Profile: Hammerpress
Hammerpress is a letterpress printing and design studio founded by Brady Vest in 1994. Known for their distinct aesthetic and designs, Hammerpress is one of the most recognizable letterpress printing companies in the United States, with stockists across the country.
Photos by Kaley Kocinski
Where did you grow up?
Edmond, Oklahoma.
Did early encounters with art set you on a creative path?
Sort of. My grandpa was a doodler and encouraged me to draw, mostly drawings of horses and stuff. When I was in high school, I got into art, mainly because a girl I liked was in art class. My teacher was very supportive and I just sort of got interested independently of the girl I liked.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I used to break dance in the early 80’s. I have a soft spot for 70s new age music. I lost my virginity listening to Sade.
What was your first experience with letterpress printing? What drew you to the medium?
I went to the Kansas City Art Institute in 1990. I became pretty intrigued in the printmaking department pretty quickly. Something about the smell and the machines interested me in a different way than other mediums did. My first letterpress project was a small record cover project for a friend’s band.
What have been some of the challenges of owning a small business? What have been some of the highlights?
I would say some of the obvious challenges are what people might expect - inconsistent income, lack of health insurance sometimes - the financial aspects can be a gigantic stresser for most small businesses. I’d say some of the unexpected challenges have to do more with trying to find new ways to design and find the excitement in things that can be very frustrating at times.
The highlights for me are getting to guide your own path, most of the time, and being able to work with and rely on good people that you are fortunate enough to work with and for.
How has music been an integral part of your life?
Music has always been pretty central in my life. It’s always playing, I can't be in silence hardly ever. My interest in graphic design came directly from music packaging that I would discover when I was younger. I would buy things without knowing anything about them just for the design and packaging.
How did you develop Hammerpress’s distinct aesthetic? How has it evolved over the years?
Mostly that was influenced by the materials at hand. At first, Hammerpress used strictly hand set type, mostly salvaged from older print shops who had deemed it useless and obsolete. There are some commonalities in a lot of other designer’s work who also use this medium, and most of the time you’re working with some amount of limitations which always leads to discoveries of how to and how not to do things. Over the years, with new folks involved in the shop and new markets, we’ve evolved and have different approaches to different projects.
What are some things you’ve enjoyed about basing your business in Kansas City?
For a very long time, Kansas City was sort of a secret or an unknown gem for most people. A lot of folks hated being here, but a lot of others learned to thrive in a mid-sized, midwest city that was incredibly affordable to be in. This allowed for a lot of creative exploration and the arts community really thrived in that. I wouldn’t have been able to stumble my way through the first several years of Hammerpress’s existence if it wasn’t that way. The community was, and is, incredibly supportive of the arts, music, local shops, etc.
How have you seen the city change since you founded Hammerpress?
You had to really try to find the cool things in Kansas City back in the day. There were a handful of things going on and if you were in the know, you were in the know. Art shows, music shows in all sorts of weird and amazing places. The city is so full of interesting things now - shops, music venues, restaurants - it’s not difficult to find out about any of them.
Tell us about the move to the West Bottoms. Was it difficult to leave the Crossroads behind? What are you most excited about the new space?
After being in the Crossroads since 1996, we decided to move our shop to the West Bottoms in the fall of 2019. Mostly, I think we just needed a change. The cost of being in the Crossroads had become too much for us to handle, and I think it became the impetus for the move. It seemed like a good time to re adjust and reinvent the shop. We moved our shop from the Crossroads to the West Bottoms in February, and then…Covid happened. So, needless to say, everything just became a constant unknown from that point to now. Most of our business is wholesale to other retailers. That came to a halt pretty quickly. I have been continuing to redo the entire 5000-square-foot space since then. We are still finalizing the storefront in that space and hope to open soon.
What’s a goal you have for the upcoming year?
To stay sane and try and just keep moving forward. I am sure we are not alone in saying that 2020 has been unexpectedly unpredictable. Our main goal is just stay sane and try to ride out the storm and find some happiness in between.
Hammerpress products can be found at both Made in KC Marketplaces.
