Snail Mail Club: 5 minutes with Lydia Southgate

Some people never really grew out of stationery. Lydia Southgate made a business of it.

Based in the countryside just outside London – where the deer still outnumber the neighbors – Lydia runs With Love, Lydia, a monthly snail mail club that arrives like a letter from a thoughtful friend: part life update, part creative delight. Always handwritten, always worth keeping.

As part of our snail mail residency – a celebration of handwritten letters and the people who still send them – we asked Lydia 10 questions. She answered, as always, with love.

How did it all start?

Growing up I would beg my parents every weekend to go to the local stationery shop, I was always spending my pocket money on stickers and pens. During university I realized I could make 8-year-old-Lydia’s dream a reality and have my own stationery shop. After a lot of hard work, here we are!

What do you love about snail mail?

I love that it’s an excuse to slow down, both for the creator and the reader. I think you can really feel how much love gets poured into it, which is really special in a time when it feels like connection and community is hard to find.

Best piece of mail you’ve ever received?

I was feeling down and my friend sent me a puzzle – it made me feel so loved.

What’s your most treasured stationery item?

My planner, I’d be lost without it!

Take us inside your process – how does a letter come together?

It’s a month-long process! I like to update my subscribers on what I’ve been up to and things I’ve been loving so I make mental notes throughout the month before beginning a very rough draft. Once I’m happy with the flow and content, I get to work writing up the final version. I handwrite the letter, add stickers and scan it in. If I make any little mistakes in the final letter, I just cross them out and they stay in – the human touches are so important to me.

Do you follow themes, or does each one evolve as you go?

Each letter has a similar structure, and the stickers or ephemera tend to come from what I’ve been thinking about that month or what I’ve written about in the letter. I’ve tried not to make it too restrictive so it’s a lovely space for me to be creative and play around.

How do you want your subscribers to feel when they open their mail?

Like they’re opening a letter from a friend who’s checking in, maybe you haven’t caught up in a while but they’re excited to share their favorite things with you. I try to make my letters feel like a dialogue, and love it when people reach out to chat about something I’ve mentioned.

Go-to soundtrack when packing your mail?

It could really be anything, but this time of year I always listen to Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves – it’s a dreamy, sentimental, spring album.

Describe your snail mail community in 3 words.

Kind, sentimental, crafty.

What’s the perfect way to finish a letter?

With love, of course!

Write to your friends