Written by Amy Schroeder
Photos by Charlie Juliet Photography
Minted has come a very long way since Mariam Naficy first walked the Javits Center’s pink-carpeted floors of the National Stationery Show (NSS) in 2007. As she pushed her baby daughter in a stroller, Minted was a budding, disruptive idea in the entrepreneur’s mind, one that she knew had extraordinary potential but would take time to develop.
The next year, Minted launched its first Design Challenge, a save-the-date card competition that attracted 66 entries. Fast-forward to now, 10 years later, and Minted has grown to become a booming international business, attracting thousands of Challenge submissions from its talented community of independent artists who create the designs of everything Minted produces. The Minted artist community now lives in all 50 states and more than 60 countries, and Minted products have grown from its initial offering of custom stationery to also include limited edition art, home decor, and so much more.
As the company and community have grown, so too has Minted’s presence at the National Stationery Show. This year, Minted also exhibited at ICFF, a major home furnishings show that took place simultaneously with NSS at the Javits Center.
Minted artists traveled near and far to attend the National Stationery Show and ICFF. Tanya Peng Lee of Frooted Design, a Minted artist who joined the community nine and a half years ago, traveled to New York as part of cross-country roadtrip from her home in Orange County, California, with her husband and son. “I always enjoy walking the show, but I mostly go to hang out with other Minties,” Tanya says of her fourth trip to NSS.
During the Minted Community Cocktail party on May 21, Mariam shared several monumental announcements with the community, including a forthcoming Minted artist retreat and conference in Las Vegas. “We’ve been talking about a mega Minted meetup for so long, it was almost surreal to hear Mariam’s announcement about Vegas,” Tanya says. “All the announcements were a reminder to me of how much Minted takes the community’s feedback to heart.”
Here’s a recap of four action-packed days of exhibiting new Minted designs at three booths, the annual Community Cocktail party, and the MYK artist breakfast.
The Minted Booth at NSS
The “Black Sheep” Minted Art Mural by Rose Lindo of Edmond, Oklahoma, took center stage at Minted the NSS booth, alongside displays of Minted Greeting Cards.
A handful of examples of Minted’s evolution in innovating new products over the last decade.
The Minted gallery wall—placed atop Minted’s signature reversed books—attracted NSS show attendees seeking an up-close view of Minted Art and framing. We also debuted a glimpse of “collective,” a new art project in development.
By Olivia Goree 
Runners-up: 
