A Little Card Co.

Owners: John Durham and Sherry Vitro

Address: 12319 Scenic Highway 65 North, Dennard 72629

Phone: ([phone]

Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday

Startup: March 2004

Web Site: www.alittlecardcompany.com or www.wildgooseusa.com

A Little Card Co. sells gift cards that are works of art. John Durham has been an artist for many years. He works in watercolors and also builds one-of-a-kind birdhouses from found historical pieces and architectural pieces.

Durham and Sherry Vitro started A Little Card Co. in March to offer a new kind of gift card to their customers. Each gift card is sold individually in a protective plastic sleeve. The cams are printed on recycled acid free paper and are suitable for framing.

"Our cards are left blank on the inside so a business such as a real estate agency or insurance agency could purchase them and use them for any occasion," Durham said.

The cards are packaged by a local branch of Abilities Unlimited, providing work for people in the community. They are printed in Rogers, keeping the job in-state. The cards will be sold in retail outlets from a custom birdhouse rack that is built by Durham.

Currently, there are 36 watercolor designs and 32 pen-and-ink designs. Durham is the creator of the 68 designs the company is currently using. The company is in the process of adding two more artists to the lineup.

"We hope to print and sell around a half-million cards next year," Durham said. "We are working from the Dallas Trade Mart to get our gift cards out in retail outlets and are updating our Web site."

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