East Northport Sisters Grow Design Print Studio From Their Home

EAST NORTHPORT, NY — Two East Northport sisters turned their love for all things reality television, stationery and gifts into a designer business.

Michelle and Lisa Romano, who earned fine art and graphic design degrees from Adelphi University six years apart, initially opened Haven Print Co. in their parents' Northport Village home in March 2020 before they both moved to East Northport.

The Romano sisters were born and raised in Queens and have a love for everything handmade, Lisa said.

"Since we were both small girls, we loved creating beautiful things," Lisa told Patch. "We kept ourselves busy creating storybooks and stationery long before we became the proud owners of a 1900s era letterpress machine, and later, a business."

The siblings also love decorating, designing, ceramics, and gardening.

"We decided to jump into the stationery business when it became obvious so many of our passions were aligned, from crafting one of a kind centerpieces for baby showers or designing a luxurious wedding suite for a contemporary couple, we felt the pull to combine forces," Lisa said.

When the sisters founded their business just before the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns began, they specialized in bespoke wedding stationery.

"In that very same month, all wedding and events came to a halt due to COVID shutting down venues for the foreseeable future," Lisa said. "Stuck inside due to the lockdown, we were watching our favorite episodes of 'The Real Housewives,' 'Summer House,' and '90 Day Fiance.'"

The sisters realized that, because of health officials' recommendations to stay indoors, people were unable to shop in stores for gifts and greetings cards. With Mother's Day 2020 around the corner, the Romanos launched their own greeting card line, inspired by their favorite reality television scenes.

Mother's Day cards turned into birthdays, Father's Day, and every other celebration that calls for a greeting card, Lisa said.

The sisters currently have a general card line while maintaining their Reality TV line. They also have a line of gifts they craft in their studio.

The sisters' best sellers include their suncatcher stickers, which have gone viral on social media multiple times, since they "cast the most amazing rainbows when put onto windows in direct sunlight," Lisa said.

"This helped us gain traction on social media and build our amazing audience of over 120K followers across platforms, but most importantly, helps us connect with so many people through our products," she said.

People can purchase Haven Print Co. goods on the sisters' website.

The sisters love weddings so much, Haven Print Co. has rejoined the industry — the Romanos create bespoke stationery and acrylic signage for every bride's needs.

"We love making bar signs for couple's signature drinks, especially when the couple insists on having their pets featured on the signage, because then we get to draw them!" Lisa said.

The sisters work out of their East Northport home with Michelle's daughter, Claire, and their puppy, Chili, every day.

The sisters love connecting with people through their products.

"I love getting emails and comments from customers about how something as simple as the rainbows from our suncatcher stickers make them and their family happy," Lisa said. "Or when someone says they were intimidated by wedding planning and decor and how easy the process of purchasing custom signage with us is; how happy their children feel seeing their artwork on display with our magnets; and how our custom dog tags bring out their pets personality! We both of course love working with each other, but I think we can both agree our favorite 'coworker' is Michelle’s daughter, Claire. It’s such a privilege to be Claire’s aunt, but even more so to get to spend every day with her before, during, and after work."