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Barb never set out to launch a company. She just wanted to solve a problem most people don’t talk about.
She was flipping through a notebook, staring at blank pages. No prompts. No direction. Just space. It struck her: people want to write—they just don’t always know where to begin.
So she flipped the script.
What if the journal asked the questions?
She started small. Just four journal titles. Partnered with a local printer. Ordered 5,000 copies and had them delivered right to her front door in Bay City. The inventory filled her house.
From there, she did what any true entrepreneur does—she showed up. Craft fairs. Gift shops. Cold calls. She made connections one by one.
It worked.
People didn’t just buy the journals—they connected with them. The guided format made writing feel less intimidating, more natural. Instead of staring at a blank page, they were responding to questions that actually meant something.
Soon, the titles multiplied. Up North. Lighthouses. Fishing. Hunting. Birdwatching. The Vacation and Camping journals took off. Two instant favorites.
But this wasn’t just a business about Michigan’s outdoors. It became something bigger.
Barb kept listening. She created journals for teachers. For kids. For caregivers, new grads, parents, travelers—anyone who had a story to hold onto. Over the years, that small idea turned into something people reached for during every season of life.
Today, Journals Unlimited is still proudly based in Michigan. The team works out of Bay City, with warehouses up in Pinconning. The collection has grown to more than 65 journal titles, plus a dozen styles of notepads. They now ship over 100,000 journals every year across the U.S.
And yet, the heart of it hasn’t changed.
Each journal uses Barb’s original Q&A format—a guided path to remembering the moments that matter. You don’t need to be a writer. You just need to want to hold on to something real.
And if you want to personalize it? You can. Add a photo. A name. A message. Make it yours.
Because that’s what Barb believed from the beginning:
Everyone has a story. Sometimes, all you need is the right question to start telling it.
Spend Local Great Lakes™
Check out Journals Unlimited today and use code: Local23 for 15% OFF of your online purchase for a limited time and FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $60! No time to wait for shipping? Find a retail location near you.
Journals Unlimited is proud to be Bay City, Michigan owned and operated!