Our cards too "risky"

When Marilyn Ladd and Geri Santoro of Pasadena, Calif., had a commitment ceremony two years ago, their family members and friends couldn't find cards tailored to the occasion in the stores where they shopped. This was particularly frustrating to Ladd and Santoro because they had founded Rainbow Greetings more than a year before their ceremony. "That really launched our desire to [get into retail stores]," said Ladd.

So she began pushing national retail chains to carry their company's gay-focused greeting cards. But the retail giants weren't so warm to the idea. "It's been quite a struggle," Ladd said. 'We're told it's too much of a risk to offer cards that reflect the lifestyles of gays and lesbians."

While Ladd and Santoro aren't backing down, in the meantime they're expanding their company's reach in boutique shops, including stores in California, Oregon, and Washington, D.C.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Liberation Publications, Inc.
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