Hi, I'm Zoe!
Pretty Post makes very nice stationery for very nice people.
Formed out of my love for cards, paper goods and all things analogue and snail mail, I wanted to create tactile things for paper lovers.
My ethos is to illuminate others- make women's lives, simpler, easier, more organised and more enriched.
Pretty Post is a combination of my love of making life easier and my obsession with paper!
The Story So Far
Pretty Post was a seed in my brain for about 15 years. Probably longer. I have ALWAYS made stationery.
Long before I was making a living out of it I was making cards, decorating envelopes, hand lettering on anything that stood still. Going all out on invitations, stroking notebooks and collecting pens like they were going out of fashion.
Not having a design background stopped me from doing what I wanted for a long time. But after my son was born I couldn’t face the idea of leaving him in nursery to go back to a job I loathed.
So I bit the bullet and took classes in all the things I’d wanted to learn for a long time. I slowly started to share the work I was creating online and people started to message asking if I took commissions...and the idea of a business started to form.
At the same time my marriage happened to end. So instead of wallowing I took all the energy and threw it into creating my first business - The Golden Letter - where I made high end, luxury, wedding stationery.
I loved creating wedding stationery, but the niggle was still there. After winning multiple awards and becoming an expert in my field, I still had an idea that I was desperate to create and I couldn’t ignore it.
I spent a year looking at prototypes and trying to get funding. I applied for a start up loan, jumping through lots of hoops and lots of back and forth with middle aged men who didn't grasp the need for stationery.
I was eventually offered the funding- but I somewhat insanely refused to take it. I didn’t want to start something I loved with a bitter taste in my mouth. And it was actually the best decision I’ve ever made.
After another year of procrastinating I decided to crowdfund instead, and set up a Kickstarter to seed Pretty Post - with people who loved the idea as much as I did.
It was a massive success and I smashed the target in six days. And from there, Pretty Post was born!
Want to know more?
London born and bred, I'm a divorced / co-parenting mum to a very opinionated boy. I'd love to say he helps pack your parcels, but unless I bribe him, there's no chance.
I set up my first business eight years ago, so that I could be at home when he needed me, and show him that being a mother doesn't mean you don't have to leave your passions behind.
Quite the opposite, I can mum, run three businesses, have a social life, and sometimes I get to sleep too! (turns out you can't do everything though, you should see the state of my kitchen).
I start each morning with a walk through a tiny nature reserve, it grounds me, sets me up for the day and it's where I have my best ideas.
My design education is entirely self taught. When I love something, I consume it. I always wanted to make stationery and always regretted not doing a graphic design degree, so I spent years learning everything I could about it.
Alongside running Pretty Post I also run a brand and packaging design studio - where I make beautiful things for other businesses,
Organisation and systems are my jam. I have a brain like a robot, and can turn anything complicated into a simple list. It's a superpower.
You can find me teaching other small businesses how to do it too, alongside volunteeering as a mentor for the government funded Help to Grow scheme.
I work from my home studio in North London, surrounded by stacks of notebooks, piles of paper, and an ever increasing indoor jungle.
Want to know more about the products and how they're made? Have a read of my environmental policy here.
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Contact
Arthur Road, N7 6DR
About us
Pretty Post is a registered trademark
VAT number 394290373