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Home / Blog / B&B chat to Jennifer, Founder of London Letters

B&B chat to Jennifer, Founder of London Letters

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Interview with London Letters

I had the joy of catching up with the wonderful Jennifer Bishop, Founder of London Letters. I came across London Letters on Instagram and fell in love immediately. I've always felt there is something so romantic about letter writing and was intrigued to learn more. 
London Letters is a petite stationery atelier, pen pal club, and calligraphy studio. In 2019, Jennifer found herself furloughed from her beloved job at a wedding calligraphy studio, which later closed, leaving her unsure about what to do next. With some encouragement from her partner, Martyn, Jennifer decided to turn her passion for letter writing into a business. 
In this conversation, we delve into the art of letter writing and the benefits of having a pen pal you've never met. We explore Jennifer’s favourite stationery sets, starting tips for beginners, and inspirations from famous letters.
The conversation highlights how letter writing promotes slow living and intentionality, influencing both Jennifer’s everyday life and how she runs her business. We also get a glimpse into a typical workday and exciting future plans for the brand. I was completely inspired by the charm and impact of handwritten letters in our fast-paced digital world, and I hope you will be too. Happy reading! 
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What benefits have you discovered from writing to a pen pal, especially one you haven’t met in person?

I think for me, and likely a lot of our pen pal members would agree with this too, one of the lovely things about writing to someone you don’t know or have never met is that you can be incredibly open and honest when writing. The fact that you’ve never met your pen pal, means that they have no preconceptions or expectations of what you’ll be like, so there is space for you to be completely authentic. The process itself is incredibly intimate, so you have a way of getting to know someone on a level at which you’ll likely never get by other means. Interview with London Letters

You offer so many beautiful stationery sets and writing services. Do you have a personal favourite set or service, or one you are particularly proud of?

I think it has to be our Paper Post subscription. This is the product that I wanted to get going first after the launch of our pen pal club, simply because I thought it would complement it so well. The goal of the company is to encourage our customers to spend more time with pen and paper because of the positive impact it has on our lives and wellbeing, and so Paper Post became the perfect product to offer our customers with a means to do just that – it’s a monthly stationery subscription of writing materials and greeting cards that provides a gentle reminder to take time away from the daily grind and enjoy the simple pleasure of writing.

For someone completely new to letter writing, where would you suggest they start? What would you recommend for their first letter?

Keep things easy! A good way to start is by sending birthday cards to your loved ones. Try to make a note of all your favourite people’s birthdays and send them a card a few days in advance so that it arrives in time for their special day. You’ll be amazed how grateful and flattered people will be that you’ve remembered, and it will encourage you to write more and lead you to explore different reasons for writing.Interview with London Letters

Are there any famous letters that have inspired you or ones that you like to revisit?

I’m not sure how well known this letter is, but in 2006 Stephen Fry wrote a letter to one of his fans that, during an especially difficult bout of depression, had turned to him for advice. The letter is simple, but beautifully written with sincere and heartfelt support. One of the quotes from it ‘it will be sunny again one day’ was the inspiration behind a greeting card we made to encourage communication for mental health.

The art of letter writing is beautifully linked with the art of living slower and more intentionally. How does this philosophy influence the way you run London Letters and live your life in general?

Slow living for me, means working when I feel productive and prioritising rest when I don’t. It means a focus on connecting to my customers who I want to feel valued, taking time to create and with as much heart and soul as I can possibly give them, getting outside and appreciating nature, and trying to live more in the moment than worrying about tomorrow.Interview with London Letters

What does an average working day look like for you?

I’m an early bird, so I wake up around 5am when my brain is at its most focused and work solidly till around 11am, when I’ll take a break for a walk or a run outside and to eat. I tend to focus the mornings on administration and design work, and then when my brain is a little more tired in the afternoons, I’ll use that time for writing, stationery stamping on my hot foil machine, packing and posting. I’ll try to wind things up around 7pm when my partner comes home from work so we can eat together and reset.

What’s next for London Letters?

We have a lot of exciting plans for this year. From little things like small tweaks in our packaging, to bigger projects like the launch of our wedding collection, and something I can’t talk about too much, but is our most exciting project to date, hopefully launching this year in August. We’re constantly growing and evolving thanks to our wonderful customers who provide us with engaging feedback and inspiration, we are lucky to be in a position where we can take different avenues to develop our products.

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If you want to find out more, head over to the London Letters website or follow Jennifer on Instagram @thelondonletters. If you enjoyed this conversation, you will also love our interview with Slow Living Ldn or our conversation with Wild with Consent. Thank you so much for reading!