Our Story
Welcome to my little corner of the Internet! I'm so happy you're here. Running Literary Creations by Jenny has been one of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences of my life and I am so excited to be able to share my passion for books, and bookish accessories, with you.
In 2019, I had a bad neck injury. I took time off of work to heal and rediscovered my love for reading. I also discovered the world of book blogging. Through this community (known to many as "bookstagram"), I discovered book sleeves. I was constantly bending up my book covers and wanted a book sleeve badly. My husband and I dusted off my sewing machine (fun fact: I bought my original sewing machine on Facebook Marketplace for under $50. I was getting married and decided I wanted to make placemats and napkins for our new home. I never ended up making them because I decided that I hated sewing- this is incredibly amusing to me now). My husband and I spent a long weekend learning to sew book sleeves and were so happy with how they turned out.
I posted a picture of the book sleeves to my blog and to my surprise, I had someone who wanted to purchase a sleeve! My husband and I had a long discussion about it... Could this be something we could actually do? Could I start selling these? Is this a crazy idea? After a month of thinking about it, we decided to make the jump.
On July 16, 2019, Literary Creations by Jenny was officially born! So much has changed since those first days. It has been the BEST experience. I am in love with what I am doing and all of the things I am learning daily. As a little girl, I used to create crafts (greeting cards, jewelry, etc.) to try and sell to the neighbors. I loved getting to create something for people and adored the "business" aspect of it all. I should have known that I was an entrepreneur-in-training.
Since our inception, the business has grown so much. We have transformed from a book sleeve shop (in the beginning, it was exciting and a HUGE deal if we sold 5 sleeves in a week), to a larger scaled bookish boutique. As we have grown, I have needed additional help to keep up with demand.
Although I have taken over the majority of design work, in the beginning, my husband did most of the apparel design. While this is not his full-time job, he continues to help out however he can, including helping me with design work as needed. In 2021, both of my retired parents started helping out part-time. My mom is the "head of order fulfillment" and packages the majority of orders. My dad is the "press master" and heat presses all apparel, as well as the "fabric cutter" and cuts all fabric for the sleeves. I am so grateful to have their help and have loved getting to spend extra time with them and turn this into a family affair.
I'm so excited to be able to share my love of reading, as well as all things literary, with you. Owning Literary Creations brings me such joy and I hope that my creations bring you as much joy, as your love and support brings me.
Much love and appreciation always--
Jenny
Jenny