The Firecracker Press

Tonight I was lucky enough to participate in a presentation at The Firecracker Press, located in the up and coming Cherokee district of St. Louis. I've explored the antique shopping areas of Cherokee Street before, but it seems like every other day something new is popping up in the area, and a lot of it has to do with art, design and music. I've seen Eric Woods, owner of TFP, present about his business before, but it was so much more interesting to see the space that they work in. They really like to stress the fact that they are aware of new technology and utilize the digital world in their work, but there's just nothing like the result that you can get from letterpress; the process and artist's hand all wrapped into an end product that you can't help but appreciate.

If you ever have a chance to visit their studio- definitely do. It's well worth the trip, and digital images online just don't do their work justice. Their shop is pretty darn cute too; stationery, The Lumberyard and other assorted small paper goods are arranged on wood cabinets that house thousands of pounds of lead and wood type, which they actually use in their work. Printed posters hang from clothespins amongst handmade paper lanterns. If you're nowhere near St. Louis and won't be anytime soon, they sell online as well as at their Etsy shop.


The Firecracker Press is truly a one of a kind letterpress business and I applaud the heart and soul that its three employees have put into it on a daily basis. These people don't go to work everyday to take the design world by storm and make millions, they go because its what they love to do and they're damn good at it. On that note, I will leave you with another fine piece of work from TFP:


Perhaps their take on the "Keep Calm and Carry On" phenomenon?