Jay Blumenfeld credits his grandmother for his wacky humor.
Blumenfeld has been the president/CEO for Smart Alex, Inc.—where traditional paper greeting cards are always fun, wild, wacky, at times weird, and maybe even a bit raunchy—since 1980.
"I will keep going as long as people still buy our wacky, edgy humor greeting cards," he said. "I love humor; I must have inherited it from my Grandma Ruth. She always made me laugh with her simple one-liners."
Blumenfeld lives in North Center and works at his office along Irving Park Road, not far from the lake.
"When an idea pops up [ for a new card ] , we come up with the line and find a picture that will work with the concept," Blumenfeld said. "Next, we design the card and test it out with friends. If the concept is well received, we publish it."
To date, they've made tens of thousands of cards, yet Grandma Ruth has survived time. "A card with my Grandma Ruth as a model with a funny caption, 'What did one saggy boob say to the other?' in front and 'We'd better perk up or people will think we're nuts!' inside," is the company's all-time best seller.
Blumenfeld said the recession, more than the Internet, has impacted the traditional paper greeting card business.
"It was interesting, in the beginning of the Internet age, I don't think e-greeting cards replaced paper cards. Instead, they were a great annex to paper cards," he said. "We've had our share of woe with the recession with stores closing and not paying their invoices."
Blumenfeld is deaf and has been in a 22-year relationship with Mark Taylor, who is hearing and who has been the senior art director for Smart Alex since 1993.
Being deaf has not impacted his card world. "One is only handicapped if one allows it," he said.
Blumenfeld and Taylor met in 1988, when Taylor was working part-time at Sherwyn Health Food. He asked Blumenfeld out and their first date was a week later. "After that, we knew immediately we were right for each other," Blumenfeld said. "The secret to our long longevity is that I can't hear him bitching, so it's perfect."
With a smile, Blumenfeld added: "We communicate all the time and that's the key to good relationship."
THE STATSName
Jay Blumenfeld
Cubs or White Sox?:
Neither—not a sports fan
Hobbies
Collecting lowbrow paintings
Pet
Small dog named Apple Pie
Favorite Chicago restaurant
Café 28 on Irving Park Road in Ravenswood
Little-known skill
"I'm a professional photographer, but don't take many pictures these days."
Daily ritual
"Love reading/posting [ on ] Facebook"
Jay on Mark
"Mark is a great guy! I'm very lucky to have him in my life."
Mark on Jay
"Jay is a caring, wonderful person."
Text and photos by Ross Forman
