Today we’d like to introduce you to Shadi Ayoub.
Hi Shadi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Cleveland but grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, where my family owned and operated a print shop. Growing up in a print family, I was immersed in ink and paper at a young age as I watched my father work the presses to eventually start learning the trade from him and the older traditional operators of these beautiful vintage machines. After the passing of my father in 2013, I decided to continue his work and took over the family print shop where I managed the business. At the end of 2019, the political and economic situation in Beirut got worse, so I decided to move to Cleveland in hopes of a fresh start in a more stable environment. I founded The 961 Collective, a letterpress printing studio and educational resource offering workshops and collaborations with artists. Slowly building the studio one press at a time and restoring them during covid, The 961 Collective facility is now a fully equipped shop with several different traditional letterpress machines, a paper cutter, type cabinets, and all the tools needed for letterpress printing projects.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Starting a business is very rewarding, especially if you are pursuing your dream; however, it is by no means a walk in the park. In addition to the struggles of entrepreneurship, I had to deal with the challenge of changing countries, laws, language, and currency all while having minimal startup funds due to everyone’s savings being frozen in the banking crisis in Beirut. After somehow managing to maneuver through all of that, I was ready to take on the print world but covid hit. Everything was suddenly on hold, which meant no invitation cards, business cards, coasters, or anything that involved people gathering. That was a challenging time, but temporarily pivoting the work to more commercial projects such as takeout bags and packaging really helped keep the operation going. Eventually things started opening up and the work shifted into more artisanal projects that really push the limits of the presses and result in beautiful finished products. Every challenge has been a learning opportunity that has helped deal better with the next one. Looking back at the series of recent events, I am beyond grateful and proud to be doing what I love in a fully equipped studio in Cleveland, printing projects every day!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.The 961 collective is a letterpress printing & hot foil stamping studio in Cleveland, Ohio producing high-quality artisanal prints such as stationery, art prints, invitation cards, business/product cards, postcards, coasters, bookmarks, packaging solutions, and more. Items are handmade and letterpress printed using restored vintage presses on 100% cotton paper with a beautiful impression. All the paper waste from the trimmings of projects is now being repurposed into recycled handmade paper that gets printed on in an attempt to be more sustainable and strive to be a greener business.
In addition to The 961 Collective serving client’s letterpress needs, it is also an educational resource hosting workshops and a collaborative space where artists from all over the world are involved and spotlighted through collab print projects.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
It’s hard to define success by one quality, but I think one of the most important traits to have is perseverance, to keep going even when times are tough, and you can’t really see the finish line. A positive attitude of “I will figure it out” is very important since as small business owners, we wear so many hats and are expected to fill just about all the job positions of an organization most of the time. Lastly, in regards to letterpress in specific, I think attention to detail and a willingness to experiment with the process are pivotal to the success and growth as a creative.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.the961collective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the961collective/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the961collective
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