Pigeon

Pigeon is all about connection. It's about one-to-one messages to friends and family that have a real emotional depth and meaning (even if it's just to say hi!). It's 'narrowcasting', not broadcasting (one message to one person, not one message to all your friends at once, like we do on social media). And it's about rediscovering the joy of pen on (beautifully illustrated) paper.

I came up with the idea of Pigeon after a friend of mine moved to the US. Keeping in touch with him via social media just didn't feel fulfilling, and so I started exploring other methods. For Christmas I gave him a pack of Basildon Bond letter writing paper, some envelopes, and a pen - it didn't go down well! He told me this way of communicating went out with the Ark, and 'nobody writes letters anymore'. It got me thinking...

I wanted to see if I could revive the lost art of letter writing, as it promised so many benefits that we have largely lost by keeping in touch only by digital means. And Pigeon was the result. I've kept the writing area deliberately small(ish), and each pack is beautifully illustrated by hand-picked artists or illustrators, and the letter is sealed with a stamp (removing the need to find an envelope).

Pigeon has been received really well. It is now sold in over 300 shops worldwide - mainly in the UK and North America, and sales are rising (over 50% year-on-year at the moment). I've never had a business where you get so many people emailing, or actually putting pen to paper and sending messages in the post, to say how much they love Pigeon, and how glad they are to have found us - it's quite incredible!