Lost Art of Letter Writing
This spring, I was sad to hear that my favorite stationary company had shut it’s doors before I was ever rich enough to afford it. Mrs. John L. Strong came about during the nineteen thirties in the middle of the Great Depression. This was as elegant as it gets. For 80 years they offered hand made engraved stationary. They continued the process of hand engraving,with hand made dies made from steel, hand stamping and hand mixing ink colors long after other companies switched to computer engraving. How could a company built during the Great Depression not survive the Great Recession?
What happened?
We.Stopped.Writing.Letters.
Why? It seems like now days we need letters more than ever. With constant emails, Twitter, Facebook messages and texts, our communication often lacks any real meaning or connection.
A letter or note in the mail is like a gift. If it’s on lovely stationary even better for both you and the recipient.
Take a moment to send off a little note to someone, it will lift both of your spirits.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Dear Jessica,
I am one of the owners of The Printery in Oyster Bay, New York, and so my comments may seem suspect. That being said, I can assure you that the demise of Mrs. John L. Strong was not the result of societal shifts away from letter writing but rather a poorly thought-out and executed business plan. The Printery is a thoroughly improbable business—operating out of a retail dead zone (Oyster Bay), limited hours, no presence in Manhattan, everything hand engraved and made by hand—and yet our company is thriving. I would invite you to not buy a single thing from us—or any of your readers—but simply to acquaint yourself with our product at http://www.iprintery.com. I think you’ll be surprised.
September 7th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Dear William:
Thank you. I think that iPrintery is beautiful. I love your classic engraving and color combinations. Thank you for taking the time to comment and write. I am happy to know about you and so glad you are keeping tradition alive. I will definitely keep you in mind for future stationary needs.
Jessica