August 14, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Hiller’s greeting card company proves Misery Loves Comedy
by PAT STOKES

Chestnut Hill resident Elizabeth Hofheinz, 41, a psychotherapist and former standup comic, has started a greeting card company called Misery Loves Comedy, which is no joke. (Photo by Pat Stokes)

As everyone reading this has probably noticed, troubles in life can come by the carload, and they can make you or break you, often depending on your personality and your attitude. Luckily for us,  right here in our midst is a living example of one way troubles can be handled. This is the story of  a  highly talented, courageous and determined young woman from Chestnut Hill who has turned a load of lemons that rolled her way a few years ago into a delicious lemonade with a lift.

In the space of four years, in the late ‘90s, Elizabeth Hofheinz, 41, experienced a divorce, two deaths and her mother’s bout with breast cancer. (Her mother is fine now.) Seeking ways to climb out of the shock of it all, she began journaling. Phrases relating to living with pain kept crossing her mind, and she began writing them down, gradually realizing that humor can be very therapeutic. Soon she felt the need to really lighten up and signed on for a weekend in 2000 at the “Judy Carter Comedy Workshop” with several hundred comedians and would-be comedians doing their schtick. There, humor spoke to her loud and clear, and she was even encouraged to do a one-time stand-up act before a large audience peppered with people from the television networks. She pulled it off, and they loved it!

So what happened next? Well, as you can imagine, by this time a lot of new thoughts were beginning to explode in her busy brain. She was starting to see how laughter can arise from anguish. Thoughts came to her of her birthplace, New Orleans, which she loves as “the city that greets both joy and sorrow with a vibrant spirit.”

Elizabeth turned again to the phrases she’d been collecting, looking for ways they could give a lift not only to herself but also to other people. Enter the greeting card idea! She decided to use computer art to convey her message, and she took a course in how to do it. It all took time, but she designed her first greeting card in 2000, working to express the way “the dual nature of our lives opens us up to unpredictability, helping us to find truth in both the good and the bad, the light and the dark, the misery and the comedy.”

As would be expected, she launched her own business, Misery Loves Comedy, in 2007, the launching pad being the National Stationery Show in New York.

This multi-talented lady has a BS in psychology from Mary Baldwin College in Virginia, a Masters in public health from Tulane University in New Orleans and a Masters in counseling psychology from Temple University. She is married now to Mark Brzozowski, who owns Manayunk Triumph, a company selling British-made motorcycles. Mark, who is also an idea man, came up with the tagline, “Neat Cards for Messy Moments.”  

Hofheinz moved to New Jersey from New Orleans in 1993 with her former husband. Following the divorce, she moved to Philadelphia. “I first got to know Chestnut Hill,” she explained, “because my husband Mark lived here while we were dating. He gave me many tours of this little hamlet on the back of his Triumph. It was a great way to take in the local flavor.”

Elizabeth, Mark and their adorable 6-month-old baby now live near the corner of Willow Grove and Germantown Avenue. Even with the baby to care for, she is able to allot two or three hours a day to her business. She works with a professional printer in center city. Her present focus is on selling and finding outlets for the cards, and using her psychology skills, she also writes for Orthopedics This Week, an online publication.

Now to the cards: In the company’s attractive brochure, over 47 cards are reproduced, with the inside message below each picture.

Example: “Men like me because I’m an enema.” A friend says, “I think you mean ‘enigma.’” Inside: “Happy birthday to my funky friend.” In another card, a thin woman says, “Now you know food is not the path to happiness.” A fat woman replies, “Go away and let me enjoy my inner piece of cheesecake.” Inside: “Best of luck with the diet. I know it’s rough.”

A man lying on a psychiatrist’s couch says, “I was the victim of identity theft. He took my Social Security number and credit card. What if he opens a porn account? My boss will find out; then my wife will leave me; I’ll be destitute! I don’t like cat food!” The psychiatrist thinks to himself, “Too bad he didn’t take your neuroses.” Inside: “Who needs a bad therapist when I’ve got a good friend like you?” A grief card says, “I won’t say I know how you feel, but I’m here if you want to tell me.”