What you won’t find at Hallmark is what you’ll find with Valley of the Kings (VOK) Cards.

The Black-owned greeting card business, founded by sisters Lisa and Leslie Jones, is targeting growth at markets and activations across the Greater Toronto Area this summer.

They sell custom greeting cards for the passing of a loved one or a pet, holidays, and religious occasions. And they kicked off their spring season at a recent vendor presentation about funeral services, wills, and estate planning in Mississauga on April 13.

“We mostly sell online, but we do private shopping experiences too, where we go meet with the customer and allow them to privately shop through our collection,” the Jones sisters told Black Dollar Magazine in an interview. “We’ve received great feedback about the brand and the cards, and we feel like it’s time to push things forward.”

The Joneses said they were interested in partnering with Black organizations and companies to help introduce new audiences to the brand. The business name, "Valley of the Kings," comes from ancient Egypt, where pharaohs and men and women of nobility were buried.

As their tombs were filled with treasures to take with them in the afterlife, the Joneses adopted a similar concept with VOK Cards.

The duo are graphic designers and operate a business called X Height Media, which is the parent company behind VOK Cards. The sisters said they developed this concept to grow the enterprise.

“The cards are a way for people to leave last words or thoughts with loved ones who have passed away and can be placed over a casket during a burial ceremony or left at vigils or gravesites,” its website reads.

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Unlike most cards, the sisters say that theirs are eco-friendly. This means that the cards can be buried with your loved ones or family, and customers who care about the environment can rest easy knowing the paper has a certified seal.

Likewise, VOK Cards has more than eight categories of cards to choose from. Whether it’s an untimely death or you knew it was coming, the sisters say they have something for everyone.

There are even cards about forgiveness, special days, and new life. Moreover, the company has card collections featuring four to eight cards that can be distributed as required.

“It was very important to us that we made a product that was environmentally conscious. We wanted to make sure we were doing our part to protect the earth and deliver a good product in an eco-friendly way,” the sisters said.

You can check out their website and shop here.