West Hartford teen & friends bring the personal touch back to letter-writing

By Cindy Mindell

WEST HARTFORD – With U.S. school curricula ditching courses in penmanship, the day may not be far off when young people have completely forgotten how to hand-write. Quick and instant digital technology is the norm for today’s developed world, not only in human-to-human communication but also in art forms like photography and drawing. Calligraphy, darkroom photographic techniques, and hand-sketching have been relegated to the category of quaint and esoteric pursuits.

Among those out to save the homemade from obscurity is the ‘bridge’ generation — those old enough to appreciate hand-written communications from elders, but young enough to be fully immersed in the social media culture.

“My friends and I all treasure birthday and bar mitzvah cards from grandparents and other important people in our lives, and we realized that there’s no personal aspect to technology,” says West Hartford native Nathan Edelstein, a freshman at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Earlier this year, Edelstein and four friends launched Text-A-Letter, a free app designed to preserve the art of letter-writing. The idea was the brainchild of Olewole Osuntuyi, who invested the original seed money.

Osuntuyi and Edelstein work with fellow co-founders Ike Udeh, Armen Danielian, and Emmanuel Nwankwo, all from the Hartford-area. The group employs artist-friends to design the letters with calligraphy and artwork.

Text-A-Letter may not engage the digital generation in actual letter-writing, but the effect on the recipient is meant to be more personal than a text or Tweet.

“We feel that we’re losing the personal in such a text-based society,” Edelstein says. “I get texted, ‘Happy Birthday,’ but how much more meaningful is it to get a letter from your loved one or a sketch of you and your partner on the back of a card? So we’re trying to bring back some personality and tangibility to communication, especially for important events.”

Described by Edelstein as ‘Build-A-Bear’ for letters,” Text-A-Letter allows the customer to tailor everything from stationery to wax seal, and order a hand-drawn sketch of a photo to adorn the letter or envelope.

The app is just the latest endeavor in Edelstein’s entrepreneurial undertakings, which began in middle school with refurbishing and selling electronics. In a freshman graphic-design class at Hall High School, Edelstein began designing company logos and realized that he loved business, setting up an eBay store until he started college. Now he has turned to designing apps and websites.

Edelstein says that Text-A-Letter has garnered orders from across the age spectrum and is starting to draw customers from outside the U.S. The young entrepreneurs continue to expand its design options and intends to include motifs for all religious and U.S. secular holidays. A new line of Passover-themed drawings has just been introduced.

“With a hand-written card or letter, there’s something meaningful that doesn’t get deleted or sent to your archives,” says Edelstein. “You can always look back on it and cherish it.”