How Impressive

The owner is rude and did not acknowledge me or welcome me after waiting for 10 minutes to finish with a customer.
After waiting, the owner started to speak with a customer who walked in after me. Could it be due to the fact I am women of color!!! Little does she know I own a home in Libertyville and wanted to purchase something for the holidays and support my local community. Do not shop here. They are unkind the two times I have visited.

This review is months overdue but because we enjoyed our visit to this shop, I want to make sure others know about it too.
It was a sunny Sunday in Spring and we were walking around downtown Libertyville. The interesting, eclectic window display caught our eye and we went in. What!!! (We are not folks who enjoy wandering in and out of little knick knack/​tchotchke shops; We are more window shoppers who keep moving along at a good clip outside the shops.)
There was an interesting selection of gifts, cards, home décor, wine related quote wall plaques and wedding/​special occasion invitation sample books.
We had been looking for a «corksickle» device to put in bottles of white wine to help keep the wine chilled. Low and behold they had the exact brand (Host) that we were looking for and at a bargain price.
We bought that and some funny birthday cards. Our purchase was wrapped up in tissue paper and put in a fancy little gift bag as though it was fine crystal.
The owner assisted us and was charming but not intrusive. As it turned out, she let us browse around even though they were technically closed. The owner and manager came in just to help a bride pick out her invitations during off hours because that was more convenient for the bride.
I hope this shop succeeds! Stop by and take a peek inside. You may find your equivalent to our «corksickle»!

How Impressive! was our vendor for wedding save-​the-​dates, invitations, and thank you cards. This is a small, woman– owned business that will help you create custom-​designed stationery for ANY event. And yes, the name is very apt — their products look very impressive.
Pros:
* Support a small, privately owned, woman-​owned business
* Work with a «real person» instead of a website
* Great for someone who has an idea of the look /​feel they want, but isn’t an artist. Browse through many physical binders — touch and feel paper, compare fonts and colors, and choose between layouts and shapes. Find the one that you feel best about.
* The staff at How Impressive provides ample artistic advice and ideas, but isn’t pushy. The final design is up to you.
* Staff is up-​front about the price and will itemize each aspect of your order. This is helpful if you are on a budget.
* Owner and staff are good communicators via phone and email. They will promptly answer questions, follow up with proofs, and call you when your order arrives.
* Owner and staff take pride in what they do and truly want to make sure that their customers are happy with the finished product. If you’re not happy, they’re not happy.
* Because the owner and her #1 manager are both women, they won’t write you off as an overly-​fussy bride or rush you into making decisions. They understand that your wedding is a big deal.
* Since they have created stationery for so many weddings, they are also able to make recommendations for your order quantities. (i.e. How many ceremony programs should I print if I invited 125 people?)
Cons:
* The «proofs» are pdfs emailed to you, but are in black and white. So you won’t be able to see the colors until the final product comes in.
* Items are not created /​printed on site, so there is a delay of a few days between ordering and receiving, and you will have to pay shipping charges.
* In my experience, How Impressive was not affordable for wedding place cards ($ 1 each?!), menus, or ceremony programs.
* This is a business that is well placed in the upper-​middle class community of Libertyville. If you are on a shoestring budget, this is not the business for you. You’ll love the products, only to have your heart broken when you figure out that you can’t afford them.

I love this store! You can always find unique items to give as gifts or for yourself. Each time you visit the store it is decorated (to perfection) with something new and fun. I recommend this store to anyone looking for invitations, too. The store owner is knowledgeable and will find the perfect invite for any occasion within your price budget!