Sister Entrepreneurs Who Beautifully Blend Their Skills Together: Interview with Hello! Lucky Stationery Founders

One of the main reasons I've been so excited to come to SF was to see these amazing entrepreneurs from Hello! Lucky. I was first introduced to them by Jeannie Savage from Details Details, my wedding coordinator and friend, when we were looking for our invitations. Hello! Lucky was my first choice but bc we had to skimp here and there...we ended up going with someone else.

Here's the one I really wanted, called Medjool:

Walking in today, we were met by two tall and equally talented sisters who gave us the rundown on how Hello! Lucky has been able to make a name for itself in high end custom stationery (letterpress) and greeting cards.

As we were chatting with them, it immediately became apparent that where one sister, Eunice, harnesses her creativity and talent through creating most of the designs of the cards (80-85%), the other, Sabrina, brings with her the business sense that has helped them grow and scale the business. (Sabrina graduated from Stanford business school.) They are two years apart - they joyfully tell us stories about their childhood and dreams and about the hardships they had to go through to get them to where they are today.

The business was started in 2003 and here five years later they have appeared in such magazines as Martha Stewart and have opened up a second store in London. Their lucky break came when they sent Kate's Paperie a few samples of their cards and they ended up placing a $1,500 order. As serendipitous as this sounds, they know that a good amount of hard work and perseverance is what carries them through their days along with a healthy dose of validation from their customers. If you check out Yelp you'll even see that all 10 reviews are 5 stars, an indication that their service oriented business is appreciated.

Looking at their cards, you'll notice a vintage modern feel that's becoming all the rage these days. It's tough to blend modern with vintage but Hello! Lucky does it eons better than anyone else. Inspiration is drawn from some of their favorite artists like Jonathan Adler, by roaming flea markets, and studying and collecting old books.

If they were to give a piece of advice to an entrepreneur they would say you need to be passionate about what you are doing and to keep the faith...starting your own business is not for the faint of heart. There will be sleepless nights but you'll gain a lot of confidence by pushing yourself to your limits. Times will be tough but take in the positive feedback to help you get through those moments.

The ladies are coming out with a book Sept 17th that will be available on Amazon:

As they work more collaboratively with artists, they've had the opportunity to refine their own tastes enough to show some handmade cards they love.

Here are some behind-scene shots around their office/workspace:

Their stationary:

And a few I picked up today that are available in their online store (they cost $4.50):

Thank you, ladies, for showing me and Sam around the office and for sharing your inspirational story with us. It's great to see hard work and perseverance rewarded.

Hello Lucky (website)
977 Howard St
(between 6th St & Mary St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.355.0008