Pacing the aisle of some Coronado shops that have a small selection of greeting cards will often leave you with one okayish card. “Happy Birthday Pops, you Rock!” Not exactly personal, but it gets the job done. Lindsey Warriner changes the game with Warren Tales, her line of greeting cards that put customers in a black hole of endless options. Warren Tales cards extend past basic birthday and holiday cards. Lindsey has designed cards with a creative spin on the typical, as well as thanking someone for helping you move, celebrating body positivity, LGBT themes, the Boston Marathon, the list goes on. If you can think of it, Lindsey probably thought of it first, and said it wittier.
Lindsey graduated from Coronado High School in 2006, and still lives locally (split between Nado and North Park). Despite her British charm, her family is from Coronado. Lindsey’s parents graduated from CHS in the ’70s, and still live in town. Lindsey grew up in the UK before moving to Coronado her junior year. She credits Coronado teaching legend, Jenny Moore, for inspiring and motivating her in her junior year English class.
Asked about how she got started, Lindsey surprises by admitting, “I hated greeting cards. I thought they were lame. But I had a roommate in college that loved them. When she was sick I would get her a greeting card. Looking at all the options, I thought, ‘I could do better than that’.” Scrolling through her website, you’ll see she was not wrong.
After six years, Warren Tales has taken off and taken her all over the country. At the time of the interview, Lindsey had just completed three trade shows in three week in New York. Looking ahead and preparing for the holiday season she already has ample trade shows on the calendar. However, she makes her loyalty known, “I will always support my local city,” sharing that Coronado’s annual Artisans’ Alley will be prioritized.
While you can find Lindsey’s cards online and at Coronado’s Artisans’ Alley (she was also a vendor at 92118 Day), there is an obvious gap in Coronado retail. “I would love to embrace Coronado,” she starts, “I keep getting invited back to events, 3/4 of the island has my humor, but I think I bristle some feathers.” It does pose an interesting position. Lindsey has rave reviews, one local buying a card because, “I’m hilarious and my kids never appreciate it!” Lindsey also explains that her cards are not aggressive or gross. While the cards cover many occasions and while some may be deemed “inappropriate” for children walking by a display, she recalls Jenny Moore’s comment to her, “if they can read it, they’ve heard it.”
Warren Tales has been peddling puns since 2013, and Lindsey is a two-time winner of the Greeting Card Association’s LOUIE Award. Her secret to coming up with killer cards, “thinking I’m funny and sleep deprivation,” she laughs. Her inspiration comes from every day life and Lindsey shares that she’s “writing for someone, even if I never send it them.”
Check out Warren Tales here and be sure to look for Lindsey at Artisans’ Alley this December!
