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.

With over a decade of experience cutting hundreds of different types of Japanese paper, Walter Chatterpaul is our undisputed "King of Cutting." His knowledge of the unique personality of each paper is not only important for accuracy and to achieve maximum yields, but also to ensure that each paper is properly stored. Walter’s recent re-organization of our 10,000 square foot warehouse has greatly enhanced our efficiency and capacity. We can always rely on Walter to spot potential issues in the warehouse before they become a problem, to update us on comings and goings in the neighbourhood and to fill in the blanks on missed episodes of "Coronation Street."

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!

Jessica Mann discovered The Japanese Paper Place as a child and decided back then that one day she would work there. Now, decades later, she is thrilled to be bringing her computer and customer service skills to help share the wonders of washi with the world as our intrepid webmistress, database wrangler and sales account rep. She still enjoys origami, the art that first lead her to The JPP, and adores travel, treehouses and dark chocolate products.

Andrew Ooi is our newest member of staff, and in no time flat has become a bona fide member of the "shipping as craft" team. The same creative care that he brings to the elegant folded lamps 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 helping fill orders for our packaged products. 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. Her creative side finds an outlet in a variety of personal craft projects and through drumming. And don't let that calm exterior fool you: she has a wicked sense of humour!

A good production manager must be both creative and efficient – and we consider ourselves very fortunate that Kayoko Torii fits the bill perfectly. Her keen sense of design is behind our fabulous Potluck line of products where she combines colour, texture and pattern in fresh and surprising ways. Her organizational skills keep us on track and able to offer more than 50 types of packaged products. After a devastating fire in 1993, Kayoko rallied to help us and continues to do so in countless ways. She is also an avid golfer, yoga practitioner and skilled in many traditional Japanese crafts.

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.