CARDS THAT ARE KEEPERS WHEN YOU CARE ENOUGH TO SEND THE VERY LATEST GREETINGS.

Byline: Patricia McFall Correspondent

Sure, there's the flowers and candy. But what's Mother's Day without a sentimental greeting card? On Sunday, millions of cards will swap hands in homage to Mom.

First introduced as simple illustrated postcards around the turn of the 20th century, greeting cards today have become lavish affairs bearing pop-up art, miniature gifts and ornate matching envelopes.

And despite the advent of electronic animated greeting cards and desktop-published paper cards, traditional greeting cards are here to stay, say industry experts.

``People like something they can touch and feel, that's more personal,'' says Garry Bowie, owner of a pair of gift and card shops called Toto's Revenge in Long Beach.

Caroline Kennedy, executive editor of the trade publication Gifts & Decorative Accessories, talked about greeting cards at the recent Los Angeles Gift Show.

``With so much of our regular communication done these days electronically, when a card or a letter is sent via regular mail, correspondents are willing to spend a little more and are taking more care with their choices, sending something that has a personal touch, a handmade quality, a little extra something to convey to the recipient that they are special,'' Kennedy said.

Generally speaking, card buyers are consistent. Some things never change, like animals, a perennial favorite everywhere. For many years, animals appeared on more Hallmark cards than did humans.

According to Hallmark research, men buy cards for birthdays, Valentine's Day and Christmas - and especially for Mother's Day, which is the only holiday for which men exceed women in the number of cards purchased.

Shoppers like extras, and card companies large and small are responding in a number of innovative ways to give them more card for their money.

And perhaps because people associate cards with gifts - or give them as gifts - the market will continue to grow for little extras, such as fabulously ornate envelopes reflecting the card's theme. Bowie noted ruefully that his customers like these envelopes so much that they sometimes switch them to another card.

Another value-added item is the card/gift combination that is meant to be kept, such as a magnet, a tiny book, candleholder, wind chimes or a small pin. Thus greeting cards, which in the early days were collected in albums, have come full circle in a single century.

Reported trade expert Kennedy, they are more and more ``intended to be kept and treasured as decor.''

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5 photos

Photo:

(1) Shop owner Garry Bowie shows off a greeting card that comes with a miniature wind chime. He says ornate envelopes are also very popular with his customers.

(2 -- 5) no caption (cards)

Carl Hidalgo/Staff Photographer