Romancing the ink stains in Eastern Market

Posted on February 27, 2015 Updated on February 27, 2015

Originally published by The Detroit News

Tucked onto an Eastern Market side street, Signal-Return [1345 Division, just off Russell] is the ultimate anachronism. A print shop that uses machines resurrected from the dead: movable type, ink that stains, and bulky presses that are turned by hand.

But letterpress is undergoing a revival nationwide, riding the tide of fascination with what those Shinola copywriters like to call “the glory of manufacturing” — a renewed appreciation for a mechanical era largely gone. If you grew up with a MacBook Pro and Kinko’s, you can experience the glory of clanky machines and high rag content paper with fresh eyes, without unpleasant memories …

… At the other side of Eastern Market, another letterpress shop, Salt & Cedar, at 2448 Riopelle, operated by artists Megan O’Connell and Leon Johnson, demonstrates that competition is inevitable, even in the 21st century world of 19th century business.

Show Me Detroit Tours guides will be happy to show you their locations … Eastern Market is on our tour route.

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