In celebration of Small Business Saturday on November 30, I'm starting a new blog series: Small Biz Spotlight. First up: Austin Press of San Francisco, California. Enjoy and shop small y'all!

While on the hunt for unique and romantic wedding invitations, my mother and I discovered Austin Press. It was love at first sight.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Kim and her work while designing our wedding invites and knew I had to meet her one day and pay her studio a visit. This past fall I got my chance.

On a strangely sunny September afternoon, Madeline and I shopped in The Mission, then made our way down through Potrero Hill to Pier 70, the Noonan Building, and Austin Press.

Kim Austin, began her career in fine art photography, but made the change to letterpress in 2004 with the creation of Austin Press. Inspired by days gone by and pretty papers from the Victorian era, Austin creates modern yet nostalgic one of a kind notecards printed on an antique Chandler & Price press. Enamored with her bright space sprinkled with trinkets, old books, letters, and dried flowers, I took to my camera.

We caught up like old friends bonding a love of midcentury furniture, vintage postcards, and strong coffee, as Madeline and I pillaged the Austin Press sample boxes. Kim also shared her latest venture with us- AP signature environmentally friendly candles. She is a packaging genius; they smell good too.

Can't wait to see what she comes up with next. Learn more about Austin Press here!

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emily hines

Raised in the South with a love of Spanish moss, craftsman bungalows and front porches, I am Emily Hines, writer, dreamer and beer drinker. You can find me strolling down a century old city block snapping iPhone photos of colorful facades and searching for flea market treasures.

With my burly husband Ryan, I enjoy searching for edible mushrooms to escape the hum of the city. He proudly donned the beard and man bun way before it reached the masses – a critical point he’ll remind you of whenever he sees an Urban Outfitters.

Dog mom to two wild black lab pups: Junebug, in honor of the summer beetles she’d follow around as a puppy and Lula, my swimmer who was named after the Tallulah river in Georgia. Both constant companions.

My traveling goal is to find the hidden gems. There are stories everywhere, you just have to find them. Let’s hit the road.

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