Though many of us commute to an office or work from home these days, artisans in LOU are keeping the trades of the past alive — whether that’s milling their own flour for dough or developing 19th century tintype photographs .
That’s why we’re delving into four local businesses that are bringing the magic of the old world into today.
River City Tintype , 324 E. College St.
Invented by Adolphe-Alexandre Martin in the 1850s, tintypes were the main means of documenting the US Civil War + the process works nowadays by coating an enameled aluminum plate with light-sensitive chemicals to capture striking, silvery portraits.
DYK: A tintype photo doesn’t produce a reversed image like modern photography? For example, pull out your phone, hold up your right hand and snap a selfie. Now look at the photo and you’ll see your right hand is now on the left side of the image. Tintypes don’t do that.
How to get yours: Book your session online or hire Rudy Salgado , the owner + photographer, for your next event
Hound Dog Press , 785 S. Shelby St.
Remember that class at the How-To Festival on how to print like Gutenberg? This is the company behind the press, and Nick Baute — the owner + operator — hand feeds each custom greeting card, invitation, and print through his antique equipment that dates back to 1862.
How to order prints: Send an email if you’re looking for something specific or shop the website
The 1862 Washington Press is one of several antique printers at Hound Dog Press. | Photo by Nick Baute
MozzaPi , 12102 La Grange Rd.
The impressive stone fixtures on this Anchorage-based property are enough to transport us back to medieval Europe, especially the stone mill the restaurant uses to make flour for its pizzas called the “Louismill.” MozzaPi also offers a five-day bread camp where you can learn to bake with the best of ‘em.
How to try: MozzaPi is open
- Tues.-Fri., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Sat., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Sun., 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Scroll & Ink , online
Though the store will be closed through mid-July, local artisan Kris Stewart has been bookbinding for the last 20 years. Her leatherbound journals find many uses like tasting notebooks and mini journal gifts + she offers journal page refills for you wordy wordsmiths.
How to buy: Sign up for the Scroll & Ink newsletter
for updates on the store’s reopening