Columbus, Ohio USA
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r design & printing exits the Short North, opens in Grandview Hts.
July/August 2019 Issue

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See Also: How To Suceed in Printing (2005)

Owners Juli Rogers and Dave Ramirez wave goodbye | PHOTO © Joel Knepp

r design & printing co. closed in June at 30 E. Fourth Ave. and reopened at 1060 Goodale Blvd. in Grandview Hts. Although the business launched in 2003, the owners worked at Insty-Prints in the Short North for a number of years prior to that. Juli Rogers answered a few questions via email:

Q & A

Why did you move? After over 15 years in the Short North, we moved because our landlord wanted to increase our rent 236 percent and it was not in our best interest to stay. Our landlord was good about letting us remain with only a modest rent increase until our current building was ready. I would have really liked to stay, but I also understand that the real estate is more valuable now than when we first moved in.

How do the two locations compare?
Our new location, 1060 Goodale Blvd. in Grandview Heights is smaller – roughly 4,000 square feet, but it is easier to get to and we still have free parking. The new location has air conditioning, really wonderful after two “melt-in-your-shoes” summers without it! There are also no construction growing pains like what the SN is currently experiencing. We won’t have the advantage of being across the street from the Post Office – many customers considered it a one-stop-shop, but we are walking distance from the Krema Nut Company. Their peanut butter milkshakes are a pretty awesome draw. We were very careful when choosing a new location to find a spot that would be easy and convenient for our current customers.

How do you feel about the move? I am sad to leave the Short North, where I have had such history. It always felt like I was a part of something bigger than just one person or one business. In college I started waitressing in the Short North in the early ‘80s at Mellman’s, where the Greek Church stands now. At Mellman’s I met great people like John Allen, Melaine Mahaffey, Steve and Bev Sevell who have become life-long friends. In 1989 I started working at Insty-Prints, Local Bar’s current spot. It is also where I met my future business partner, Dave Ramirez. I feel like I grew up in the Short North. But, that being said, I am being positive and looking at the move as an opportunity to become part of a new community while still keeping ties to my Short North roots.

How does Dave feel about the move?
From Dave: It’s sad that small businesses like ours can’t survive the rising rents. I get it, everyone wants to make as much money as they can, but how much is enough? I hate to see the Short North become just another bar district and lose the diversity and entrepreneurial spirit that makes it so unique. The Short North was a very unique small business incubator – the rents were reasonable and startups were the norm. You could walk down the street and find business owners sweeping sidewalks and washing their shop windows.

What is your most popular service?
Our most popular service has been printing with our Digital Color Press. The quality, speed and accuracy of the color, along with our attention to detail has made the process affordable for even the smallest budget. We can make a variety of projects like wedding invitations, brochures, variable data envelopes and even perfect bound books! We have been good about keeping up on all the amazing technological changes in the printing industry.

How have clients responded?
We have a few clients who are unhappy that we are further away – neighborhood folks who walk in for copies or just to say hello. Some of our clients are disappointed that “yet another small business is pushed out because of high rents.” But most of our clients understand that the price of the district’s popularity is growth and reinvention. Change is inevitable and we all make the best of it every day. We have a lot of supporters who are excited about this new chapter and see the potential for r design & printing to have a new market in Grandview. I don’t think we will lose anyone because of the move. Many people have already stopped in at the new location and say it’s much easier to get to and there are no crazy construction road closings to slow them down.

What is your fondest memory of the Short North?
I have many fond memories of the Short North, but I have to say one of the warmest memories is when Dave and I started r design & printing. In 2004 we had to abruptly leave the company in which we had worked for over 14 years. We both had families to support, mortgages and no other income. Overnight we opened r design with my laptop, a chair and a box to use as a table. Our customers brought supplies! Diane Keiner gave us a cigar box and change to use as a cash drawer, INFOhio brought sharpies, Mary McDonald fed us lots of homemade muffins, Advance Graphics gave us a key to their shop so we could print jobs on their equipment after hours, Tasi Rigsby brought us a real table to use, Java Kitrick gave us chairs. Tony Palmby of Ricoh brought us our first black-and-white copier with no paperwork or even a credit approval in place. Cameron Mitchell Restaurants sent us lunch! So many people gave us moral and emotional, as well as business support – it was apparent that the Short North was more than a business district. It was a community. I will always be grateful for that positive beginning to the scariest chapter of my career!

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