CINCINNATI — The letterpress has been around for centuries, but is no longer used much because of modern technologies. But one Cincinnati business owner wanted to keep the art of letter pressing alive.
What You Need To Know
- Bess Paper Goods and Gifts was Kristin Joiner’s dream for over a decade
- Joiner was introduced to letterpress in college and decided she wanted to create handmade cards and invitations with a letterpress one day
- Joiner found Bess the letterpress on a whim and knew that would be the start of opening her own show
- Now, Bess Paper Goods and Gifts has been open just over a year in the Reading Bridal District
Inside Bess Paper Goods and Gifts is a not so well-kept secret — Bess the letter press, a fun name that Kristin Joiner said suits her mechanical partner.
“Just look at her!” Joiner said. “It’s a beautiful machine. It’s incredible that 120, 30, 40 years almost later that it’s still working and still in use, and it’s kind of amazing.”
Joiner, a graphic designer, took to the art right away.
“I took one letterpress class in college and just thought it was the coolest thing,” she said.
And not long after, she found Bess the press for sale not far from her. Now, Bess is a staple of Bess paper goods. Joiner makes almost all of her handmade cards, wedding invitations and more using Bess, pumping her leg and reapplying ink for hours on end.
“I call it leg day,” Joiner said. “I try to switch back and forth so I’m not lopsided.”
She even uses vintage wood type she’s found over the years.
“All my type is I don’t know 50 to 150 years old, somewhere in there!” Joiner said.
While Bess is the mainstay here, for Joiner, this has been a dream of hers for over a decade. Joiner, originally from Wisconsin, said when she drove through the Reading Bridal District for the first time, she knew this would be where she opened her shop.
“I was like Oh my God, this is amazing!” she said. “This is crazy this exists! Just the fact that you can basically plan your entire wedding on one street is incredible.”
Now, this shop is everything Joiner dreamed of and more. From handmade cards, wedding stationery and even paper flowers, she’s so glad to be a part of the Cincinnati community.
“Paper flowers are just kind of another little creative thing that I started dabbling in about seven years ago now and I kind of got addicted to making them more and more realistic,” Joiner said.
Joiner just celebrated the first anniversary of her store and said even opening during the pandemic couldn’t bring her dream down.
“It worked out great because this last year was so busy with weddings and nobody had anything booked until mid-summer,” she said. “It was a nice busy year for my first year!”
