Andrea Stenger is the Owner and Creator of Little Black Letter Company, a calligraphy and hand lettering company based in Edmonton, AB. Little Black Letter Company specializes in custom prints, but offers art, signage, cards and calligraphy services, to name a few.
Easily found on Etsy, Little Black Letter Company sells to customers from all over North America. Locally, Andrea sells her stuff at New Beginnings Bookstore in Edmonton but hopes to share her work with more stores, while also keeping the main focus of her business in tact: custom work.
Andrea is a one-woman army who two jobs on top of running and operating Little Black Letter Company, the latter with the help of her husband.
Read more about her story, now:
1. You live in Edmonton – what’s your favourite part of that city?
I would definitely say the River Valley! We have a beautiful spot that overlooks the river with beautiful greenery and buildings in the background.
2. Where do you go in the city to find creative inspiration?
My husband and I go for nice, long walks together. It isn’t a physical location where I find inspiration, but rather going for a walk helps me recharge so I can get back to being creative!
3. On your Etsy, you say that being creative brings out the best in you. Describe the positive impact that creativity has on your overall wellbeing.
It’s like fresh air. A productive day or creating a new product feels good for my lungs and my heart.
4. That said, creativity wells can sometimes run dry! Who, or what, is your motivation when things get a little rusty, or a little bit tough?
Definitely my husband, when things get tough. He always reminds me to never compare and to always stay true to my brand.
5. When did you first start calligraphy and lettering? How did you discover this craft?
I picked up the pens quite a while ago. It started as a hobby and once I really got into it I posted a few pictures of my work on social media. Before I knew it, I had a few requests for custom pieces and voilà!
6. Tell us how the name “Little Black Letter Company” originated!
I was doing a lot of design work for my own home plus going through a ton of practice sheets! I am very simple and love black and white. I happened to look around my office one day and was literally surrounded by all of these little black letters! And so, Little Black Letter Company was founded!
7. What is your most popular product? Why do you think that is?
My art print [that reads], “Little Boys Should Never Be Sent To Bed, They Always Wake Up A Day Older.” This quote is from Peter Pan and…I think it’s also very relatable. I think it’s easy for a lot of us to take each day for granted. The days, weeks and years go by so fast and before we know it, we aren’t young kids anymore.
This print is especially for parents who don’t ever want to see their kids grow up. They wish they could’ve spent more time enjoying when [their kids] were little. I think it’s such a great reminder to enjoy every moment of every day!
8. What is your favourite product from your collection? Why?
I love my balloons! They were super fun to design and unique. Balloons like mine are not really in the market yet so I love offering something that is not seen everywhere!
9. Your brand is also on Instagram and Facebook – which social media platform do you prefer? Why?
Instagram! It’s really suits my business as it is a creative platform! I also love photography so I get to play around with that every time I make a post. Instagram is huge right now and has a ton of traffic every day.
10. What type of social media strategy do you find to be most successful?
Currently, I post six days a week, which keeps my followers interested and allows my business to be seen everyday. I also use a variety of hashtags!
11. How many hours would you say you spend per day on Little Black Letter Company?
Oh goodness…a lot! Probably an average of five hours. Which is a lot considering I still have a full-time and casual job.
12. What do you do when you’re not working on your brand?
You can find me spending quality time with my husband, hanging out with friends and family, enjoying the outdoors or diving into my new favourite book.
13. Where do you see Little Black Letter Company in five years?
I hope as a full-time job from home! Always focused on custom work with more invitations/envelope addressing orders.
You can find Andrea and Little Black Letter Company at Calgary’s Little Modern Market and Market Collective, both taking place just in time for the holidays!
a quarter young 