IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Bay View Printing Co. owner Ashley Town works with an antique printer for a project.

BAY VIEW PRINTING

2702 S. Howell Ave.

NEIGHBORHOOD: Bay View FOUNDED: 1917 OWNER: Ashley Town EMPLOYEES: 3 SERVICE: Customized letter press printing and design

How did you get into letter press printing?

Town met Jim Baker, former Bay View Printing Co. owner, as a customer looking to have her book printed. “I essentially met Jim and I had no idea what letter press printing was, but I knew that I wanted to print this book in a different way. He showed me the type collection in the basement and it absolutely blew me away. This place is like a time capsule. We walked down into the basement studio and it’s just completely full of antique printing presses, equipment and it feels like you’re walking into a different time period. I just fell in love with the place, the idea, the nostalgia and the history. So, I sort of decided that day that Jim was my new best friend. I kept coming back, bringing him sandwiches and coffee and learning about printing.”

How did you become owner?

“I spent about six months here basically watching everything that he was doing and learning from him. Jim was 76 when I met him … I was at the shop one day and Jim essentially said ‘gosh, I really want to retire but nobody wants all of this junk.’ And I realized that I could do everything I love here. I could use this place as a place to teach and a place to print, design, grow and cultivate a community.”

Who are your customers?

“There’s a huge range. We do a lot of wedding and event work, like custom invitations. We also have a lot of corporate and local small businesses that want some sort of unique way to communicate with their clients.” n

Bold in vision. Confident in action.

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511 North Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202 | 414.273.2100

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