39
Victoria
January/February 2013
“
I
love the feel of paper,” says Suann Song, as she
feeds a sheet into an antique printing press. “I
enjoy seeing the impression that’s made with the
hand-mixed ink.”
The owner of the boutique design and letterpress
studio SIMPLESONG Design, in the Washington, D.C.,
suburbs, holds the custom wedding invitation up to the
sunlight and smiles. So captivated by the printing pro-
cess, she has been known to stand at the press for eight-
hour stretches without tiring.
Sometimes the entrepreneur can hardly believe her
good fortune. Seven years ago, Suann had a fantastic
“
i love the
whole process
of developing the
retail products because
it reflects who i am.”
public relations job and was making custom invita-
tions for family and friends only as a hobby. When her
son was born in 2006, she had no idea she also would
give birth to a business.
“
I didn’t have a plan,” she recalls. “Everything hap-
pened organically. I just took my time to get things right
and followed my instincts.”
Those instincts led her to a charming circa-1900
townhouse in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, where she
opened a studio “the size of a letter envelope.” She filled
it with a carefully curated array of her favorite paper
goods and began designing custom invitations for wed-
dings and corporations. Suann also created a retail col-
lection that is now sold in fifty stores, and in 2011, she
turned part of the studio into a retail shop.
“
I love the whole process of developing the retail
products because it reflects who I am,” the designer says.
In the early years, she often found herself working
until 4:00 a.m., tying beautiful bows on envelopes. Now
she has learned to juggle the responsibilities of family
and professional life, with the assistance of two part-
time employees, as well as interns.
The beauty of her business, Suann says, is that it
allows her to dream big. She is developing stationery
and paper goods inspired by her love of simple and
classic design. “I do make a living, but I don’t make a lot
of money,” she concedes. “But it’s truly fulfilling.”
Suann Song
SIMPLESONG DESIGN
Old Town Alexandria, Virginia
photographs by kate headley.