Today I’m super excited to share an interview with the funny and talented founders of Old Tom Foolery, a San Francisco-based letterpress card company. Lauren Weinblatt and Joel Gryniewski are not only engaged to be married, they are business partners! Read more for insights into the letterpress field and what it takes to start a business.
LPF: Have you always been creative?Lauren: When I was little I took art and music lessons, but I always thought I would have to find a “legitimate” profession like being a doctor. In college I wound up with an internship at an ad agency and I realized that being creative can be a job.
Joel: I had to work on the perception that I’m a creative person. Everybody’s creative, but it takes courage to call yourself a “creative person.” I was more into sports than art when I was younger, and I was a good student, so I considered going into business or journalism. But ultimately I wanted to do something more creative than that.
LFP: Did you always want to run your own business?Lauren: I always sold stuff even when I was a kid – clay animals, jewelry – but I never thought it would turn into a career.
Joel: I thought entrepreneurship would mean that I’d have to read the Wall Street Journal every day and that’s not me. But I love running OTF because it doesn’t always feel like work.
LPF: How did you decide to start making cards?L and J: When we were both in grad school for advertising in Richmond, Virginia, we courted each other with cool cards from an awesome shop called Mongrel. (http://mongrelonline.com) As we bought more and more cards, we got inspired to start learning about the greeting card industry, which seemed to be run by individuals like us. With our advertising background it seemed like something that might be achievable.
LPF: Why letterpress cards?L and J: We really love and appreciate the craft and tactile nature of letterpress cards. Also, it seemed practical and hands-on: we could buy a press and print cards ourselves, rather than working with a vendor. We found a press on Craigslist and then some learned some printing fundamentals at the San Francisco Center for the Book. Other letterpress companies, like Susie from Carrot & Stick were really helpful too. Then, we used the press to create all our prototype cards.
LPF: How did you start actually selling your cards?L and J: We launched at the National Stationery Show in NYC in May 2008. We wanted to launch big and treat our business like a real company, since our goal, after all, is to do something we love but still have a successful business. In order to do this, we knew we wouldn’t be able to continue working full-time in advertising. So starting in January 2008, we began focusing on getting ready for the trade show and only worked part-time in advertising.
LPF: How did the show go?L and J: We made some mistakes, like not having the best lighting for our booth, but it was a great learning experience and we went back again this year. Everything needs to be shipped to NY which makes it expensive – local vendors have such an advantage! Regardless, we’ve really enjoyed being part of the show and have made some friends through it.
LPF: Has it been hard to maintain both personal and business relationships?L and J: Actually, it hasn’t been that challenging, because we met as partners in ad school so in a sense, we’ve always been working together. The hardest part is shutting off at the end of the day, since the company is completely intertwined with our lives and also our apartment, which is the OTF headquarters. We still enjoy working together and in some ways, it helps that we can be brutally honest with each other!
LPF: One parting question: What's your best advice for people starting small businesses in an economy ours?L and J: Be smart, but go for it. If a business can succeed in a time like this, you know there's only one way it can go from here -- and that's up!
For more about Old Tom Foolery, check out their
blog and online
shop.Thanks Lauren and Joel!
Here are three photos I had left that I wanted to share. In person, the purple dahlias were almost as big as my head! Completely stunning.
Today I’m super excited to share an interview with the funny and talented founders of Old Tom Foolery, a San Francisco-based letterpress card company. Lauren Weinblatt and Joel Gryniewski are not only engaged to be married, they are business partners! Read more for insights into the letterpress field and what it takes to start a business.
LPF: How did the show go?
I've never seen the lemon and white dahlias before. I kind of want to eat them. Yum!
Leonardo is a barbados sheep who was rejected by his mom and then bottle-fed / raised by the owners of High Voltage. He is beyond adorable, and has some serious identity issues. He thinks he is a dog or even a person, and is never more than 6 inches away from his human "dad." He never even hangs out with all the other barnyard animals! He is the cutest, I am dying to have my own barbados sheep now.
There is a plethora of pink dahlias. This is just a smattering of what nature has to offer!
Every day the goats, sheep and cows go out to pasture. They group together and wait by the gate. Then they march, in a very focused way, towards the fields. It is really funny to see how orderly they are, and it makes me pretend they hear a little drumbeat that I couldn't. I posted the pictures in sequential order so all you city folk can experience the animals heading to pasture just like I did. Any pasture stories on your end?
Sigh. What is more lovely than that little red pompom dahlia at the top? It's like a textured velvet pillow and I want one for my bed!
Ostensibly this blog is about flowers and design, but I'm also very interested in creative inspiration and where / how people find it.
I'll be posting different colored dahlias from the Dahlia Dell in Golden Gate Park every day this week. Enjoy the eye candy!
I've been spending as much of Indian summer as I can in Golden Gate Park, soaking up sunshine before winter fog rolls in. I'm not sure if many of you have been to the Dahlia Dell, which is next to the Conservatory of Flowers, but it is a gem that you must seek out! 
I'm so excited to share this pairing! In case you haven't been following, every week I post a different theme (this week's was cozy) and you respond in the comments with a link to something that exemplifies that feeling for you. I then create floral arrangements inspired by your ideas.
