A letterpress storefront is opening in Eastern Market

DETROIT (WXYZ) - A new letterpress store is opening in Eastern Market.

The non-profit organization is a letterpress storefront for the public in Detroit. When construction is complete, 1345 Division Street will be transformed into a space where you can watch the entire printing process from start to finish.

“This right here is a recreation of a historic typeface,” explained Don Kilpatrick.

Board member Don Kilpatrick says the letterpress will hold workshops within the community, hold artist shows, be a place to buy art, and print just about anything for local businesses and individuals.

“It’s a way for us to reach out and really involve the community and Eastern Market is the perfect place for that,” said Kilpatrick.

The store idea started with Toby Barlow, Co-President and Executive Creative Director for advertising agency, Team Detroit.

“We have a resurgence of the arts in the city right now. And, it seemed like one of the key ingredients that was missing was a kind of classic letterpress,” said Toby Barlow. He collaborated with the College for Creative Studies after visiting a letterpress in Nashville that prints for the Grand Ole Opry.

“In a weird way it almost offended me. I’m like, why don’t we have that? We have a huge musical tradition a huge artisan tradition,” said Barlow.

When the storefront opens in November it will be an opportunity to keep print and Detroit alive with a new must see spot for tourists.