About Us
Founded in 2011, Bloom Letterpress & Design came into being as a rehabilitation project. The founders cannot even remember how this all began. On a rainy day in April 2009 in central Missouri, they found themselves hauling a 2,000 lb. rusted antique printing press from the basement of a house. Oh, the places you will go…!
Restoring the press consisted of a year-long journey that included a world-class education in the art of letterpress printing. Day-by-day and night-by-night, they worked in the garage with a rag, an oil can, and solvent cleaners slowly removing decades of grease, oil, dirt, and ink from the 100+ year old machine. One day, they even revealed the original gold pinstripe on the legs and flywheel! After the press was restored, they worked on the mechanicals with the help of a lot of friends and family along the way.
Originally planning to restore and sell the press, the founders decided to keep the press and try their hand at being printers. Bloom Letterpress & Design became a full-fledged letterpress print and design studio and we have been designing and printing witty paper goods ever since! We still hand-feed every single sheet of paper one sheet at a time into our presses – sometimes more than once as each color requires a separate pass through the press. In 2012, we added a second, larger press. We treasure being able to remain a relatively small business but accomplish big things.
Mr. K is our co-founder and Managing Partner. He manages all things business-related and keeps things running in the print shop. He is a Sci-Fi and astronomy buff. Mr. K loves animals and will give away anything in the shop for a Chicago-style pizza (maybe).
Miss M is our Creative Program Manager. She directs creative strategy, all IT-related projects, and supervises the freelance design teams. An all-around wonder, Miss M is an avid history buff having studied both English and History in her college years. Her passion is still reading history books, is very shy, and LOVES taffy apples!
