CEO Cheree Berry traces her stationery obsession back to her childhood. The Hallmark store in her small Missouri hometown stood as her personal paper playground, every aisle of cards containing undiscovered treasures among towering tiers of envelopes. Captivated by smart concepts and surprising details, Cheree concentrated on creating anything she could, from art class assignments to posters for student government campaigns.

This undeniable drive to create led Cheree to Washington University in St. Louis, where she received her BFA in graphic design and produced a particularly uplifting thesis project – a pop-up book on the history of the brassiere, Hoorah for the Bra. Its successful reception emboldened her to make the big move to the Big Apple. Cheree kicked off her career at the legendary design firm Pentagram before finding professional paradise as an art director at kate spade. During this magical time she rebooted her passion for paper and developed the brand’s first wedding stationery line. In 2006 love brought Cheree back to St. Louis, and soon after she launched Cheree Berry Paper and Design!

In the years since, Cheree has grown her business as well as its service offerings. Rooted in print design with conversations centered on cotton paper and Pantone colors, her company has expanded to other communication mediums. Cheree says, “Whether it’s an invitation, an e-blast or an environmental design, we help our clients visually communicate their big (and small!) moments and messages.”

She leads a female-driven team of 20+ at the studio. While Cheree has shifted her focus from day-to-day designing to serving as the brand’s creative conductor, she still stamps every project with her personality and fundamental design principles. In her own fabled way, she weaves three golden threads through every piece: an unexpected detail, a unique experience and clever copywriting. The moral of the story? Although she may not always be able to find her phone or her keys, Cheree never fails to envision an exceptional way to tell your tale.

CFO and COO Kristen Armstrong recalls the foundations of her career cementing at an early age also. A New Jersey native, Kristen inherited a strong entrepreneurial spirit and savvy from a multi-generational family of self-starters. Watching her parents and grandparents capably and confidently construct businesses from the ground up drove her to pursue degrees in finance and English at Rutgers University. 

After college, Kristen relocated to New York, eager to carve out her place on Wall Street. Although investment banking didn’t ultimately suit her long-term career goals, Kristen credits the experience for teaching her the value of hard work and most importantly, for introducing her to her husband – a native Saint Louisan! 

Kristen decided to return to school and pursue a different professional path, all while planning a wedding! When it came to the stationery, her soon-to-be St. Louis in-laws insisted she enlist the talents of a former kate spade designer, whose name, of course, was Cheree Berry. The two hit it off instantly, and their skill sets complemented each other perfectly – Cheree always poised with a pen and paper, Kristen always close to a calculator. While producing her own paper keepsakes, Kristen rediscovered her entrepreneurial roots and realized her love of collaborating with creatives. 

After graduating with an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2009, this Garden State girl moved to the Midwest (much to her husband’s surprise) and officially partnered with Cheree. Since then, she has helped grow a two-person operation into a diversely skilled 20-plus-person team, has fostered a fiercely resilient, female-focused workplace and has built cherished relationships with clients from coast to coast. Kristen enjoys nothing more than tackling the new challenges each day brings and telling the stories of life’s most memorable moments.  

Specialty

VIP and Custom
Corporate Projects

Fun Fact

She recorded a song with
Ben Folds

Favorite USPS Stamp Series

Moon & Planets (Mary always has her head in the stars)

Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Non-Fiction

Fun Fact

Is a second-generation stamp collector

Dream Destination

Africa

Favorite USPS Stamp Series

1982 state bird and flowers or 1970s zip code series

Morning Person or Night Owl?

Night owl

Fun Fact

Loves to exercise and used to teach group fitness classes

Favorite Crayon in the Box

Cornflower

Thin Crust or Deep Dish?

Thin crust

First Concert Ever Attended

*NSYNC

Fun Fact

Played Division I soccer in college

Dream Destination

Provence, France

Favorite Crayon in the Box

Cornflower blue

Dress Up or Dress Down?

Both

Bucket List #1

Attend (or be in) the Olympics

Guilty Pleasure

French fries dipped in a chocolate shake

Cha-cha slide, chicken dance, Macarena or YMCA?

Macarena

Favorite Musical Group

Queen

Fun Fact

Is a needlepoint pro

Bucket List #1

Run the Paris Marathon

Favorite Writer

Her sister, Susan Burton

Seinfeld or Friends?

Seinfeld