How Dallas Women Do It — Bachelor Alum and High-End Paper Purveyor Catherine Lowe

When it comes to name recognition among Dallasites, Catherine Lowe stands out strong. First known to many as the bubbly graphic designer from Seattle who won Sean Lowe’s heart on season 17 of The Bachelor, the Dallas transplant quickly carved a path in the city that was all her own, diving headfirst into the world of entrepreneurship. Her luxury stationery brand — cleverly named LoweCo. — contrasts its elegant card-stock and chic, minimalist branding with playful embossed messages.

Since launching in 2016, the Dallas brand has introduced a Noir edition, the coveted (and often sold out) Cards That Grow collection, and seasonal subscription boxes to ensure you always have a charming 3×3 note in your gifting arsenal. The next step, naturally, was a full-service gifting brand: LoweCo.ncierge.

Catherine Lowe spoke with PaperCity about everything from the best tapas and $35 massages to the importance of being — and staying — kind to everyone you meet.

PaperCity: What’s your Dallas-area coffee order?
Catherine Lowe: I don’t drink coffee, so it’s usually a black tea with as many lemons as the coffee shop can give me.

What’s the best Dallas meal you’ve ever eaten?
The place that comes to mind is Mot Hai Ba, which is a Vietnamese French restaurant in Lower Greenville. They do a phenomenal job with flavors. Also, Barcelona, which is a really, really nice tapas bar in Henderson. So good. Everything is the perfect temperature and the perfect salt content.

What’s your favorite Dallas wellness destination?
I train at Fit180, which is owned by my friend Julie. I’ve worked with her and at her studio since I was pregnant with Samuel, and she does a really good job of not just taking care of your fitness goals, but mental, too. She’s kind of a bartender when it comes to talking, and she’s very knowledgeable on how to get to your goals and also keeping in mind that healthy isn’t just about your fitness… it’s so much bigger than that. And then for a spa, The Joule. It’s always so calming and fabulous.

What is your ideal Dallas hidden spot?
I love reflexology and have been doing it for the last 15 years, and I love Foot Therapy off of Royal. If you’re okay with being with a bunch of people (obviously not right now) getting a massage with your clothes on, it is a very effective and cost-effective way to feel better in your body. It’s literally $35 for an hour of body work. It’s crazy.

How have you started and grown your own business?
I was a graphic designer at Amazon, and obviously everybody kind of finds a new way to live after [The Bachelor]. I decided to become an entrepreneur, which was never, ever (I thought) going to be in my future. I wanted to marry my love for design into creating tangible, giftable items, because I loved doing that through save-the-dates that I made for our wedding. I loved that. So, I parlayed that into a business. I thought that having a business would be super easy, which is comical now. I was deluded.

I looked at all of the stationery that was out there at boutiques I liked, and saw a lot of foil, which is very pretty. But, I wanted to go in a different direction, maybe even more high-end. So I went with blind embossing, which is one color, but pressed. People knew me on the show as giving Sean all these little notes, like “I’m vegan, but I love the beef” or “You’re just my type,” and there were a lot of things I snuck him throughout the season. I kind of mirrored what I did for him and would normally do, and created an elevated version of that, still witty and fun.

So now I have a luxury stationery company that I’ve extended into gifting, so now I (also) have Lowe Co.ncierge, a full-service gifting brand. I’ve been obsessed with the potential this has and loving creating memorable gifts and experiences for clients all in Dallas. It’s a very luxury experience for people because we hand-deliver to them, taking into consideration the personalization of our gifts. One of my favorite things in advertising, which was my major in college, was thinking about the target audience. We pitch different things for our clients based on demographic, budget, shipped, hand-delivered… there are so many elements to consider.

How do you prioritize your own mental and physical health as a mom and business owner?
Catherine Lowe: What was important to me in starting my business was that I could have the flexibility to work from home and be very present with my children, so whenever I get into a situation where I’m like “should I be working?” or “can I be a little more engaged with my kids?” I’ll always choose my kids. That, in itself, makes me feel comfortable and balanced.

Then, Sean and I are really, really good at making time for each other, so that also adds to the level of balance I feel in my life. I’ve never been an anxious person, so that kind of helps, too. We put the kids down at 7:00, and then we get to watch the shows we want to watch or do what we want to do when the kids are asleep.

Sean and I both work from home, so it can be sometimes be a challenge to motivate ourselves to really work when we have all this fun stuff to do and nice distractions, but we seem to do a pretty good job.

What would you change about Dallas?
Honestly, I come from a place where I never drove. I literally got my first car last year. So, I think that public transportation could be better. I loved walking and riding the bus. I love having stories, and I love the stories that you come home with from public transportation. Obviously it’s such a spread out city that it would be hard, but that would be my one critique. But… I am in a different time in my life, so maybe it’s a good thing that there’s no public transportation for me.

What advice would you give to Dallas women?
Be nice to other women. I think that shouldn’t have to be said, but just being there for each other. Women already have a ton of obstacles just to be normal and feel supported, so make sure you try to put yourself in everybody’s shoes when you approach them, because you never know what people are going through. Especially in business — women entrepreneurs and women trying to succeed in the workplace have a ton of challenges. Being nice really gets you far, and I think it’s necessary right now.