Monthly Archives: January 2016

Have you ever taken one look at somebody and just known in your bones, in the very core of your being, with a certainty that surpasses all else, that they have a cracked iPhone screen? Perhaps it's the way they frivolously flounce about limbs all akimbo, or maybe it's because they just dropped their lip gloss for the 4th time in a row, or maybe it is the giant fuzzy pink case they have on their phone that matches their velour track suit. Regardless, you just know it instantly.

In this day and age when we all have roughly the same smart phones with the same bajillion pixels on the screen and the same fancy camera with the same addicting apps, it is the case that makes all the difference. Our iPhone case is how we chooses to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the world.  So I submit to you the following hypothesis: everything I need to learn about you, I can learn from your iPhone case. Allow me to expand on this...

Backpacks are all-American. Sure we didn’t invent the concept, but we did coin the term around the turn of the century. Before “backpack” was common lingo, the German derived “rucksack,” “money bag,” or “packsack” was widely used. While the history of the backpack is an extensive one, the American chapter of its evolution is rich and varied.

Wandering the hallowed halls of CES 2016 in Las Vegas is a heady experience at best. At worst it is overwhelming on a scale that rivals some of the busiest places on Earth.

That is to say, CES is BIG, bigger, in fact than ever before. 176,000 people (or roughly the population of Chattanooga, Tennessee) converged on this convention center over the weekend to see the latest breakthroughs in consumer technology from 3,800 exhibitors desperately clamoring to stand out from the crowd and get your attention, all jam packed in 2.47 million square feet of space.

1. Dawn, what can you tell us about yourself?

I like long walks on the beach, a good book, and to lay by the fire. Haha…no not really. What can I say? I guess I am your average American. I love a good cheeseburger, a glass of wine, and to snuggle up to a good movie on the couch with my hubby.

We don’t have any kids of our own but I have two beautiful step daughters and a cat named Leo who is extremely vocal. He yells at me often for the things he “thinks” he needs. I love the Lord and am really active at my church in the worship ministry there. My faith is really important to me and plays a huge role in every aspect of my life.

As the daughter of entrepreneurs, I’ve grown up surrounded by Pad & Quill and the highs and lows that come with running an e-commerce business. I was there in the beginning when bumpers had to be cut by hand and Mr. PQ (aka my old man) finished cases in our backyard.

I also have gotten to watch the company grow into the success it has become today. Looking back, I never would have expected that my dad would have built a company with fine leather bags , gorgeous Baltic birch wooden iPad cases, and a standard of crafted excellence. It’s enough to want to treat yo' self!

However, the best part of being a member of the family that has grown out of Pad & Quill is the constant emphasis on seeing and hearing the worker. No idea is too small nor too big to be

It’s a new year and our Fed Ex and UPS guys are traversing to-and-from Pad & Quill HQ. Already weary from the rush of a record-setting online shopping season, they are only becoming more wearied by the onslaught of purchases made by those gifted a plastic card this holiday season. Be kind to them, those faithful purveyors of presents, for they likely log a marathon of steps every day in their efforts to compel commerce forward.

As it is a new year and Mr. PQ is heading off to the Consumer Electronic Show in Vegas. So for now, Mrs. PQ is taking off her administrative hat and donning her dietitian/personal trainer cap to give her two cents regarding health and food tracker apps.