, ordered from B&K/V. Choosing the stationery was fun and easy. B&K were also able to make sure that my order from Crane would arrive in time for my purposes, despite my order having been made a bit late. The B&K staff was most helpful and communicative throughout the process. read more

This is a gem of a store on the UES. I am a freelance illustration artist. When I walked into the store, Andrea and Nancy helped me execute my own designs into the perfect Chinese-themed artistic wedding invitation. They walked me through each step from choosing the right paper to font and right size with respect to my budget and design. They essentially realized my vision. Andrea was very quick and efficient to provide a proof and absorbed my edits before we sent it out to print. The result was the most beautiful wedding invitation I've seen (an art piece), even better than I imagined. It will become a keepsake and momento for our us. All our family and friends in new york, taiwan and china were highly impressed with the invitation's quality and design. I'll definitely be heading back to Blacker & Kooby for more orders for myself and my friends. Thank you so much! read more

We used Vanessa and Andrea for our wedding invitations and programs and they were amazing! They were incredibly helpful and patient as we went through all the options and were always responsive to our questions (and last minute changes). Most importantly, the invitations and programs came out perfectly. We would absolutely use them again for a special occasion. read more

I chose Blacker & Kooby for wedding stationary for our son and his wife because it has a long, excellent reputation, and I'd enjoyed the store and it's wide inventory on earlier occasions. I worked with Rebecca to design invitations and RSVPs for out rehearsal dinner. Rebecca is an extremely talented designer and works with an array of software, stationary types, fonts, and images of many types. She showed me a beginning set of choices and built on my preferences; she understood quickly what "look" and tone, colors and themes I was interested in. I enjoyed the process so much that I came weekly to work together with her. Vaness is always there to offer responses and additional ideas. It was an absolute pleasure going there every week. In New York City, I made the best choice from many alternatives, and, though I live at the other end of town, I will make B&K my go-to stationary store. read more

If you are looking for someone who truly knows the art of fine stationary and setting the tone for your event run don't walk to Vanessa! I had been referred to her by a co-worker for my wedding invitations and she did not disappoint. She walked me through every part of the process, answered all my questions and respected my budget and taste. I knew she hit it out of the park when my finance's best buddies from home each texted him about how nice our wedding invitations were. I was so pleased I asked Vanessa to do my wedding programs, menus, escort cards, and create our "Thank You" cards. She loves what she does, knows her stuff and gives you lots of options and choices to make your decision fit your needs and your budget. It was a pleasure working with her. read more

Could not be happier with the product and service at Blacke & Kooby! I worked with Andrea and she jumped through hoops to get/ create the product I wanted. Highly recommend this company and it's highly professional team. Will use them for all future events! Thank you! read more

Love this place! So nice! Great merchandise. My husband and I got clay for our pottery night. So fun! There should be more reviews! What's happening! Cool watches and gifts. read more

Vanessa is a consummate professional who knows her product, her vendors, and most importantly - her customers. Highly recommend.

We worked with Andrea on all things for my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. Andrea designed a fabulous custom invitation, came up with the perfect logo and created so many other wonderful things for the day (custom sign-in board, place cards, stamps, etc.). Everybody loved all the unique details, especially my daughter. Can't thank them enough. read more

We worked with Andrea on all aspects of the wedding, from save-the-date cards, to full invitations, to escort cards, to menus, to table cards, to thank you notes. We can't say enough about how helpful, efficient, creative, timely, and wonderful Andrea was to work with. We came up with things in the last minutes that we hadn't anticipated, and she handled everything in stride and with reassuring expediency. Andrea was great, and the products were high quality! Love Andrea! read more

Vanessa and Andrea were amazing! We had a terrible experience with another stationery store and needed invitations in a hurry. They were patient and creative with helping us come up with a concept close to what we had originally ordered somewhere else. We had a proof within 24 hours and the invitations were printed and addressed within a week. The final product was elegant and fun, reflecting the vision we had for the invitation. The customer service was fantastic and we look forward to working with them again! read more

I just sent out the invites Vanessa created for me for my 40th birthday . They were awesome! Not one person responded without commenting on how amazing the invites were. Vanessa was so easy to work with and super responsive to anything I needed or wanted ! read more

The products and services offered by Blacker & Kooby are superlative. I started upon the process of making wedding invitations with considerable trepidation. However, the selection and guidance provided by this store not only took a lot of the stress and uncertainty out of the experience, but produced an end result that I can say with confidence is perfect. Thanks to Andrea for her attention and care in taking the time to understand our vision and for her commitment to seeing it to fruition! read more

Andrea was very helpful with designing and getting my wife and my wedding invitations printed out. Andrea know what she is doing. She made the whole process actually enjoyable and took the pain out of something that I didn't look forward to. The prices were reasonable as well. I can't recommend Blacker & Kooby strongly enough. read more

Vanessa helped us make our dream wedding invitation and it came out beautifully! Price was very fair, service was great, and they were produced ahead of schedule! We would highly recommend Blacker & Kooby to anyone looking for wedding invitations or other printing needs. Thanks Vanessa! read more

We just finished an event for which B&K did all of the stationary: save the dates, invitations, escort cards, thank you notes. It was an incredibly positive experience from start to finish. Andrea was creative, responsive, pleasant, and never missed a deadline. In fact, she would gently remind me when she needed my approval in time to meet our schedule. Everything she made for us was beautiful, and she's so pleasant. B&K may have been the best of all the vendors we used, and we will certainly be back. I cannot recommend them highly enough. read more

My family has always shopped at Blacker & Kooby and the salespeople have been nothing but accommodating and friendly. They are our go-to for anything stationary-related and we're so happy we have them in the neighborhood! read more

I just picked up invitations for my daughter's bat mitzvah from Blacker and Kooby and they are gorgeous! We worked with Andrea to create custom invitations. Andrea was phenomenal! Firstly, she respected our budget and worked to stay within it (and succeeded). Secondly, she worked hard to create an invitation that brought to life my daughter's vision. Andrea has an amazing eye and is very creative. She came up with a bunch of different options for us to look at and to consider both in person and via email. Andrea spent a long time with us, getting a sense of what we wanted. She was wonderfully responsive by email with a lot of tweaking and creating multiple versions. She was an all-around pleasure to work with. And we received our invitations very quickly as well. I highly recommend Blacker and Kooby-- a really great experience! And I never write reviews online! read more

Very helpful and professional team. Pleasure to work with. Andrea helped us to create the best invitation, every guest commented on how unique and elegant it was. Will definitely recommend this place for your party planning and creative ideas. read more

I can say many great things about Vanessa... but one of the most important: when I brought my daughter in to pick out invitations, the selection is overwhelming. Too, too many gorgeous choices! Vanessa figured out my daughter's tastes quickly and easily, and smoothly narrowed the range of choice to two books. My daughter found the invitation she loves with no anxiety. And, of course, those books were well within our price range. (As an aside, Vanessa also has my other two daughters' invitations, making it easy for me to make sure they were not all too similar). Doing business with Vanessa is a total pleasure. read more