Not many retail businesses make it to 108.
Fewer still have survived the wars, economic downturns and disruptions of e-commerce over the past century without making major changes to their operations.
But Gem Printing has been selling custom party and wedding stationery in much the same way it always has — printing in-house and on-site — since it was founded in 1918 by the great-grandfather of its fourth-generation owners Tommy Cousans, 44, and Melissa Cousans Mortillaro, 45.
From an unassuming storefront in a Metairie strip mall, Cousans and Mortillaro have defied the odds — and the broader market forces of evites and Amazon — to keep their family business afloat by building on customer loyalty, diversifying into a broader array of party supplies and holding fast to a guaranteed 24-hour turnaround time that dates to the store’s founding.
“The one-day service is obviously a blessing,” Cousans said. “I silently curse my grandfather for that every once in a while, but it’s probably one of the biggest reasons that this business is still around.”
Storied history
Photos on a store wall trace the company’s history back to 1918, including one of Cousans and Mortillaro’s great-grandfather, Sidney Cousans, wheeling around a wooden cart with a Gem Printing sign. He sold business cards printed from a small hand press and offered to shine customers’ shoes.
Another picture shows the company’s brick-and-mortar storefront on St. Charles Avenue, opened by their grandfather Sidney Cousans Jr. sometime after he took over the business in the 1930s — when he was just 14 years old. His grandchildren today credit him with carving out Gem’s niche in the wedding and party invitation category and also for coming up with the one-day service guarantee.
Today, Gem operates from a bridal-white brick storefront on Veterans Boulevard near Bonnabel Boulevard that has been its home since 1976, with eight full-time employees.
Though Cousans and Mortillaro, who are brother and sister, declined to provide company revenues, they say Gem regularly sees year-over-year sales growth of 5%-10%.
Customer service and loyalty
The siblings attribute their longevity and steady growth to several factors, chief among them being their quick turnaround time.
On the second floor of Gem’s otherwise unassuming 5,000-square-foot storefront, the company has a printing studio that holds more than a dozen presses and modern digital printers, the key to fulfilling one-day orders.
While the store’s hours run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week, the team prints products overnight, often working on Sundays and Mondays — their typical days off.
The team prides themselves on fast — sometimes instant — service.
“We’ve had people pull up in limos and run out in bow ties, going, ‘I need a pillow right now,’ and they get to skip the line and grab a ring pillow and head to their church and get married,” Mortillaro said.
That customer service has helped fuel loyalty in a traditional market in the Deep South and a pervasive party culture.
Customers who designed wedding invitations with Gem come back for anniversaries, christenings, birthday parties, all the way up to condolence cards. The tradition is often passed down. Parents recommend Gem to their children, then grandchildren.
“I’m the fourth generation helping sometimes the fourth generation of a customer’s family,” Cousans said. “It’s kind of crazy that it’s a family tradition on both sides of the counter.”
Over time, Gem’s customer pool spread around the country, particularly after many New Orleans natives moved following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Those customers are “constantly ordering” quintessential New Orleans items, including second-line handkerchiefs, party cups and feather-trimmed umbrellas, Mortillaro said.
The company ships dozens of orders a week all over the country.
Gem also benefits from New Orleans being a party town, Cousans said. The shop stays busy during August through February during holiday and festival season.
“I don’t know if printers in Jackson, Mississippi, get a Halloween rush, but we get a Halloween rush,” Cousans said.
The business has also diversified by growing its party supplies line over the years. Lately, that’s meant learning how to print matchbooks. Wedding cake toppers currently displayed in-store, popular in the ’80s, are also making a comeback among younger generations. The team also learned how to print onto tambourines, another wedding favor reclaimed in recent years.
Planning for the future
As a kid, Cousans remembers watching Mardi Gras parades pass by the store windows. Mortillaro recalls making netted rice bags for weddings, which Gem used to sell for 10 cents. In high school, they both started working in the shop. By college, they realized they couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
The biggest challenge Gem faces today is navigating fluctuating material prices, Cousans said. He vigilantly checks prices to purchase materials at a low cost, but due to inflation, their team has had to eat higher prices to avoid raising costs for customers.
While Gem has largely leaned on word-of-mouth referrals, the company is also making a concerted effort to bolster its social media presence to attract younger consumers, Mortillaro said.
Cousans and Mortillaro hope to pass on the business to the fifth generation — possibly Mortillaro’s kids. Her 11-year-old daughter has already shown an early enthusiasm for the career: For a school career day, she wore business casual clothing and a name tag that read, “fifth-generation Gem Printing manager.”
“It’s definitely in our minds to keep this going. I want this to be a fifth-, sixth-generation business,” Mortillaro said. “When it comes to planning for the future, it’s honestly just watching the trends and making sure that you’re servicing the next generation.”
