Jen Hope, a Montgomery County native, left her career as a civil rights attorney to launch jigsaw puzzle company, Puzzle So Hard, writes Jessica Blatt Press for The Philadelphia Citizen.

The company was born in 2018 after more than a half-decade of research and preparations. The idea for the business came to Hope after she spent time at a friend’s house during a rough personal and professional patch.

There, she found a puzzle and started putting it together. She then realized that the effect was unequally calming.

“I needed a way to blunt the edges,” said Hope. “And puzzles became that for me: a way to refocus attention away from the things that wanted it so badly, the bad stuff, and onto something that didn’t fight back.”

So for her company, she worked with street artists from around the globe to license their work for stunning 1,000-piece puzzles. So far, the bestsellers are those of outer space.

And while she has had to resume practicing law since the company is yet not profitable, she said that if she could scale production, she is certain it would soon turn a profit.

Read more about Puzzle So Hard at The Philadelphia Citizen.

Editor’s Note: This MONTCO Today story originally ran Nov. 9, 2020; it has been verified for accuracy.