PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Walter and Bridget High, founders of High Voltage Cards.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: A wintertime shot of Beacon Hill that can be found on a High Voltage Card.

Following the launch of High Voltage Cards in September, husband-and-wife team Walter and Bridget High of Joy Street are now offering more than just the generic greeting cards commonly found in stores, opting instead for designs that best capture even the most unusual moments.
“When Bridget and I went into the store desperately trying to find a card to fit the occasion, we could never find anything decent and ending up sending the same few cards to all of our friends,” Walter said.
This dissatisfaction eventually prompted Walter to begin spray-mounting over the captions of store-bought cards and adding his own personalized notes. Then about 10 years ago, he started designing his own cards for friends, using photos that he had shot as the central images.
High Voltage Cards, which promises to “recharge relationships” and plays on the surname of its founders, is a mail-order business that sells high-quality cards that actually improve on those that Walter has made for friends for the past decade. The cards are printed on high stock in small quantities and sold exclusively via the company’s Web site, with new offerings being added each day. The inventory now includes nearly 300 different designs, including blank cards and cards that range from ones for birthdays and traditional holidays to others that address more irreverent subject matter, such as facelifts, breast augmentation, vasectomies, divorce and psycho boyfriends.
“People tend to send cards on commercially endorsed holidays… but it’s the card that arrives on the random Tuesday that makes a lasting impression on someone,” Walter said. “We’re trying to put the greeting back in greeting cards.”
The images for the cards span more than three decades and date back to soon after Walter received a camera as a high-school graduation present, sparking off a fascination with photography that has endured throughout his adulthood.
“He has a unique way of looking at the world that takes everyday things and shows them in a new way,” Bridget said of her husband.
More than 50 of the approximately 250 card images feature Boston locales, including several striking wintertime shots of Beacon Hill.
“I’d been living in LA for 15 years before I moved to Beacon Hill in 1995, so I hadn’t seen winter in a long time,” Walter said. “It was really exciting for me, and I spent a lot of time photographing the neighborhood.”
To promote this local angle, Walter and Bridget, who are both members of the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA), have donated gift boxes featuring 10 different cards with images from in and around the neighborhood to the non-profit group for fundraising purposes.
Meanwhile, the company has already received some high-profile exposure, thanks to a write-up on that the company featured on Daily Candy, an online guide to Boston and around a dozen other cities. The High Voltage Cards Web site, which was previously visited by no more than four parties at any given time, soon received upwards of 17,000 page views over the course of about a week.
Despite the positive response, the Hills realize that the success of High Voltage Cards ultimately hinges on word-of-mouth praise, as well as overcoming consumers’ reluctance to buy greeting cards online.
“Every card comes with a 100-percent guarantee, and we’re not prohibitive of last-minute shopping, since cards usually arrive a day or two after orders are placed online,” Walter said.
For more information on High Voltage Cards, visit www.highvoltagecards.com.

Boston Police have increased their presence around Beacon Hill following an inappropriate touching and two muggings in the area since the beginning of the month, according to Captain Bernard O’Rourke of Area A-1.
On Nov. 4 at around 3 p.m., a Fisher College student reported an unknown male inappropriately touched her near Arlington and Beacon streets. Contrary to rumors, the incident was not a rape, and the victim was not hurt. The victim reported the crime the following day, and police immediately increased patrols in the area. Officers continue to search for the suspect based on the victim’s description.
The following day at around 8 p.m., an armed robbery took place on Mt Vernon Street. Some evidence was seized by police, and officers are still searching for the suspect.
On Nov. 15 at approximately 3 a.m.,, a young woman was robbed of her bag in front of 79 Pinckney St. The victim reported the incident two days later, and police stepped up patrols in the area immediately afterwards. Detectives also canvassed the victim’s walking route to see if any cameras in the area captured the suspect. Based on the description of the suspect, it does not appear that this is related to the armed robbery on Nov. 5.
Meanwhile, O’Rourke encouraged residents to call 911 if they see any suspicious activity in the neighborhood.

CAPTION: Beacon Hill Village President Stephen Roop, front and center, received a $1,000 mini-grant from the Boston Foundation at its annual meeting on Nov. 12. Surprise grants were awarded to 16 nonprofit organizations that have played important roles in neighborhoods across the city.

On Nov. 16, Beacon Hill Village (BHV) was awarded a $1,000 mini-grant from the Boston Foundation during the philanthropic non-profit’s annual meeting.
“Our annual fundraising drive is now underway, so the donation will be included in that,” said Stephen Roop, president of the board of directors of BHV, a membership organization established in 2001 to make city living more fulfilling and comfortable for Boston residents, ages 50 and above. “We plan to use the money for general purposes, since its use is not restricted in any way.”
According to Boston Foundation David Trueblood, the mini-grant recipients selected work on the neighborhood level throughout the city. Other beneficiaries include the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation, Charlestown Boys & Girls Club, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Project R.I.G.H.T., East Boston Social Centers, Fenway Community Health, Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation, City Life/Vida Urbana, Mattapan Community Development Corporation, North End Community Health Center, Rogerson Communities, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Julie’s Family Learning Program, Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion and AgeWell West Roxbury.
Roop said the recognition from the Boston Foundation follows the launch of 50 “villages” nationwide, which re all modeled after BHV.
“Our practices are the single most important influence on the village movement,” Roop said. “As the saying goes, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.”
Around 2003, Roop said the Boston Foundation also made another donation to the BHV, which helped launch its Membership Plus program for low- and moderate-income individuals.
Meanwhile, Trueblood praised BHV for its continuing work to support senior residents of Boston.
“We have tapped BHV as an expert source when we’ve held forums about living in the city for older people, particularly in regard to the economic challenges they face,” Trueblood said. “BHV has a really creative strategy for helping them stay in the city.”