Shop Local

by Rina Rapuano

Personal Touch

One of Soma Chatterji’s favorite things about her side gig as a mehndi artist is that it allows her to connect with people. “It’s an intimate thing, when you’re doing henna on someone,” she says of the ancient art form of applying the natural plant paste in beautiful patterns to temporarily stain the skin. “You’re sitting across from them and holding their hand, essentially. It’s a nice way to just open up conversation. You learn a lot from each other.”

Chatterji learned the art of mehndi in her late teens when her Indianborn parents moved the family from New York City to India. After returning to the States for college and spending several years in Pittsburgh (where she was a STEM programs manager for the Carnegie Science Center), she moved to Arlington with her young son during the pandemic. She’s worked hard to rebuild her Mehndi by Soma business here, while also working as a certified National Geographic instructor, offering virtual and in-person STEM enrichment education.

Mehndi art (henna tattoos) by Soma Chatterji

For mehndi, she charges by the hour for large events such as conferences, cultural festivals and weddings. Prices vary widely for smaller engagements, such as mehndi and merlot nights, henna “crowns” for cancer patients who have lost their hair, religious occasions like Diwali and Ramadan, birthday parties and even baby showers, where she decorates the mom-to-be’s belly. Her most popular adornment—a medium pattern that goes from fingertips to mid-forearm—is about $20.

“I prefer being accessible to a lot of people in a lot of backgrounds, because it’s more about sharing the culture for me,” says the artist, who also recently launched a paper quilling business—Socha Quilling— with 3-D paper ornaments, earrings and art pieces that echo the henna patterns she applies to skin. “I tend to put on my traditional garb so that it creates a safe space for people to ask questions or engage in conversation.”

Many clients ask about the significance of the patterns. While there are regionally specific motifs, Chatterji says, the design is less important than henna’s original purpose, which is to condition hair, skin and nails. “It’s like how a bride in Western cultures will have a spa day, where we have all the stuff done for us,” she explains. “The henna is kind of like that.” hennabysoma.weebly.com

Melissa Livingston with the antique press she's dubbed Oliver

Good Impressions

Before kids, Melissa Livingston was a book and calendar designer. Once her youngest was in school, she began contemplating what to do next with her professional expertise.

“I was a stay-at-home mom for a lot of years, so my skills for graphic design were pretty antiquated,” says the Oakton mom of five. “I gave letterpress printing a try and fell in love with it. I bought a little tabletop press and printed my niece’s wedding invitations on it—and Christmas cards.” Livingston Letterpress was born in 2012.

That little starter printing press has since broken, but her collection of presses has grown to include a large antique press named Oliver (in reference to the spoked, O-shaped wheel on its side); a Potter cylinder press (named Harry, naturally) that works well for posters; a small press made in 1890 (named Mertie, after her grandmother, who was born the same year); and a foil stamper dubbed Ernest as a nod to its manufacturer.

Mertie and Ernest are portable—small enough to take to stores like Botanologica in Falls Church, where Livingston sometimes hosts bookbinding and letterpress workshops, teaching folks how to make journals and valentines. She has also participated in the boutique’s seasonal pop-up markets, selling cards and prints.

When she’s not at Botanologica or other private letterpress events, Livingston is either hosting workshops in her home studio or designing new cards and posters. She still does wedding invitations, too, though that market lost some momentum during the pandemic.

“I’ve always loved letters, and I really like to show off the simplicity and beauty of the letter form,” says the artist, who uses thick cotton paper and hand mixes all of her own inks. “I print with the old metal and wooden type, and then sometimes I design something on the computer and have a polymer plate made and print with that. It could add a design element, or it just gives me access to any size or font that I want.”

Recent cards have been pressed with sentiments ranging from “Black Lives Matter” and “Hello from Virginia” to “It’s a good day to be happy!”

“I’ve done a poster that’s been very popular that says ‘Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly, regard humanity,’” she says. “I like to do things that have a sense of heart to them, that have some meaning.”

But, she adds, “I do silly things, too.” livingstonletterpress.com