The owner of By Hand, Ink on Hilton Head Island, SC, proudly admits, “I’ve been a ‘paper junkie’ from a very young age.” Bobbi Hahn says on her website, “the smell of a brand-new hardcover, the crisp feel of parchment beneath my pen, these are sensuous pleasures I unabashedly enjoy. Stationery stores (along with bookstores) have always been my favorite haunts.
“A calligrapher for more than 30 years, in 2014 I opened a design studio where I could create cards and framed poems and quotes. When the opportunity to open a retail store arose a year later, I jumped in with both feet. I envisioned this intimate, cozy space filled with my work, as well as that of the talented designers and letterpress printers whose work I admire.”
By Hand, Ink carries the beautiful and unusual: Fine Italian stationery and handcrafted letter openers, pens, inks, sealing wax & seals, French crystal paperweights. During her first appointment with Cardthartic Rep Ann Cecchini, Bobbi couldn’t quite believe Ann when she predicted customers would buy 5-10 Cardthartic cards at a time.
Ann now impishly refers to By Hand, Ink as “The Cardthartic Capital of South Carolina!” In her 512 sq ft store, Bobbi has two 96- and two 64-pocket high-producing fixtures.
Of Ann, Bobbi says, “What an asset she is, both to Cardthartic and me! Gracious and funny, I always look forward to her visits.” In fact, she says, “I think of Ann and chuckle every day when I hear the customer comments about Cardthartic ~ the images! the sentiments! the price point! ~ as they come to the counter with their hands full, exactly as Ann predicted they would.”
