I was introduced to Crane & co. stationery some 35 years ago by renowned Philippine fashion legend, Ben Farrales. I was at his studio in Malate Circle, ordering a dress I would wear to the DLSU MBA basketball tournament opening parade. The team gave me a budget to buy a pair of shoes and a nice dress to wear.
Sayang, I’ve lost that dress. It’s green, of course.
Mang Ben, as friends and colleagues fondly call him, was a basketball fan. He knew Edmund ( my boyfriend then) personally. Edmund met him thru his friend Paking. When he found out that I was Edmund’s girlfriend, he gave me a box of Carlton Stationery from his recent travel to the US.
(Mang Ben, photo from Google images-Interaksyon)
I appreciated it so much. I kept that box for years. I never used it till after 20 years kasi mag-aamoy luma na.
Since then, whenever I see a box of Crane stationery, I instantly would go down memory lane and think of Mang Ben’s spontaneous act of thoughtfulness.
Crane is based in Dalton, Massachusetts. It was founded more than 240 years ago by Stephen Crane. To this day, Crane produces currency paper for the US government since 1879. They also manufacture security papers
