The problem: finding the perfect gift for loved ones as the holiday season approaches. The solution: Love Letters. Recent alums of UW-Madison Aliza Goldberg and Hannah Klein searched Pinterest for apartment décor that would quickly become a creative idea for a business during their senior year. By decorating their living space with each roommates name collaged with photos, the girls were onto something big that they wouldn’t notice by themselves.
Klein working on Love Letters orders at their UW apartment.
I spoke to Goldberg about where their business is during their first post-grad year, and where it started.
During our senior year, we got a new couch delivered, and as they brought it in, one of the men saw the letters on our wall and asked where I had bought them. I told him I made them myself and he asked if I could make it for his daughter. He left his email address and said he would reach out about ordering, and that’s when one of my friends and I realized this could be something people were interested in buying.
And with the start of the business, came the start of some challenges.
We originally made the Love Letters on balsa wood backboard. The first order we got, shipping it with the backboard was almost $40 and some letters broke off when it got to the customer. But we used it as a learning experience and decided only local orders where we could deliver the Love Letters could have a backboard.
As college students, however, the costs of these shipments and products were always a priority.
At the time, we were college students with no income, so we really wanted to make the process as cheap as possible for us. Since we began the business, we’ve adjusted prices to make sure we were gaining profit for our work, and we’ve looked into where we could get the pictures and letters for the cheapest price. A lot of it was a test, but after months of experimenting, I feel like we’ve gotten it down.
The biggest demand came before Mother’s Day of 2015, where this trial and error process was truly put to the test.
Mother’s day 2015 was probably the most frightening experience. We told our sorority about it and in a few days, we had over 30 orders and probably two or three weeks to get it all done. We had a dry erase board with every single order, and I still remember how good it felt to erase the name once it was complete because we were that much closer to being done.
But the reactions that Goldberg and Klein got from their customers provided the girls with an even better feeling than that.
Girls sent us videos and pictures of their moms opening it and crying, and we even got some texts from moms thanking us for putting it together and wanting to order more.
Goldberg assured me that although the business started at UW, both her and Klein are focused on making sure that Love Letters grows during their post-grad years.
We are looking to expand to boutiques in the area and have started reaching out to store owners and showing them our products. So far, we have only gotten positive feedback with how much people love Love Letters and what a meaningful gift it makes.
The girls have seriously proven that teamwork makes the dream work, as they continue to work together away from the business’ origins on UW’s campus. And according to Goldberg, making it work is definitely worth it.
If I could use one word to describe our business, it would be sentimental. It’s taking people’s memories and putting them on display in a unique and creative way, and that’s why we really love doing it.
To get your hands on Love Letters of your own, check out the girls on Etsy, Instagram and Facebook!