As 2024 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on a year filled with growth, challenges, and the enduring beauty of connection. This year has been one of transformation, and I’m so grateful to share some special moments from our journey with you.

On the home front, we’ve spent the past 15 months living in a snug two-bedroom cottage while our new family home takes shape. With six of us in two small bedrooms, it’s been an adventure—full of laughter, some chaos, and countless memories that we’re sure our children will look back on with fondness. We’re eagerly anticipating the completion of our dream home in early 2025, but we wouldn’t trade this special, albeit cosy, chapter for anything.

This year also tested our family in ways we hadn’t anticipated. Our oldest son faced a incredibly serious illness, spending six weeks in hospital. It was an emotionally draining time, but the love and support from our community—friends, family, and our incredible Bespoke Letterpress team—uplifted us every step of the way. Our son’s resilience, curiosity about all things medical, and sheer determination brought us hope during those long weeks, and we are so proud of him. He’s now under observation with some lingering health issues, but we remain hopeful for continued progress.

At Bespoke Letterpress, our team grew in leaps and bounds this year, welcoming talented individuals who have enriched our creative journey. A special mention goes to Olivia, who has brought magic to our design team, and Sarah, whose expertise as our Marketing Coordinator has been instrumental in sharing our beautiful goods with the world.

Within our office, the heart of our operations continued to flourish under the exceptional leadership of Mel, our wonderful Operations Manager. Her dedication to streamlining processes and overseeing customer service and warehouse operations has been invaluable. A special thanks to Iman and Morgan, whose warmth and care brought joy to so many of our customers this year.

I also want to share my deepest gratitude to the incredible creative talents who make our business shine so beautifully. To Lean, our cherished photographer, Imogen, our gifted stylist, the amazing Camilla at Bunya House, and our external marketing experts Isabelle, Tamara, Dan and Georgie—thank you for taking my humble ideas and turning them into pure magic. Your artistry and expertise are truly the soul behind our brand’s beauty.

We had the joy of collaborating with remarkable artists this year. Meghann Rader brought her exquisite hand-painted illustrations to life for our Enchanted Christmas Collection, and working with her is always a highlight. We also teamed up with the talented Sydney artist Bethany Linz for our 2025 Calendar Collection, showcasing her incredible work through our printing. Additionally, we were delighted to collaborate with the gifted Eliza Koch, whose unique artistic style added a fresh and vibrant touch to our range of Shopping Bags, Tea Towels and Workbooks. It’s been a privilege to see these pieces come to life, and we can’t wait for you to enjoy them. We have released a few teasers of our collection with Vicky Lastra and have some new works in design at the moment, and we have some exciting discussions in the works for 2025 with some amazingly talented artists—we can’t wait to start working on their collections in the new year!

This year, we continued offering our cherished personalisation services both online and in-store, with some exciting new additions. We introduced custom embroidery for our Christmas Linen Stockings, creating timeless keepsakes for your festive celebrations. Our foil monogramming for bound books added an extra touch of elegance to your favourite pieces.

A highlight was our custom laser engraving for Enamel Christmas Ornaments, bringing your children’s drawings, handwriting, and sweet messages to life. As mums, we were touched by each creation and honoured to engrave these treasured keepsakes for your family traditions.

This year marked a significant milestone for our retail presence. We expanded from three stores to seven, with new locations in Westfield Chatswood (NSW), Emporium Melbourne and Westfield Doncaster (VIC), and Westfield Chermside (QLD). Our Christmas pop-up Gift Wrap Suite at QVB Sydney was a true festive delight. Each store is a tangible expression of the Bespoke Letterpress experience, and we’re thrilled to share our creations with more of you in person. Under the leadership of our wonderful Store Managers, It has been such a joy to be able to expand our team, and offer employment opportunities to those new members who have joined us at these locations - sharing their love and appreciation for Australian design, paper and beautifully crated goods.

One of the proudest moments of 2024 was being honoured with the prestigious Best Small Independent Retailer award at the ORIA Awards. This accolade is a testament to our hardworking team and the unwavering support of our cherished customers—you truly make it all possible.

We also expanded our product lines more than ever before, launching our largest collections to date. The response to our limited-edition pieces continues to amaze us, with so many selling out in record time. A heartfelt thanks to our warehouse team, who have processed over 75,000 orders this year with remarkable dedication—especially during peak seasons.

Over the past year, our loyalty programme has flourished, with over 26,000 members now part of the Bespoke loyalty family. This year alone, we issued an astonishing 12.5 million loyalty points! It’s a joy to reward your ongoing support and love for what we do.

This year, we were proud to commence our partnership with Children's Ground, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to creating long-term, community-led change for First Nations children and families. Through innovative education, health, and cultural programmes, Children's Ground empowers communities to break cycles of disadvantage and achieve their aspirations. At Bespoke Letterpress, we believe in supporting initiatives that align with our values of sustainability, care, and creating meaningful impact, and partnering with Children's Ground allows us to contribute to a brighter future, ensuring that every First Nations child has the opportunity to thrive. We thank all those customers who have joined us in supporting this partnership through selecting to have their purchases gift wrapped with our Christmas Gift Wrapping Service.

With the whirlwind of 2024 behind us, we’re looking forward to taking some much-needed time in January to focus on our young children—Albert (11), Elsie (8), Rupert (5), and Louis (3). We’re planning for quieter days: beach outings, splashes in our local pool, afternoons of baking, and decluttering kids’ toys and clothes to start the new year afresh. This time to slow down, reconnect, and create simple joys together is something we deeply cherish. The demands of running a family business often mean that we miss out on shared family time, making these moments all the more cherished when they come. For me personally it is also a great time to recharge my creative batteries and start dreaming of all the new products we can bring to life in the new year.

As we prepare to close the office, our warehouse team will continue to dispatch orders daily, and our retail store teams are gearing up for Boxing Day sales. So it is business as usual across most of our channels.

As we look ahead to 2025, we carry the lessons and triumphs of 2024 with us. Thank you for being part of our story, for choosing Bespoke Letterpress, and for celebrating the art of stationery with us. From our family to yours, we wish you a joyous and peaceful festive season.

With love and gratitude,


Alischa


Founder & Creative Director


Bespoke Letterpress