Art, Astoria, Featured, Small Business Owners Spotlight Apr 12, 2016 Astoria Small Business Owner Spotlight: Chatting With The Dazzling Duo from In Company! Astoria is home to a wealth of incredible and creative people. Case in point: Andrew and Kristen, the remarkable couple behind In Company, a paper goods company known for (…) Share this Scoop by Lindsay Goyette total shares! Twitter Facebook Email Print Astoria is home to a wealth of incredible and creative people. Case in point: Andrew and Kristen, the remarkable couple behind In Company, a paper goods company known for (…) by Lindsay Goyette Share this Scoop total shares! Twitter Facebook Email Print Related scoops Astoria Small Business Owner Spotlight: Aloria Cakes! Astoria Small Business Owner Spotlight: Anthony & Domen (...) Kristen (left) and Andrew (right) are pretty much the definition of a creative power couple. Astoria is home to a wealth of incredible and creative people. Case in point: Andrew and Kristen, the remarkable couple behind In Company, a paper goods company known for their clever and eye-catching designs. The busy pair took a moment away from their busy schedule creating awesome work (You’ve likely seen their charming designs on ads for local spots like Petals & Roots and Lockwood) to answer a few questions. Enjoy learning about these cool folks! Aren’t these pins adorable? How did you each get started in the industry? Kristen has been working as a freelancer in design and illustration for about 5 years since graduating college. She’s worked with Nordstrom Rack, Kollabora and some local Astoria businesses. Andrew has been working in Marketing and Sales for Moleskine for the past 4 years. How did you meet, both personally and professionally? We are college sweethearts. Both of us hail from different ends of Long Island and ended up crossing paths while in college. We both graduated from School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Kristen studied Fine Arts, and Andrew studied Film. Our story is sort of complicated, but it involved Facebook and a classic NYC romantic comedy moment. How did you start In Company? In Company started as a creative exercise. We were both feeling a little limited at our day jobs, so we wanted to have an outlet where we can make a name for ourselves. We knew that greeting cards would be our starting point. With greeting cards, you really get the chance to curate a story through visuals. Especially being our first line of items, it was a great way to set the tone for our brand. Where do you live? We live off the 30th Ave stop in Astoria. Right in the center of it all! What do you love about your neighborhood? What are some of your favorite local spots to eat, drink, and be inspired? We love the fact that the streets are always buzzing, no matter what time of day. Our favorite coffee house is 60 Beans. During the summer, we will ride our bikes over around 8:30-9:00 am on a weekend, sit outside with The Times and enjoy their delicious Greek Yogurt parfait. Our go-to bar is Sek’end Sun on Broadway, seriously the best cocktails. When we feel like feasting, we hit up Antika on 30th ave. I’m a little obsessed with the pizza with birthday candles! How does living in NYC inspire your work? Living in NYC is a blessing and curse. We are exposed to tons of creative resources and communities, but among that, there is tons of competition. Having that thirst for success is definitely something that inspires us. What has been your proudest moment since starting In Company? Definitely announcing that the site was live. I (Andrew), posted it on Instagram right before the N/Q went underground and by the time I got to my office, my phone was off the hook with likes, emails, texts, and new business opportunities. The home office where it all happens! What do you see in the future for In Company? As we grow our company in the coming years, we have tons of plans. We don’t want to reveal too much, but we are going to focus more on custom design work and put more efforts into selling wholesale. Surprisingly enough our enamel pins have been our top sellers, which is a huge shock to us. We created these pins as an accessory to our card line, but they have been growing into a more dominant item in our catalog. We are definitely looking expand on this route of gifts in the future. As we continue to grow, we are planning on expanding into more of a gifting experience brand. A one-stop-shop for you to put the charm back in giving a gift. We are also looking into starting a lifestyle blog documenting all the things that we love. Fashion, design, food, and of course paper goods. But who knows what may come in the future! I LOVE the birthday card on your website of candles on a slice of pizza. What’s your favorite design you’ve created for a card, pin, or wrapping paper? Andrew: I love the Muchas Gracias – Thank you card. It started off as a drawing of guacamole, then Kristen decided to use it as inspiration for a thank you card. Kristen: That’s a tough question. It’s either the Birthday Pizza card, or the ice coffee pin. Pizza and coffee are my two favorite things ever (not at the same time though). Like what you see? Here’s where to follow them on Instagram: Official page: @incompanypaper Andrew: @andrewescoto Kristen: @hellokristenlong Be sure to also check out their website: incompany.co! Thank you for reading; now go check them out for yourselves! Twitter Facebook Email Print graphic designin companysmall business owner profile About Lindsay Goyette Lindsay has been eating and drinking her way through Queens since 2011. A casting director by day and Astoria explorer by night, you can usually find her checking out live music, theatre, or the newest neighborhood spot to enjoy a craft beer. 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