While I was up in Nash Vegas, causing unspoken shenanigans with Matt Geib, Joe, Jon and Kris Koon, we swung by Hatch Show Print, an American icon of graphic design – a time capsule of print making, music history and southern culture. Since 1879, The Hatch family has been printing letterpress posters for everything from circuses to concerts to sporting events. Their unapologetic use of bold color and typefaces makes me kinda warm inside and since every poster is handmade with either wood or metal type blocks and photo prints, there’s a nostalgic beauty to every piece that bears their name… and believe me, with over 125 years of history, there’s a lot – everything from Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard to Sigur Ros and My Morning Jacket. Their shop is crammed with drawers and shelves full of woods blocks and poster paper and there isn’t a bare spot to be found on the walls of their shop. And there is only one piece of technology that reminds you what year it actually is – a computer used for retail sales – there’s even a dingy piece of masking tape on the floor behind the counter that says “the 21st Century ends here.” Here’s hoping they keep it that way for a long time.
