20th Anniversary. . .

The weekend before Thanksgiving, November 2000, with a friend and a Ryder truck, letterpress stuff was gathered from several different storage locations. It was all brought to a building in Chicopee and consolidated in 2000 square feet on the 4th floor of a New England mill building (formerly a brewery). At the time the floor was 70% occupied with decades-old records from a data storage company.

The floor had minimal heat, minimal electricity and lights, no air conditioning, plastic sheeting on the windows, the roof leaked, and the elevator groaned with the weight of cast iron and lead. But the rent was minimal too! Thus the meager beginnings of arguably one of today's most eklectic letterpress destinations to visit. The interim years saw expansion to the entire floor, 6500 square feet. Shelving came from auctions; display tables and counters crafted from pallets, scrap plywood, banged up type and galley cabinets.

In a word, it became a "Store" for all sorts of "Letterpress Things". Inventory came from dozens of print shops purchased all over New England, New York, New Jersey, Eastern Canada. And letterpressers from the US, North America, around the world have made the trek to Chicopee and up the four flights of stairs to a letterpress nirvana.

Next weekend the Store is open - 20 years! No big celebration, although our pride will be on full display. Despite Covid we've managed to retrieve a few small shops recently with several more inline. Our web presence is gradually increasing, but it's impossible to list/show all of what's available on the floor. That's why we encourage people to email us with their "looking for's".

Presently, Mass has a travel quarantine and a night time curfew. But people from neighboring states can travel into Mass for a specific purpose as long as they leave same day. And, of course, it's a must to wear masks and socially distance.

In closing, our humble thanks to the 100's of people who have supported us for two decades now. Gonna try for another 10 at least. Stay safe, stay well, be kind to each other!

[PS: here's what it looked like in the very early years!]