In my early 20's I was a naive idealist. I believed that I could somehow emulate the lives and attributes of my favorite heroes. However, I found that the cleverness of Bugs Bunny, the charisma of Hulk Hogan, the superpowers of Underdog and the selflessness (not to mention the perfect tenor voice) of Jean Valjean were entirely unattainable.

After almost 42 full years of life, I've finally identified a hero whose shoes seem to fit my feet. I don't know his name but we've all seen him. He's that guy in prison who, despite his caged existence, can somehow get his hands on anything! God I love him!

As you've probably come to know, Specialty Box & Packaging specializes in branded packaging. It's absolutely true that Specialty Box & Packaging strives to help our small business partners have branded packaging that is every bit as good as the corporate behemoths. Still, in that quiet place that nobody talks about (UNTIL NOW!!!) we yearn to be that prison guy who boldly proclaims, "I can get that for you...but it will cost ya."

Actually, we make sure it won't "cost ya" that much. So, if you're in need of anything that is branded with your logo, whether it's a t-shirt, a napkin, a beer glass, a backpack, a picnic blanket, a hoodie, a pen, a magnet, ANYTHING....please know that we are THAT GUY!

We'll come through for you.

In this month's blog post, we want to show you how grateful we are.

You see, for over fifty years our family-run business (much like your business) has depended on the holiday season to make ends meet; to feed some never-gone-hungry children, to take a few memorable vacations; to pay a few overpriced tuitions; and to put a little money in the bank. It's this gift-giving season that has kept our business in business. I'm sincerely grateful for this time of year.

My official title at Specialty Box is Smile Distribution Manager (and I have a business card to prove it). This strange little title certainly refers to the importance of keeping you happy. However, "Smile Distribution Manager" also highlights a company value. We truly believe that branded packaging is a retailer’s smile. So I guess you could say that we hope you see us as your business's family dentist--minus the drilling of course.

So..onto our gratitude:
Operation Smile is an international children's medical charity that heals children's smiles. For this holiday season, we're putting together donations on behalf of our customers. For those that accept, a small $2 gift will be contributed toward a surgery that will restore one child's smile. I'm hoping that, together, we can change at least two young lives.

Smile Distribution Manager indeed.
Merry Christmas!

This month’s blog post starts with a song: “Three cheers for the bus driver, the best of them all!”

As kids, we would sing this song most loudly when our big orange-yellow kid-carrier would go over a speed bump! We coudn’t wait to be thrown out of our seats, up into the air, and if we were lucky, bump our heads on the top of the bus.

Boy, those were the days, when bumps in the road were actually anticipated with delight.

As the years pass and grey hair begins to pop up (there is a reason I shave my head), bumps in the road are usually met with something other than laughter and smiles. Custom packaging has its own bumps in the road, and I’d like to briefly highlight two of the prominent ones: Chinese New Year and
Over/Under Runs.

Chinese New Year

Every year in Asia, the celebration of Chinese New Year causes a three-week shutdown of factories, and it impacts our customers every year. Already long lead times become much longer if orders are not timed right. In 2012, Chinese New Year will cause a shut down from January 18 to February 7.
Orders for imported goods received by December 1 will be produced and shipped before the shutdown. The estimated time of arrival to the US will be on/around February 15. On the other hand, orders received after December 1 will have an ETA to the United States of around the first or second week in April.
If you rely upon imported products, please consider getting an order in by December 1.

Over/Under Runs

All imported orders and many types of custom packaging require a factory to print the plastic or paper before converting it into a bag or a box. When this is the case, there is always a chance of receiving approximately 15% less product than ordered or 15% more product than ordered, because the factory has to have enough material to meet the requirements of the order and, at the same time, plan on the possibility of defective product.

When a custom run goes poorly, this results in an underrun. Of course, the buyer never has to pay for product that is not received.

However, if the custom run goes smoothly then the result is an overrun. This is where the road gets a little bumpy. Overruns result in more product being shipped than was ordered. The standard tolerance for such an overrun is 15% of the order. In this case, the buyer, when ordering, agrees to purchase an overrun up to 15%. When this possibility exists it is noted on sales quotations.

Please know that overruns (or underruns for that matter) are not intentional. Overruns do not happen so that an extra buck can be made. It is simply the real world of manufacturing. Please do keep the overrun/underrun possibility in mind when placing orders.

Now that we’ve gone over those speed bumps, I will not stop you from breaking out in song: ”Three cheers for the Eric, the best of them all!”

For this month's blog post, I want to share a story, and an idea, with you.

A few days ago I was sitting with a group of friends when one of them said, "How do people with full-time jobs ever get anything done?"

We all laughed. However our laughter was inspired by the truth that we recognized. Most of us are fortunate enough to have full-time work that helps us to pay our bills, support our families and maybe even treat ourselves to a luxury or two. However, time is rarely a luxury for those who are employed full time or who manage their own businesses.

