Meet Your Merchant: Bliss Imprints & Gifts

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Eddy And Marilyn Martinez Epitomize The Joy Of Shopping Local

As shopping becomes more digital, one thing remains unchanged. Small business is what defines Coral Gables, with customers who turn into regulars for the personal touch of shopping locally. Bliss Imprints & Gifts is no exception.

Eddy Martinez grew up in Coral Gables. A graphic artist, he previously had a store on Miracle Mile from 1996 to 2005 and worked in wholesale with his wife, Marilyn Martinez. Together, they created stationery and wedding invitations, which won four Greeting Card Association awards in 2006 and 2013. They sold their store in 2005 to focus on raising four children, continuing their wholesale business.

Years later, a moment on Miracle Mile sparked their return. “After COVID, the first place we went to was to get ice cream on Miracle Mile,” recalls Eddy. “The minute I opened the door and got out of the car to go into the ice cream shop, I said, ‘Now’s the time. We need to move to Miracle Mile again, open our store, and do the dream we always wanted.” That moment led to the opening of Bliss Imprints & Gifts at the end of 2021, a stationery gift shop that includes items the couple creates and curates themselves, adding a personal touch. Marilyn, who was raised in Hialeah, felt drawn to Coral Gables even before she was married. “I would always come down to Miracle Mile,” she says. “It gives you that small town feeling. And why wouldn’t you want to come to Coral Gables? It’s gorgeous.”

Owning a business comes with challenges, particularly after the pandemic. “We had a difficult time getting merchandise,” explains Eddy. “But since we manufacture a lot of stuff, we were able to create tote bags and fill the store with merchandise that we created.” The store also carries products from artists on consignment. “We try to work with local artisans as well, those who can produce products that we want to have in the store,” Eddy says.

Beyond retail, the Martinez’s are involved in the Coral Gables community through promotional products and custom printing. Their work includes signage for Armstrong Jazz House and projects for Arcano, Crystal Academy, and the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce.

Among items carried in the store is a selection of board games, including Cuba-Opoly and Puerto Rico-Opoly. Last year, Eddy thought it was time to “Opoly” the Gables. “I started working on it last year,” he says. “I put together an entire program, a proposal, to present it to the Chamber.” After connecting with Christina Miller from the Chamber Foundation, the idea was then presented to the city. “We got into the City Commission [and] we got the city to be the sponsor,” Eddy says proudly. “Our small little store connected with a huge chamber that does the most events [here] and in one of the most affluent and beautiful cities.”

Every design element of Gables-Opoly was created by Eddy, with each piece developed specifically for the businesses involved. “It’s so custom and so specific,” he says.

Gables-Opoly will be released mid-February at $29.95, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Mark A. Trowbridge Chamber Foundation. As Marilyn says, “The fact that the proceeds go to the Foundation means so much to us, and to a lot of people, because when we opened the first person that came to meet us was Mark. I won’t ever forget that.”