26 | MAY 20 • 2021
E
lana Hopman has always had a love
for printed goods. A self-proclaimed
“paper nerd,
” the 37-year-old West
Bloomfield resident grew up with a passion
for beautiful stationery and letters. It’s a
love she carried with her throughout her
adult life, eventually making the art of print
her full-time career.
The owner and founder of the calligra-
phy and stationery business Annabel Reese
didn’t always have her eyes set on working
with printed products. In fact, after moving
from her hometown of Farmington Hills
to New York City to attend college at New
York University, Hopman began to work in
digital content.
She spent long hours at her desk, often
staring at a computer. It didn’t feel artistic
enough for the digital content strategist,
who began to turn to calligraphy classes as
a creative outlet. “I fell in love with it,
” she
recalls. “It was like a meditation for me.
”
Hopman says calligraphy was sooth-
ing and calming, a hobby that helped her
unwind after a long day at work. Though it
started as a passion project, she soon found
herself sending letters to friends and creat-
ing calligraphy for their weddings. Other
people began to take notice of Hopman’s
work, and she started to develop a side
business of creating printed products.
In 2014, a year after moving back to
Michigan with her husband, Bret, she had
her first child, Annabel. “
After having her
and working in the corporate world, I knew
I needed a change for my own mental
health,
” Hopman says. She felt it was best
for her growing family, which soon includ-
ed her second daughter, Reese, to take her
side calligraphy and print business full
time.
By 2018, Hopman made her dream a
reality and launched her calligraphy and
stationery business Annabel Reese, named
after her two daughters. Hopman now has
a third child, Andrew, who she says isn’t
in the name but is an “active participant in
everything else.
”
“It’s part of the reason why I have the
business,
” Hopman says of her three chil-
dren. “It’s to show them that you can do
something that you like and that brings you
enjoyment and income.
”
She draws inspiration from her children
as she creates a variety of handmade prod-
ucts. Hopman’s services at Annabel Reese
include invitation design, signage, envelope
addressing and onsite services (like live
calligraphy events at high-end retail stores
such as Burberry), the latter of which
Hopman says have temporarily stalled due
to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her invitations come in letterpress, foil
and digital formats, while signage includes
welcome signs, bar signs and seating charts.
Hopman’s work aligned perfectly with
weddings, which she says helped grow her
business and scale it out to include other
services. Now, as many weddings are post-
poned or smaller in size, she’s focusing on
building the wholesale side of her brand.
CELEBRATING JUDAISM
Hopman has a variety of card lines, but one
of her biggest draws is a line that celebrates
Jewish culture. “I felt that there was a gap
in what was available for Jewish-themed
cards,
” she explains. “They were either
super religious or over-the-top kitschy. I
wanted to create something that was in-be-
tween.
”
Meeting in the middle, Hopman created
beautiful Jewish-centric cards that featured
common Hebrew phrases written out in
English so they could be more accessible for
a variety of Jewish audiences. “It brought in
the Jewish culture that I grew up with,
” says
Hopman, an alumna of Hillel Day School,
“and combined it with my calligraphy.
”
Most of her cards feature her own hand-
writing mixed with different fonts and illus-
trations. “I have a ton of Chanukah cards,
”
she explains.
Hopman’s bestseller in the Jewish-
themed card line is a simple card made
with marble and foil print. “I really like
high-quality paper,
” she says. “I appreciate
stationery that feels good and is easy to
write on.
”
In a world that has become increasingly
more digital, especially during the pandem-
ic as many services and businesses went
online, Hopman says receiving tangible
paper and printed goods is a heartwarming
feeling.
“I think there’s just something really spe-
cial about a handwritten note,
” she explains.
“Everything is digital, so it’s special when
you do receive something in the mail that’s
not just a bill or a magazine or a catalog.
That’s something that really stands out in
your mailbox.
”
OUR COMMUNITY
Mom’s homespun
calligraphy business
includes a loving
touch.
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Mom’s homespun
Mom’s homespun
on
Paper
Elana
Hopman
ERIN SCHMIDT PHOTOGRAPHY