November 15, 2020
Carrie and Andrew Cheatham are the team behind Snail Mail. Their recent custom sticker is an inspirational message that many can relate to: one that reminds us to not only think that you can do something, but to know you can can do it. Dixie, one of their canine office companions, seems to agree.
This sticker story has deep roots in both Carrie and Andrew's story together. They met in 2012 while attending college at Randolph Macon in Ashland, Virginia, and they have been inseparable since that day. Snail Mail has been an adventure from the beginning; starting on a passionate foot and not backing down since the spring of 2017. Now, after four-and-a-half years of marriage, they have three dogs, Dixie (above), Olive, and Paco, a flock of hens and a rooster, a 1940’s fixer upper, and now Snail Mail, their brand. Snail Mail is a creative studio that produces hand-painted cards,prints and notebooks and (naturally) stickers.
Andrew and Carrie had been making cards for all occasions because they were tired of paying so much for them. While looking around the current news of the day, they thought "why not make cards, sell them, and use them as a platform for advocacy for our refugee and migrant neighbors," says Carrie. "It sounded scary to us at first, and we were unsure if anyone would be interested in our sarcastic and “punny” artwork." They partnered with ReEstablish Richmond, and they vowed to give them fifteen percent of purchases for the following four months.
Carrie had interned in 2015 with ReEstablish Richmond, not knowing anything about refugees or the population of refugees in the Richmond area. Within the first few weeks of this internship, she had visited homes of newly resettled refugees, ridden (and taught) the city bus system with them, observed the intake process of those who had just arrived in the states the night before, and even ran child care for families while their mothers were taught the Virginia laws and safety measures of driving. "Within those first few weeks, I had found a group of people who welcomed me into their homes, offered me their time, and even nourished me with their food," Carrie says. "Our refugee population here in Richmond had nurtured my heart in the smallest amount of time, and it was their kindness that spoke the loudest."
After three years, they have partnered with five non-profit organizations throughout Virginia and beyond, and they have donated thousands biannually to designated funds. Importantly for the growth of their business, they have made over 15,000 cards, all by hand. Their sticker is story is the story of the brand: they took a leap of faith and turned one frustration into action.