Arkansan launches website to give hope to the hopelessly romantic

Can’t figure out that unique, one-of-a-kind gift for your valentine this year? Cyranoletter.com to the rescue.

Founded in late 2019 by Little Rock native Jon Pendergrass, a human resources manager and previously published author, Cyranoletter.com and an ancillary web site, Allloveletters.com, were created to help people express themselves to their loved ones.

“The basic premise or overarching idea is that people often express themselves best to friends and loved ones in the form of letters. Your grandparents and great-grandparents before them wrote letters and in many families, those letters are among their most treasured possessions and memories,” Pendergrass tells Talk Business & Politics.

“People don’t write letters anywhere near to the degree that they used to. They text and IM and tweet and message on whatever app they prefer. And most people would say that it’s harder to connect than it used to be. So, All Love Letters was formed with the idea to encourage people to get back to writing letters to each other. We want to help people connect or reconnect through letter writing,” he added.

Cyranoletter.com is derived from the lead character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, written by Edmond Rostand in 1897. Cyrano has an extremely large nose, which affects his self-confidence in romancing his distant cousin, Roxane, in the play. He helps a would-be suitor, Christian, craft love letters to Roxane, which wins her heart, and eventually he hides in the darkness below her balcony and feeds romantic lines to Christian that dazzle Roxane. On his deathbed, Roxane discovers that Cyrano was the author of the words that swept her off her feet.

The websites offer a variety of creative gifts for your loved one. You can write your own love letter and the specialists at Cyrano will handwrite it for you with elegant handwriting on fine Italian paper, or you can pick a historical love letter to personalize.

Cyranoletter.com will give your letter an artisan wax seal or make sure it’s postmarked from Romance, Arkansas. You can even add glitter or perfume to the letter for an extra touch.

“The character, Cyrano de Bergerac, wrote love letters for someone else to help him make a connection. We’re offering to do the same thing in the form of a gift. Something that will last infinitely longer than chocolates or flowers for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or any other occasion,” Pendergrass said. “The words can be yours or we can write one in a certain style or in the style of a historical figure. It will come with details and niceties from an older age when stationery and wax seals were the rule, not the exception.”

A one-time letter is $29.99 and a four-letter package is $99 at Cyranoletter.com. There are monthly services for less at Allloveletters.com.

The letters don’t have to just be for your valentine’s sweetheart. The Cyrano team can help you craft the right personal message for someone you admire, best friends, or even your mom.

Valentine’s Day may seem the obvious day for utilizing Cyranoletter.com’s or Allloveletters.com’s services, but it’s also good for birthdays, anniversaries or Mother’s Day.

Pendergrass’ startup is a solo venture at this juncture, but he’s hoping to ignite an investment flame while promoting a romantic flame.

“I’d like our growth to come through different product offerings that will necessitate our company growth through technology as well as in people,” he said. “There are several different avenues that we are exploring, including tutorials, mailing services and other ideas to be launched in the very near future. We would love to see cyranoletter.com and allloveletters.com become synonymous with rekindling the art of letter writing, especially in the form of love letters.”

Valentine’s Day is Friday, Feb. 14th.