Tired of buying greeting cards at the last minute? Beachwood's CardBro has a fix

BEACHWOOD - Growing up in Pine Beach, Justin Shearer was an industrious and high-achieving kid who enjoyed solving problems. And several decades later, he and fellow business partners David Strevens and Adam Taylor are still doing just that through their 2021 launch of CardBro, a Beachwood-based provider of a year-long greeting card “kit” for the forgetful male (or female).

“As a kid, I always wanted to reach the top of anything I did,” said Shearer, 46, an Island Heights resident. “During my time in Boy Scouts, for example, I achieved the level of Eagle Scout, and later, I went beyond my scuba diving license to become a divemaster.”

After graduating from Stockton College (now University) in Galloway with a degree in biology, “I went to Rutgers Law School and joined my father’s practice, Shearer Law Firm in Beachwood, which specializes in estate law and real estate transactions,” he said.

While his day job has kept him busy for nearly 20 years, the opportunity to solve long-standing consumer problems has remained a passion of his. And two years ago, he had an "aha" moment in the greeting card aisle.

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Specifically, “I’ve often found myself rushing to a store at the end of the day to buy a card for someone for a special event — an anniversary, major holiday, Valentine’s Day, etc.,” he said. “Like so many people, I’m busy trying to run a business all day and searching for a card at the last minute is time-consuming and stressful. I always end up standing in the aisle with a bunch of other guys picking through dog-eared cards and whatever’s left in the store.”

“I’ve always hated that moment and have long wondered what I could do to make the process better or more efficient for guys like me,” Shearer said. “I wished that there was a boxed set of cards I could buy that would keep me prepared so that I didn’t have to rush around all year.”

Avoiding last-minute drama

During an annual ski vacation in the Poconos with his kids and extended family in February 2021, “I was telling my brother-in-law, David Strevens (a Wall resident), what a process it was for me to get a card and how I wished there was some kind of boxed kit available,” Shearer recalled. “He thought it was a great idea and said that his friend Adam Taylor (a Fair Haven resident) worked in marketing, packaging and website development and might be interested in collaborating with us.”

Through a series of calls among the three of them, “we agreed that this was a ‘guy buy,’” Shearer said. “When it comes to communicating in a relationship and especially buying cards, guys often wait until the last minute and then scramble to get things done. I don’t know why we’re like that — maybe we’re preoccupied with other things, lazy, absent-minded or we just don’t remember — but it ends up in last-minute drama that costs us more money.”

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Developing their packaging, logo, website and QR code, “our box contains 13 cards — one for each of the major holidays, including Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Mother’s and Father’s Day, as well as two birthday cards, two blank universal cards (just to say you’re thinking of your partner or to apologize for something), an anniversary card, and a general ‘I love you’ card,” Shearer said.

Priced at $24.99 — less than $2 a card — “these cards will get guys through a full year and help them demonstrate their thoughtfulness and preparedness,” he said.

Launched in June 2021, the team chose the name ‘CardBro’ for their venture — “almost like a promise to guys that ‘we’ve got your back on this,’” Shearer said — and secured a federal trademark on their concept. “Many guys are used to being hand-held through this process because women often buy the cards in a household or relationship,” Shearer said. “As we like to say, our box helps guys be more prepared, ‘more thoughtful partners.’”

“We spent time on each card and created designs that look good, are printed on quality paper, and aren’t overbearing or over-the-top,” Shearer said. “CardBro cards are short, sweet and to the point.”

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'Something that solves a problem'

According to Shearer, the trio’s inaugural set of cards can be purchased through CardBro’s website with a shipping and handling fee or in-person at the Silverton Buy-Rite in Toms River.

“Everyone who’s bought the cards or who we speak to about them agrees that it’s a great and unique idea that really helps guys out and keeps them organized,” Shearer said. As time goes on, he added, “we’ll update and/or change out each card when we introduce a second edition of the boxed set.”

Among the issues they encountered while launching their venture, “it can be hard to get our concept in front of the right people,” Shearer said. “We’ve been using our connections and mailing our products to various outlets and large corporations, but it can be challenging to identify the ultimate decision-makers and get their addresses for privacy reasons.”

Despite that, “sales through our website and at Buy-Rite are mounting thanks to social media and we’re getting a lot of hits/impressions and positive feedback,” Shearer said. “Customers tell us that our cards are a go-to box that saves them a lot of time and money and enables them to feel prepared and rest easy.”

Looking ahead, “we hope to get our CardBro box in the card aisle of major retailers like Target, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens and would also love to get our idea on the radar with greeting card associations and brands like Hallmark and American Greetings,” Shearer said. “While our idea is somewhat novel today, we look forward to the day when it’s accepted, trending and put into practical use.”

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Intended for men but also for women (or for a woman to buy for a man in their life), Shearer said that he and his business partners are excited about CardBro’s future.

“It’s gratifying to create something that solves a problem, and CardBro will save guys from being stressed out in the card aisle at the end of the day,” Shearer said. “It makes us happy to think that they can simply grab a CardBro box and their issue will be resolved.”

CardBro

Location: 625 Route 9, Beachwood

Phone: 732-240-3729

Owners: Justin Shearer, David Strevens, and Adam Taylor

Launched: June 2021

Website: www.card-bro.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: CardBro in Beachwood NJ sells greeting cards for forgetful buyers