Meet Lauren Stapleton | printer & co-owner of Wolf & Wren Press

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Stapleton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

My background is in printmaking, bookbinding, and book conservation. After working with books and specifically conservation of old books while working at Colorado State University’s Morgan Library I became interested in how those books were printed. I already had an undergraduate degree in printmaking and realized that letterpress was the intersection of everything I had been doing. After college I moved to the Bay Area and worked at Taurus bookbindery in San Francisco. Simultaneously I took some letterpress printing classes at San Francisco’s Center for the Book. After that I started working for Hello Lucky, a greeting card company, as one of their printers.

It was at that time that I realized I wanted to run my own business with letterpress printing being the focus. It coincided with Liz, my business partner, graduating with her MA from Columbia College Chicago in Book Arts so we were on the same path. Letterpress was making a resurgence and I was excited to see what Liz and I could collaboratively create.

I moved back to Colorado from California, bought my first press and started talking to Liz about card ideas that she would illustrate and I would print.  We did our first batch of 5 cards around 2011/2012 while we were both working our full time career jobs. Our first big break was when a Paper Source buyer came to a Chicago Renegade Craft Fair in 2014. Liz had a booth with a small selection of cards and prints. The Paper Source buyer wanted to sell large quantities of our greeting card showing a mother and baby unicorn with the text “Let the Magic Begin” below. This gave us the confidence and capital to start putting more time into our little side gig. We registered the business in 2014 and it wasn’t until 2019 that we were both able to leave our jobs and start pursuing Wolf & Wren full time. We have been growing this business slow and steady for over ten years.

After hearing about a small Main Street facing space becoming available in 2022, we decided it was time to take another big leap and open a small greeting card/stationery store in Longmont. We can now finally watch our customers interacting with the heartfelt products we have thoughtfully created. Our mission of spreading more joy and positivity is the reason we do this. I feel so lucky I get to witness that happening.

What should our readers know about your business?

Wolf & Wren is a woman owned long-distance friendship based business whose number one goal is spreading positivity through connection. We design and manufacture most of the products we sell.

We are proud members of 1% for the Planet meaning we give back 1% of annual sales to environmental causes. Through our membership we support organizations that create positive environmental change. Also, the production of our cards is carbon neutral.

We are artists and creators so our wheelhouse is really the creative piece. We never have a shortage of ideas. I’m always excited about new products and new card designs. It is extremely fun to see an idea turned into a tangible thing.

The way we got to where we are today was from simply staying the course with adaptations along the way. Adding or taking away when we needed to, but sometimes just weathering the storm is the hardest. For example, Covid was a very challenging time since we primarily sold to brick + mortar stores and they all closed. We made it to the other side by staying lean and adaptable. Coming out of that challenging time had us realize we needed to diversify our business.  We have really been focusing on that these past couple years.

We are a best friend duo, Wolf & Wren Press creates clever and delightful letterpress goods. We create a feel good product you will want to share with those who matter most.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Me and my family try to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. If I only had one day I would wake up early and drive into the Brainard Lake Recreation area. We would paddle board on Brainard Lake to watch the sunrise, then hike to Lake Isabelle where we would stop to paint some watercolors for a couple hours and have lunch. Then on the way down we would stop for some dry fly fishing in the St. Vrain and Mitchell Creek. Finally we would settle down for an evening picnic next to Brainard, have a beer, and enjoy some brook trout we just caught. That would be a fun day! 

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, my best friend and business partner, Liz Wolf, deserves equal recognition for her contributions to Wolf & Wren.  She has been a steady force of positivity and creativity.  Also thanks to the love and support of my husband, Matt Stapleton. He is my behind the scenes business consultant, art enthusiasts, and adventure partner.  

Website: wolfandwren.com

Instagram: wolfwren

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolfandwren

Image Credits
photo credit: Branded Beet