Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Wiese-Alexander.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Heather. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After four years learning the ropes of art direction in fashion, I set out in search of something more. Like many twenty-somethings, the search started with no clue of exactly what that was. There was a burn to exit my perceived corporate shackles and find a new way up. As I was executing my last photoshoots and saying my professional so-longs, a photographer I adored asked me if I knew anything about letterpress. Having a decent set of graphic design skills, he thought it sounded like something I would be interested in. This became one of the handful of things I set out to try. It was actually the avenue I was least interested in, however, I found myself designing wedding invitations for a bride who wanted this thing called letterpress. It was 2004. Martha Stewart had championed budding letterpress artisans several years earlier. Brides were clamoring for this pillowy-textured print style that was both expensive and difficult to find if you weren’t in New York or San Francisco. With my designs approved and my new client ready to print, I set out in search of where to get these letterpress invitations made. Thankfully I found that Dallas had a printing company with “letterpress” in the title. I naturally assumed my problem was solved.
A very frustrating and eye-opening week later, I had a third set of printed invitations that looked nothing like the ones in Martha Stewart. My only option was to wait weeks more to have them remade in New York—behind hordes of other brides who had been waiting weeks. Not to mention, at this point I was paying the bride to let me solve these problems. My miniscule profit had vanished days ago. How could something so popular be this difficult? How could I walk into multiple printers and ask for something and receive something so completely different from these beautiful magazine invitations? In total frustration, I vented to my husband while scouring the internet for new solutions. Out of seemingly nowhere, he said, “I’ve seen those machines before. That looks like what I worked on in Papaw’s printing shop in the summers when I was a kid.” After I picked myself up off the ground, I asked if we could make the four-hour drive to see the machines. I prayed there was some chance they still worked and someone was still around who knew how to work them. Sure enough, the machines were there. My husband’s uncle, the heir to the now modern printing company.
This new curiosity, paired with my insatiable drive to solve a problem, led me head-on into creating a small business with big ideas. Having developed an appreciation in a study abroad for the Italian culture of championing artists and tradesmen, I saw an opportunity to champion craftsmanship right here at home in the U.S.A., and bring an outdated industry into a new era without compromising quality. We came out of the gate with new ideas—some fantastic and some complete failures. After twelve years, I can look back and point to specific industry-wide changes that started in our studio. That, and being surrounded by the amazing people that make this company work, are the accomplishments I’m most proud of and thankful for.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’m laughing at the thought of a smooth road. When a designer who knows nothing about business starts a manufacturing company and a brand while owning and running an entirely separate business, bad things happen. Why no one sat me down, or shook me into sanity, I still question. Not to mention the financial aspects of running a company, the personnel issues in the beginning alone might have collapsed me—and nearly did. I prefer stubborn learner to slow learner. I struggled with every aspect—structure, personnel, strategy, sales—all of it. The two elements that came naturally were creating the design and the systems. Implementing and managing was a different story. I had to find my confidence to enforce the ideas I knew would work when someone else wanted to try their way instead, all while making sure I wasn’t being inflexible or closed-minded. I also had to gain the confidence to hire people smarter than me with more experience, maturity and industry insight, and to know when an expert was worth the risk if they were out of my budget. I learned to value accountability and something called emotional intelligence. Then everything changed.
Please tell us about Bell’INVITO.
Bell’INVITO began as a letterpress printer. We became Bell’INVITO Stationers when we decided all the specialty printing and finishing techniques belonged under one roof. Just this year we expanded into Bell’INVITO Home with a new line of musings from factories who share our philosophy and quality standards. I am proud of so many aspects of the company—from our innovation in marrying a centuries-old craft to modern technology, to the current management of the company. I believe in the importance of a team, our responsibility to give back to our community, and my personal responsibility to provide opportunities for both personal and professional growth for my employees. Maintaining this holistic approach to manufacturing and brand-building is the most rewarding and challenging aspect of my job today.
Pricing:
- Our original boxed offering of a set of 12 notecards and envelopes ranges from $58-115
- Luxury paper musings start at $8, like the wifi-cards, which are very popular.
- A personalized calling card starts under $200 for a set of 50 personalized, letterpress calling cards.
- A typical wedding invitation suite which is a two-ply card with a gold edge (for example) and a reply set starts just under $900 to and can go up to around $7,500 for 100 suites.
- Bespoke stationery starts at $285 for 50 letterpress cards + envelopes with return address.
- Leather stationery, desk and travel accessories are $185-$685
Contact Info:
- Address: 147 Pittsburg St, Dallas, TX 75207
- Website: http://www.bellinvito.com
- Phone: 214-741-1717
- Instagram: @bellinvito
- Facebook: @bellinvito
Image Credit:
Bell’INVITO
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