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

Shayna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I had been in my little 100 sq ft studio space in Pilsen for 3 years and was desperately running out of space. We were getting monthly wholesale orders from Paper Source (the national chain) for 2000 – 5000 units. I was regularly adding products to my line, and was finding it difficult to fit printing presses, post-production, and warehouse along with employees and interns all in that one small space. We were regularly shifting piles of product around the space to make room to work in different areas.

At that time I was commuting 30-45 minutes a day, and I desperately wanted to find a studio in my neighborhood. I had been living Logan Square for many years at that point and just purchased property there.

It was a no-brainer that I wanted my next space to be in Logan. I had lived there for years and had no plan of leaving, wanted a short commute to work and wanted to contribute to the neighborhood i loved.

There weren’t many options in Logan Square that were similar to my current studio space, so I started looking into moving into a store front. I knew i had to move, but I storefronts were out of my price range, so I began to rethink my strategy.

If I moved into a store front and used part of the space for retail, I could keep production and warehouse in the back and use retail sale to supplement the rent. With that in mind I being looking specifically for storefronts that could support retail and began researching what it would take to have a successful retail business. Although the idea to open a retail shop started off as a supplement to my wholesale and greeting card business, it quickly became my new obsession. I knew it was risk, but it was an exciting risk that reignited my passion for business.

The space I had my eyes on was on a busy street, close to public transportation and restaurants, and a half a mile from my house. It was more than 3 times the space I was currently occupying, and almost four times the rent. I spent a lot of time crunching numbers, talking to other retailers and understanding what was feasible.

I took the leap knowing how much work and what a risk it would be. 6 years later our little shop has become a neighborhood stable, survived a pandemic and continues to thrive. It’s so much work, but I’m so thankful I followed my passion and listened to my instincts despite the potential risks involved.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Shayna Norwood and my company is Steel Petal Press a letterpress stationery company based in Chicago Illinois. I started Steel Petal Press when I decided to print holiday cards to send to friends and family living in far and wide. At the time I was new to Chicago, in my first year at grad school earning my MFA in Book and Paper Arts and I was far away from everyone I knew. After printing my letterpress projects for school, I would use the school’s studios to print personal work in my spare time. I found stores to sell any extra cards I had printed, and the company grew from there. The first two years, I operated Steel Petal Press on very part time basis. I focused on my schoolwork and other art projects, and would only print new cards when I had and the chance and inspiration. In January 2011 I went full time doing mostly wedding invitations. In 2013 I exhibited at my first trade show selling greeting cards wholesale. In 2016 I moved my wholesale printing operation to a mixed retail and studio space which is now our current business model.

We do about 50% wholesale / 50% retail. Our greeting cards and products are sold in over 750 independent retailers nationwide and national retailers like Paper Source and Barnes and Noble.

I’m most proud to be a part of some very vibrant, unique and supportive communities. The Logan Square neighborhood in Chicago is where I live and work. The other businesses, chamber of commerce and residents here make Logan Square a truly special place to be. Being in the stationery and gift industry for so many years I’ve established many close relationships with stationery people across the country through workshops, retreats and in-person events like trade shows. Many of these relationships I’ve formed through online communities as well. Additionally the letterpress community (how I initially got my start) is full of old printers looking to pass on their wisdom and tricks of the trade.

You are only as strong as the people you surround yourself with, and I’m super thankful for these amazing communities.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I would say PIVOT was the word for 2020. As a retail shop and a wholesale business that relies on brick and mortar locations an in-store shopping to sell things, the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns put Steel Petal Press in a precarious position and we had to rethink our business model FAST. We quickly figured out how to put everything online, leveraged social media to activate our local customer base and relied heavily on government money to keep us afloat, especially during shelter-in-place orders.

Once we slowly opened back up, it was a constant reassessment on how to keep our employees, our customers and the community as a whole safe all while navigating the unknown.

Any advice for managing a team?

For Steel Petal Press as a small business, our staff is everything. We aren’t able to offer some of the financial benefits of a larger company, but we try to make up for that in creating a sense of community and camaraderie amongst staff. We do this via weekly staff meetings (usually 15-30 minutes) where each member of the team shares what they’ve been working on. We have quarterly check-ins with staff to get a sense of how they’re feeling about the job. And we host an off-site employee fun time activity so people get to spend time getting to know each other outside of work. EFTs have been anything from a sushi making class, to a game night, to darts or bowling.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.steelpetalpress.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steelpetalpress/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steelpetalpress
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynanorwood/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/steel-petal-press-chicago
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/steelpetalpress https://steelpetalpress.faire.com/ https://wholesale.steelpetalpress.com/

Image Credits
Jennifer Kathryn Photography Verb House Creative