Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mary Bruno. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mary, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I inherited my letterpress printshop from my late father, Don Bruno, who was an art professor for many years. He was an incredible designer and a wonderful teacher. He acquired all of his equipment in the mid 80s when all the local letterpress print shops were tossing all of their type and presses to make room for the next form of printing technology. My father was there and got his pick of type and presses move into a studio he had built onto the garage. I got to spend a lot of time in that shop with him while I was in college and after I graduated. I moved away to Madison, Wisconsin after I got my BFA in printmaking at St. Cloud State but would return home to print in the shop with my father. He passed away suddenly in 2003 which was the first time in my life I felt a strong pull to return to rural Minnesota and try to make something of the print shop. It was really hard to be in the shop without my father, I felt (and continue to feel) so connected to him in that space, I wanted to preserve his legacy but also make it my own. I started printing swears on cards, cause I could, and cause it was funny, and 15 years ago there was not much of an “anti hallmark” representation. The cards were my big break and I continued to do the National Stationery Show in New York for about six years. I new nothing about how to run a business so it was all learning on the fly. The cards did really well and I loved it. I was creating printed things that people loved in the true tradition of letterpress printing, the way my father had taught me. My unique approach was and is to honor the craft of letterpress, to share it with as many people as I can, and to create things that are an extension of myself that others can enjoy.

Mary, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was always an art kid, and I followed heavily in my late fathers foot steps with a love for art, design and letterpress printing. I inherited my printshop when my father passed away suddenly in 2003 and since then I have been falling deeper and deeper in love with letterpress printing, letterpress people, and the whole letterpress process. I live to carve linoleum blocks, set type, talk smart, meet people who used to be printers, teach people that want to be printers, and connect to people that don’t know shit about printing, all while creating in some way.

Most of my days in the shop consist of drinking coffee, plotting hilarious things to print on pretty cards, playing with typography and organizing my business, my mind, and my desk top. Designing posters, setting type, and printing on my presses is my happy place. I love the way the ink smells, the way the type feels, and how the sun shines across my Vandercook in the middle of the day. I am a lucky kid, I love what I do and I am gratful for the legacy that I have and will continue to share with people.

I have taught interns at Bruno Press for over 10 years, I enjoy teaching what I do in the shop, virtually, and at residencies all around the world. I work hard to connect people, collaborate with other artists and businesses to further the message of small, local, and independent creatives. My work is an extension of myself, and is made up mainly of posters, a salty line of greeting cards, fine art reduction prints of my love of nature, and all sorts of hilarious ephemera that bring a smile to peoples faces.

I got to collaborate with local Potter in Residence at Saint John’s University, Richard Bresnehan on a huge piece that took almost a year to complete. I worked with a team of interns to letterpress print the Rule of Saint Benedict to complete a 36′ scroll that was then ensconced in a giant stone sculpture that Richard and his team completed! It was amazing and will be around for 100s of years to come.

My way of designing in simple and graphic, clean and to the point. I am inspired by many other designers and try not to take myself too seriously. I am proud of the network I have built, my ability to be open and share all that I create and how I do it. I work hard, lead well, and try to be inclusive, I love to give back and have raised funds for things I believe in and want to continue that work!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When the Pandemic hit I pivoted in a way that has really changed the trajectory of my business. I started reading kid books at noon on Facebook live on March 16, 2020. I called it Quarantine Storytime and it went viral. I was being a goofball and kids went bananas for it. I would get messages from parents around the frikkin globe about how grateful they were that they could park their kids in front of the laptop or TV for 30 minutes and go take a shower and have a minute. Kids were obsessed with me and it was not only good for them it helped me get through a difficult time as well. I created Kid Card Kits and printed a poster of some VERY inspiring words from our Governor and that poster blew to. It was the first time I really had so many eyeballs on me and my business. It taught me to be nimble and to move and react to things in a timely way. I pulled it off again with an Amanda Gorman poster as well as a Ruth Bader Ginsberg poster that was there when people needed it, and it was an absolute game changer. Making the decision to react to things as they happen was what put my business on a new path.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I think an adjustment that really changed my business presence on social media was discovering that people want to see everything, all the steps, the ENTIRE process of how I create. When I discovered that people go crazy watching me mixed ink, something that seems so innocuous, I decided to create videos and shots that document the whole process and people love it. They want to watch and learn and I am totally cool with it. I have come to a place in my creative career where I am not threatened to share what I how and how I work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mcbrunopress.com
• Instagram: Bruno Press
• Facebook: Bruno Press
• Linkedin: Bruno Press
• Twitter: Bruno_Press
• Youtube: Mary Bruno
• Other: TikTok- Bruno Press

Image Credits
Main photo is from: Switchboard Shop pics are from: Rubinski Visual