Meet Courtney Herman of POPPYjack Shop
Written By: Tamara Philips
Photographed By: Megan Welker POPPYjack
POPPYjack Shop Founder and Owner, Courtney Herman is a one-woman calligraphy show, who has established quite a following in just a few short years. From partnering with Lauren Conrad to teaching calligraphy workshops in both Orange County, Los Angeles, and online to students around the world, Courtney is a creative force to be reckoned with.
Named after Courtney’s two grandfathers, POPPYjack Shop began with humble roots and a starter calligraphy set. “I had always loved and admired the art of calligraphy and wanted to give it a try but between school and other hobbies, but I had never done so, ” Courtney says. “My boyfriend at the time (now my husband), bought me a calligraphy set for my birthday one year and encouraged me to go for it. I signed up for a beginner class to learn how to use the tools and my passion grew from there!”
A couple of years ago, Courtney met Lauren Conrad at a mutual friend’s girl’s night gathering. This friendship blossomed into a partnership that has provided various business opportunities for POPPYjack—from pop up shops for Paper Crown to candle labels for The Little Market, launch party invites and signage for Lauren’s clothing line at Kohl’s, and most recently the new logo for her blog, laurenconrad.com.
“I’ve been very fortunate to do a lot of fun projects with her and her various companies, ” Courtney says. “She is obviously one of the smartest business people I know, but I love that she’s also super crafty and loves a good DIY project, which we quickly bonded over. It’s been really inspiring working with her over the past couple of years and getting to know her as a friend.”
For the time being, Courtney continues to work full time in marketing, but she aspires to take on POPPYjack as her sole career. “I definitely have dreams of owning my own space where I can work, host my classes, and meet with clients, ” Courtney says. “One day I would love to make that leap and hopefully get to sleep a little more…although I may be fooling myself on the sleep part, ” she jokes.
Beginning this month, she will offer semi-custom wedding invitations, which incorporate her calligraphy into template designs for brides and grooms to choose from—an alternative for the couple who loves calligraphy, but are looking for a more cost-efficient option over the completely custom suite.
For the Brides-to-be: POPPYjack Shop’s most popular requests are for wedding invitations, wedding envelopes, place cards, wedding signage, company logos, and event signage.
He’s a Keeper: While Courtney is technically the only POPPYjack Shop employee, her husband has spent many late nights with her stuffing class kits, running to art stores, and acting as her “warehouse.”
POPPYjack Shop
@poppyjackshop
Tamara is SoCal born and bred with Dutch roots. With an English degree from Vanguard University, she is thrilled to be part of the LOCALE editorial team. She enjoys reading, eating green bell peppers, petting other people's dogs, and cooking/baking while singing into a kitchen spoon to Broadway show tunes.
