The team at Ladyfingers Letterpress was touched by the sentiment and took swift action. The customer stated in the notes they lived in a small town and didn’t have anyone supporting or celebrating who they are, so they planned to celebrate on their own with the Pride box. One of Morgan’s favorite moments was last year when someone purchased a Pride celebration box-a customizable box dedicated to celebrating friends or family members in the LGBTQ+ community-for themselves. Morgan and Arley get plenty of inspiration from their customers and have several memories of heartwarming customer connections and interactions from over the years. Greeting card from Ladyfingers Letterpress “We get to decide who we sell to, what we make, how we make it, how we give back, and how we talk about the things that are important to us in the world and in our community.” Connecting with customers We get to decide what we prioritize in our company,” she said. “I don’t ever come to work and wonder if the work that I’m doing matters. Morgan explained how it’s been difficult dealing with childcare and homeschooling during the pandemic, but one of the benefits of being their own boss is the ability to make adjustments to the business to prioritize their family while keeping the company running. For Morgan, the hard work and balancing act is all worth it because of the impact Ladyfingers is able to have on the community. “As independent business owners, there’s not someone providing maternity or parental leave,” she said, adding that, “on the flip side it offers us the most flexibility.” Aside from the pandemic-related challenges that business owners have faced in recent years, Morgan said being working parents has been one of the toughest parts of all. Life as small business ownersĬreating a successful brand and having an impact in the LGBTQ+ community hasn’t come without its share of challenges for Arley and Morgan.
“We want it to be a place where you’re not just safe, but you’re also celebrated. “We hope our store provides a place for people to feel seen,” Morgan said. They also recently opened a second store location at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. In 2016 they opened their own retail store in Colorado Springs where they sell their own product line along with goods by other artists in the LGBTQ+ community. Today, the couple designs and manufactures a line of products-from greeting cards to posters and tote bags-found in more than 1,000 stores across the country. The response was so positive that they slowed down their custom wedding invitation service and focused on their wholesale business. “Those couples would come back to us for other occasions like in vitro fertilization (IVF) or top surgery.” As the demand for their greeting cards grew, Morgan and Arley quit their day jobs to open a small studio in 2013 and designed a line of cards to debut at a national stationery show. “We did a lot of work in the first couple of years designing and printing wedding invitations,” Morgan said. From there, Ladyfingers Letterpress was born. They created a beautifully colorful wedding invitation of their own and shared it online, where it received a massive positive response. They’d both had disappointing experiences at weddings where people didn’t have the right tools and language to include everyone, and it occurred to them while searching for inclusive invitations for their own wedding that they could make one themselves. The couple met while working together and got engaged in 2010. La dyfingers Letterpress was founded by Arley Torsone and Morgan Calderini in Colorado Springs in 2011. Filling a gap in the stationery market Inside Ladyfingers Letterpress in Colorado Springs, CO We spoke with Morgan Calderini, Co-Founder of Ladyfingers Letterpress, about crafting inclusive greeting cards, navigating business ownership, and creating meaningful connections and impact with customers across the country. Today, in our continued celebration of Pride, we’re placing the spotlight on Ladyfingers Letterpress-a stationery and gift brand based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Earlier this month, we featured Texas-based retail store, The Little Gay Shop. This June in honor of Pride Month, we’re highlighting some of the incredible entrepreneurs from the LGBTQ+ community on Faire. Morgan Calderini (left) and Arley Torsone, Co-Founders of Ladyfingers Letterpress in Colorado
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