Kiwi Greetings Ami's Got The Write Stuff!

Ami Muir is sharing kind messages with strangers.

- Ciara Pratt

Imagine the joy of opening hundreds of letters filled with kind, personalised messages that are all addressed to you.

Few people receive that many letters in today’s digital world, but Ami Muir (36) is out to change that, with a heartfelt movement she calls Writing to Strangers.

After a career in advertising, then having her first child, the Christchurch mum knew it was time to fulfil her dream of starting her own business, but she wanted it to be one with a purpose.

Walking into the beautifully decorated Pepa Stationery in the historic Christchurch Arts Centre, you’ll spot colourful notebooks, cards and pens – but it’s the table in front of the window where this purpose has found its home; a place where strangers can pour their hearts out.

“I got the idea from a woman in the US who runs a company called More Love Letters,” says Ami. “When she couldn’t find work she found rewarding, she did these projects where she would write to strangers as a collective group, and it just grew and grew. I thought to myself, ‘I’d love to bring that to Christchurch.’ If there’s a place where people could benefit from this, it’s here.”