Our Story

It's all in the family.

Our story begins in 1964, with our Dad, Morris Cox, selling typewriters out of the family home. At the time, he was also working as an engineer at GE, so this could also be the origin story of the "side hustle."

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1980s
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Business was good.

So in 1976, Dad opened a small office supply shop in downtown Peterborough. To gain a competitive advantage, he joined the Basics network, an independent Canadian buying group, to purchase products at a reduced price and pass on savings to customers. 

In the 1980s, Mo purchased two buildings on George Street, renovating them into a storefront, warehouse, showroom and office space. 

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A sustained vision.

In 1990, the three (grown) kids took over the business and have since carried forward Mo's vision of operating as a trusted, cutting-edge supplier for all their customers' needs. David, Jeff and Sue lead and manage 25 employees with 300 years of combined experience. 

Our commitment to driving value, selection, and service for our loyal customers are ingrained in our values, mission and culture. We are more than a company that sells pens and paper. We go the extra mile, and that's why our customers keep coming back. 

Our culture is our backbone.

With 25 incredible employees, our culture is integral to our success and vision. As a second-generation family business, we function as a family. That means we laugh, work, play, and fight - but at the end of the day, we're there for each other. 

United we stand.

Our collective goal of customer satisfaction creates an internal culture of collaboration and engagement. We share information at team huddles, dance our butts off at social events, and hand out awards to recognize the achievements of our employees. 
 
Uniting around a common cause also brings our team together and stimulates our culture. We love serving our community and giving back, and it improves our sense of wellbeing while showing gratitude. 
 

We prioritize our culture because customers will never love and trust a business until our employees do.