From our humble beginnings in 1982, when owner Nancy Jacobi started showing artists and bookbinders these gorgeous papers from the trunk of her car, The Japanese Paper Place staff remain committed to the company's ideal of encouraging and promoting creativity with quality Japanese papers.

Though we have a warehouse full of machine made and decorative Japanese papers which we ship around the world, our particular passion is for sharing traditional Japanese handmade papers with the world while they are still being made.

Nancy Jacobi

Sigrid Blohm is a lover of things natural, including canoeing in Ontario's north country. She acts as our washi consultant and helps to organize workshops (her own "stitching washi" included) and exhibitions. When not at the warehouse giving advice on just which types of washi we have for your particular needs she can be found at home drawing on, stitching or dyeing them herself.

If you are a Canadian wholesale customer, you know Shirley Imaizumi: her love of people, Japanese paper and almost twenty years of experience at The Japanese Paper Place combine to give you the excellent customer service you've come to expect. In addition to her longstanding passion for Ninjutsu, she loves to travel and enjoys the opportunity to meet distant customers when in the area.

When you ship paper to all four corners of the globe you need someone who knows how to get it there quickly, economically and in one piece… and our "go to" person is Peter Jones. A true renaissance man, Peter’s wide-ranging talents are called upon for everything from fixing leaky faucets to hanging washi sculptures. A whiz with Japanese paper and a soldering iron, he also teaches our popular "Lampshade Making" workshop. And as we all learned at a staff party, he can salsa with the best of them!

Vinna Ly

Vinna Ly joined us originally to help in production, where a talented gang of women create the many packaged and pasted items we design and sell. With the marriage and departure of the head honcho, Vinna was ripened for the task of managing the area. She takes over the reins with her special brand of enthusiasm, energy and a background in retail merchandising. A graduate in environmental design from the Ontario College of Art and Design, Vinna is also a key contributor to her partner’s LE Gallery, on the forefront of Toronto’s gallery scene. Her wry sense of humour comes as part of the package!

Claire Maziarczyk

To cater to our American customers, we felt we needed someone who would be understood when she said “out and about,” so we hired Claire Maziarczyk as our US Sales Associate! After 30 years of making paste papers for a living, under her banner Pastepaper Patterns, Claire knows quality decorative paper. Born and bred in PA and now living in upstate New York, Claire brings a longstanding knowledge of the paper business in the States and a sincere desire to help businesses grow through this medium. Her hands-on experience using and teaching various skills with paper makes her an especially valuable resource for building business with art supply stores.

The same creative care that Andrew Ooi brings to the elegant folded art he makes and sells serve him well in his position at The JPP. A collaborator by nature, Andrew is a valued addition to the gang. You can see more of his work on his website at www.andrewpjooi.com.

Julia Prime performs a variety of tasks at the JPP including maintaining our library of swatch sheets and 8 1/2 x 11" samples, updating the inventory database, helping look after customers visiting our artist resource room, and supporting our sales team. Having graduated with a major in printmaking from the Ontario College of Art & Design, Julia's art practice combines various printmaking techniques with hand embroidery on washi. Her work can be seen on her website at www.juliaprime.ca.

Alison Reid, our office manager, not only handles the details of our busy office and designs much of our print media but also directs phone and email inquiries with her usual blend of courtesy and professionalism. Alison loves making lanterns and, even more, loves seeing other people make them, for parades, processions, events or just for the joy of it. Her website, www.madgleam.com, a free resource for lantern makers and fans, contains a wealth of info about making beautiful lanterns using Japanese paper and other materials.

Duke Tran is our highly skilled packer who makes sure that even the most delicate tissues arrive in perfect condition. His willingness to assist fellow employees with a smile makes him indispensable in every department. "No" just isn’t in his vocabulary! A self-described "classic Pisces," Duke enjoys venturing off the beaten path in his travels through life and finds it difficult to resist a good pastry or a slice of cheesecake.