I imagine I am not alone in the constant gnawing that I experience. It is a gnawing to do good in a world which has so many needs.

I spend most of every day assisting people with the packaging that they need in order to run their day-to-day business. It is a job that needs doing but I'm left to wonder how it touches the world's greatest needs.

Very recently I had an experience that excites me and if you don't mind I'd like to share it with you.

I've had the honor over the last number of months to befriend a man who is homeless. He is not only my friend, he also sleeps in my empty apartment a number of days a week.

I've believed for some time that his presence in my life is a doing that I can attribute to God. I've believed that there is more to this arrangement that just giving a guy a place to sleep a few days each week. Last night, I think I gained some insight into the greater purpose behind our friendship.

As he and I were talking I heard him say "I'd really like to help somebody."

He, it seems, also experiences this gnawing. Being busy is what makes it difficult for me to silence this gnawing. On the other hand my friend is rich when it comes to time. He has much of it to give.

All of a sudden it occurred to me that my homeless friend has a bit of extra time and I have a bit of extra money. I need more time. He needs more money. What if I compensated him for spending time doing some good in the world? It wouldn't be much. It couldn't be much. However, he would spend his wealth of time doing the good that he could do in the world and I could spend some of my excess income to put somebody to work for the good of the world.. To me it seemed a perfect match. To me it seemed like an opportunity to make selling bags and boxes something more than selling bags and boxes.

Why am I writing about this rather than highlighting some packaging promotion or discount? I guess I just have to believe that I'm not alone in my desire to do my small part in making our world a better place.

What if small business owners and full-time workers used a small amount of their excess income to compensate homeless people to use their excess time to do good in the world? Am I completely nuts for thinking that our world would truly become a better place?

Yeah...I'm nuts! But I'm gonna try to make my small difference anyway.

Please know that I appreciate the difference that you make in my life.

In this month's blog post I'm going to do something that is completely unexpected, entirely off the wall and downright crazy. I'm actually going to write about packaging.

There is one program we have at Specialty Box and Packaging that really excites me (imagine that, getting excited about packaging).

The program is called, "You Dream It, We Design It." We put our graphic artists to work for you and it's on the house. There is no cost and no obligation but I assure you it's chock full of imagination.

If you would like some free artwork or some samples of our completed work then just go ahead and reply to this email or give me a call at 800-283-2247 and I'll get right to work for you.

If you want more info or just enjoy my banter then by all means read on =).

A bag should do more than hold stuff. We believe it should grab attention! The entire bag (its front, back, sides, bottom and handles) is a canvas for both artistic and branding expression.

We find that there are two obstacles that stop our clients from buying the bag of their dreams. The first is high minimums and the second is high setup charges.

Allow me to heave you over these hurdles (don't worry, I promise to be gentle).

With regard to high minimums you may be surprised to know that the minimum order on your dream bag is between 1000 and 3000 pieces.

And as far as high set up charges are concerned, I will simply say this:

Let us provide you with some free artwork and a quote. It's possible you may discover that you can actually save money when you get out of a plain bag and slip into a shopping bag that shouts, "Look at me! How is it possible I can be this cool???!!!"

I think it's pretty cool that you read all the way to the end! Thank you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

At the risk of being too personal, I'm probably going to be too personal.

On Friday August 26 at 1:45pm I, Eric Michael Fialkoff, will be getting married to my best friend. I'm excited to share this news with you (by the way, don't be too troubled that you receive this news by email; my family found out via a cryptic text message).

You will be relieved to know that I have no intention of making some strange connection that compares my upcoming wedding to either retail packaging or to the fine cheeses of the world. However, I do want to share one small anecdote.

My date with destiny has had me thinking about "sticking together." This very idea pops into my mind each and every day as I try my best to do my best for my fellow small business customers. Beyond selling packaging, I try so hard to find purpose in the day to day minutia of my work. I find that purpose in supporting and interacting with real people in their small business endeavors and personal pursuits. I am honored that you stick with us and you can count on us to stick with you.

If you have any happy news to pass along (or, perhaps even not so happy but still important news) I would be honored to hear it. Whatever the news (or even if there is none) I will and do keep you in my prayers.

It's July so it seems fitting to say something about the summer, Independence Day or the heat. Instead, on this day, I want to say a few words about cheese.

Like me, you probably lose sleep each night asking your self, "What does my retail packaging have in common with the fine cheeses of the world?"

Prepare to rest well my friend for I have some answers.

First, like cheese, there are so many options!!! Can you imagine a connoisseur of this dairy delight attempting to sample all that the world of cheese has to offer? A choice must be made. Similarly, we have five catalogs on our site and they still don't show everything we offer. If you ever want to just have a heart to heart about some packaging ideas we are here for you, just shoot us a message. Think of us as your cheese (and by cheese I mean packaging) bartender.

