Food & Drink

Pike Street Press

Or how Sean Brown went from cattle ranching to custom printing.

By Seattle Mag October 17, 2011

1111shoppingshop_0

This article originally appeared in the November 2011 issue of Seattle magazine.

Talk about a career change: A year ago, Sean Brown was working a cattle ranch in the southern Utah mountains; today, the Kirkland native is the proprietor of new Pike Street Press, an all-in-one letterpress design studio, custom-print shop and gallery tucked under the bustling Market hillclimb.

“I learned how to letterpress while in Utah and started a printing press, but shockingly, there weren’t a lot of people buying. Then again, it was mostly cows,” Brown says.

Now he prints custom invitations on the behemoth press in his open workshop.

Coaster sets (four for $10) and beautiful bookmarks ($3) are spread out on a rustic worktable. Brown also designs elegant, modern wedding and party invitations on cotton or recycled heavyweight. And hung on a clothesline-style wire is an array of local art (ranging from $50 to $300), such as Nate Stottrup’s stunning intaglio cutout prints, along with other paper pretties, including hand-printed calendars ($65) and gift cards ($3–$5).

Pike Place Market Hillclimb
1510 Alaskan Way at Pike Street
206.971.0120
thepikestreetpress.com

 

Follow Us

15 Valentine’s Day Gifts

15 Valentine’s Day Gifts

Fleece slippers, chocolate figs, and The Book of Love

Who doesn’t want to celebrate love and make someone (anyone!) feel special? So, whether you’re all in or not so much, if you’re looking for gift ideas, here are a few to consider...

The Best Gifts for Travel Lovers 

The Best Gifts for Travel Lovers 

Tinsel, eggnog, mistletoe, and luggage

Travel lovers are the easiest people to buy for. Wrap a gift in old maps and they’ll spend hours deciphering the roadways and important coordinates. Put something inside the wrapping that will satiate their wanderlust, or encourage it, and you might be their next invitee to Paris.

Black Black Friday launches in Seattle

Black Black Friday launches in Seattle

The event is designed to boost Black-owned businesses

An initiative launched in Seattle encourages residents to spend money at Black-owned businesses, starting on Black Friday. Called Black Black Friday, the movement was organized by Laura Clise, founder and CEO of the Intentionalist, an online directory of thousands of small businesses owned by women, people of color, veterans, LBGTQ+, families, and differently abled people,…

Costco Goes for the Gold

Costco Goes for the Gold

Have a sudden need for gold bars? Better act fast.

The warehouse retailer known for everything from its popular food court to organic maple syrup and bulk, well, everything, is now in the business of selling gold. That’s right. Costco is peddling one-ounce gold bars online. But you have to be a member to buy them. And they’re not cheap. Shoppers have two options: One…