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

Greg Bérubé

Greg fills the position of General Manager with gentle charm and sartorial splendour. He brings a wealth of experience in the world of advertising and branding, having built and sold 2 companies in that field. As an accessible and hands-on leader, he has repeatedly demonstrated his comfort in partnering with clients and suppliers to achieve great results. Going way back, his education as a Graphic Designer equips him well to fully appreciate the design and quality of the Japanese papers and products we sell. In the outside world, his skills range from skiing to model building. But his pride and joy, beyond his 2 talented sons, is his classic car, a ’53 MGTD!

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!

Geneviève Jodouin

Our Production Manager comes to us with a background of organizing and making, the 2 skills most necessary to produce the vast quantities of packaged papers that we sell. A practicing printmaker and screenprinting teacher, Gen hails from the Ontario north where her interest in depicting the world around her began. Gen’s sense of colour and design guide her in developing truly wonderful paper combinations to the delight of all. Her production department provides a strong and steady direction for both current and new products. We always welcome her contributions - and her ready glowing smile! You can see her work on her website at www.genevievejodouin.ca.

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.

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.