Joyce Clyde Hall, born in David City, Nebraska in 1891, was a leader in the greeting card industry who founded Hallmark Cards. His vision and determined drive brought the iconic Hallmark brand to millions of people around the world. He revolutionized not only the greeting card industry, but also set the standard for the marketing of products to consumers in the larger retail marketplace.
Early Years
Hall was the youngest of three brothers. His mother passed away when he was just five years old and his father, unable to juggle raising three boys on his own, sent Joyce and his brother Rollie to work at a local printing shop in order to make ends meet. Hall was placed in various situations as he grew older, helping in the family business as well as working at a nearby general store. It was this kind of early entrepreneurial spirit that made him an innovator in the greeting card industry.
From Retailer to Entrepreneur
In 1910, the brothers Hall moved to Kansas City and opened the first Hallmark retail shop. They sold jewelry, stationery, postcards and other small items. Joyce had a keen eye for the customer experience and quickly noticed that only high-end greeting cards were available for purchase. He saw an opportunity to provide a more diverse selection of more affordable cards, and decided to fill the gap in the market. Thus, Joyce Hall’s Hallmark Cards was born.
Hallmark Cards
In 1917, Joyce Hall launched the Hallmark brand as an independent, national greeting card company. He began by creating cards for anniversaries, graduations and other special occasions. He also produced cards for everyday use, such as birthdays, get-well messages, friendship and love. He believed, rightly, that such cards were essential to any successful retail business, and that they conveyed emotion far better than the spoken word alone.
Hall worked tirelessly to promote and expand the business, with a focus on creating cards that were both beautiful and meaningful. He became well-known for crafting cards that met both personal and social needs. He also believed in creating a bond between a customer and the Hallmark brand by emphasizing quality and service. He mandated that each Hallmark store reflect these core values, ensuring customers had an excellent experience every time.
Building an Empire
Through effective and efficient management practices, Hallmark quickly grew. Right away, Joyce Hall’s vision emerged from the small family store to a national enterprise. He then began to open regional markets in major cities in the US and Canada. With clever sales tactics, such as offering incentives to distributors who sold large numbers of cards and arranging regional representatives to act as Hallmark’s go-betweens, the company continued to expand and flourish.
Transferring Ownership of Hallmark
Cards
Joyce Hall and his brothers continued to operate Hallmark until the early 1950s. Throughout the years, the company had grown from a few thousand cards in spring 1929 to millions of cards in millions of stores in the US and Canada. When Hall’s health began to decline in the mid-1950s, a cash-rich partner was sought out to take over the business.
Hallmark Cards, Inc. was finally sold to an investment banking firm in 1957 for a reported $20 million. After the sale, Joyce Hall’s vision evolved into a multi-million-dollar business that still operates to this day. Employees and customers, both past and present, play homage to the man who gave birth to the hallmark greeting card empire.
Legacy
Since his passing in 1982, Joyce Hall has been remembered as one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the history of the greeting card industry, and indeed of business in general. His legacy – creative marketing, innovative product development, dedication to quality and customer service excellence – remains to be seen in the continuing success of the Hallmark brand.
Joyce’s sons, Donald and Rolla, have continued his legacy through their involvement in the business. Jerry J. Hensley, a former employee of Hallmark, also commented in a 1983 article by USA Today: “Joyce Hall was a great leader in the industry. He had the foresight to see the need for quality products, but he also invited retailers to often share their ideas and critiques. He was a true champion for the little guys in the industry.”
Joyce Hall was a true visionary and pioneer of the greeting card industry. He changed the way we view greeting cards, taking them from specialty items used only for big occasions to universal items to mark the most personal of occasions. His impact on the industry is still felt today as Hallmark continues to be a leader in the greeting card market. Though Hallmark may have grown and changed over the years, his values and vision remain at the heart of the company.