Next, it is very much worth noting that fine cheese, like some fine retail packaging, requires aging. You see, for some reason, many of the most popular packaging items - like many of the finest cheeses - are not made anywhere in the United States. This means that goods must be produced in and shipped from other countries. When this is the case a 12-15 week lead time is usually standard.

It is important to note that if your preferred packaging comes from outside the United States then now is the time to plan your orders so that they arrive in plenty of time for the holiday season. If you need an updated quote please just contact us and we'll get right to it.

Wow! I really have to stop. I'm so sharp that I'm sure I could cheddar about cheese until I'm bleu in the face. But if I go on much longer you'll think me a cruel munster and you won't give a monterey jack about this post.

OK...that was cheesy!

I hope to talk to you soon.

My kids and I are huge baseball fans. I'm amazed at how each and every morning my 10 and 12 year old boys devour the previous night's statistics. They are quick to notice the guy who comes out of nowhere to hit two home runs in one game. He's an instant hero! They are just as quick to notice when a well known player goes without a hit for a few games. Despite this players past success he is an instant goat.

My boys look at baseball stats asking the age old question made even more famous by an awful Janet Jackson song, "What have you done for me lately?"

This question is regularly asked by the buyers of branded and non-branded retail packaging? It's usually phrased as "What's new?"

If you happen to be asking that today, you should check out the brand new catalog section of our website. With our new interface, you can page through catalogs online in the same way you'd browse a paper catalog. Just turn the page. Oh, and if you want to get some more detail, click that item to zoom in.

There are five catalogs to look at:
The Retail packaging catalog is our every day catalog. I'd look there first.
The Dream Pak catalog features our exclusive line of hard bottom candy bags
The Gift Wrap & Accessories catalog is the first place you want to look for new wrapping paper.
The American Ad Bag catalog is all about branded bags.
And the Burns candy bag catalog shows our unique line of foil accented candy bag.
If, while browsing, you find that you prefer the old-fashioned paper version of our catalogs, head over to our contact page, check off the catalogs you want and hit the Send button. We'll ship 'em right out to you.

That's all I got for now. Please feel free to check in, say hi and say, "Eric, you are my packaging hero!"

Talk to you soon!

Legend has it that Specialty Box and Packaging has its roots in a poker game.

My great grandfather Sam Fialkoff was owed a debt that could not be paid. Finally, Grandpa Sam agreed to settle the debt by accepting a piece of die-cutting machinery. The machinery made shirt boxes for laundry companies and thus a packaging business was born.

The shirt box business was short lived but the idea of building a packaging business lived on with Sam’s son and my grandfather Leonard. Leonard phoned David (my Father) who’d just graduated from Ithaca College and said, “Son, I want you to start a business with me.” David, who’d had great dreams of becoming a ballet dancer (OK, I made that one up) agreed to join up with his dad. David did manage to fulfill his dancing dreams many years later performing on the stage of Proctor’s Theater (NO, I’m not making that one up). David, when asked why he abandoned his own dreams to start a business with his father stated simply, “My dad needed me so I said yes.”

Specialty Box and Packaging took on many faces throughout the years. What started as a shirt box company became a full service packaging provider to department stores. As department stores became a thing of the past, Specialty Box and Packaging assisted Mom & Pop retailers with their needs.

A new type of growth came when the third generation hopped on board. My brother Jason moved Specialty Box into both the catalog business and the candy business. Ever the entrepreneur, Jason also pursued growing Specialty Box through starting new businesses. We opened up Specialty Box and Packaging South in Florida, CustomTakeOutBags became our restaurant and resort division, Chef Rags was a business that offered custom clothing for restaurants, The Packaging Café and Dream Pak were companies geared toward serving other packaging distributors. The list, the ideas, the energy and the dreams seem to have no end.

Specialty Box and Packaging, truly, has always been about dreams. Is it any wonder that we are so fascinated with your dream? Today, Specialty Box and Packaging likes to think of itself as a business that serves small business dreamers. We want your packaging to be every bit as good as the “Big Boys.".

The "Big Boys" have advantages that we small businesses don't enjoy so we will do whatever it takes. We will listen closely for as long as it takes, we will cut our margins to be competitive and we will offer our exclusive program "You Dream It, We Design It" that put our artists to work for you at our expense. Long and short, we will do everything in our power to help make your dreams come true.

Like you, I get a bunch of flashy, technicolor emails flooding my inbox every single day. If I bothered to reply to these emails I would simply get an auto response that tells me I shouldn’t have replied to the email in my inbox.

Specialty Box and Packaging will never be that kind of company. Sure it might be more efficient to have an auto attendant pick up our phones and it might be very demanding to send actual, non-automated replies to our emails but that’s the way we want to do things. I speak for myself and for Specialty Box & Packaging when I say that we think of you more like a member of our community than a revenue generating customer.

If you don’t believe me then just contact us and see that you will get a personal response from the very person who wrote this note.

I look forward to hearing from you.

With more gratitude than you can imagine!