End of an era

When I first moved to Bellingham it was in the fall of 2003. I moved in with my Uncle, got a job and moved out. Through my job I met Jeff Kraus. He had a screenprint shop and made his own hemp shirts for his business Naked Clothing. At some point, I think in the spring of 2004 I started helping him in his shop with his printing. I had taken a class back east at NASCAD 5 or so years before and I guess that qualified me for the job. The print shop was in the basement of an old office building facing on an alley. The space its self was huge and kept moving back into catacombs filled with so much crap and junk, Jeff was a bit of a collector. The press and ancient oven (which would sometimes stop working without warning) were in the front near the garage style roll up doors, that were the only source of natural light. Heat was optional and came and went as different heaters were installed and then broke. Printing in the winter was really pure misery. However, this was the printshop and it was where I did all my printing and started Red Boots in the spring of 2004. I helped Jeff up until this July whan I finally got set up to work in my own studio. All together Jeff and I spent 4 plus years there together. There are some stories I have! Yesterday I went over to clean the rest of the screens that had piled up before we need to move them all, there were about 50 in all!! The space is mostly cleaned out and nearly everything is gone except for the printing equipment and the fish tank which will be the last to go. I felt rather nostalgic looking around, as much as I hated it at times it was a really cool experience. I guess I feel like I have earned where I am now with all the luxeries like heat and light!! Jeff has a new place in Sedro Wooley and we will still see each other, I will still be cleaning his screens, and we will still eat lots of sushi!