A true neighborhood staple, Print Mor, a family-owned full-service printing business, has been printing and creating for folks in the neighborhood for decades. We recently sat down with Victor Ross, the current owner, to learn more about the store and its history in the neighborhood.
How long has Print Mor been in the neighborhood?
Print Mor opened at 66 Bleecker Street in 1987, so that is a total of 32 years in NoHo.
What’s the history of the company in the neighborhood?
We started as a 200 square foot copy shop that made black and white copies and sent faxes only. Back then there was a big difference in the neighborhood due to the crime and the landlord really didn’t want to give my father Stan Ross a lease. The landlord wasn’t wrong and it wasn’t easy but we figured it out and made the most out of it. We had to try new things and had flyer guys out on every corner in the neighborhood to get the word out that we were there. There was no internet and no Google, so we really had to get in peoples faces to be noticed by local companies, residents and the many artists that lived here. Fast forward to 2020, we evolved from a local mom and pop shop on the block to a full service print shop that offers over 20 different services and provides printing for clients and customers in NYC, and many out of state customers.
You’ve mentioned that you’ve been in the shop since you were a young kid, do you have any favorite memories of the neighborhood in the 80s and 90s?
When my father first opened I was about 7 years old and just walking around the neighborhood and stopping at every local store to say hi, it was very normal. There was the shoe maker. They had a storefront at I believe 62 Bleecker. They had a son Chris I used to hang out a lot with when my dad was busy. We used to get 4 quarters each and walk to Blimpies located a couple of stores over from Hans Deli and play games like Street fighter. It was a very different neighborhood, everyone knew everyone and looked out for each other’s kids in the neighborhood.
As a print shop you have a unique look into the neighborhood. What are some of the most unique and interesting clients you’ve had?
At this point we had worked with every big name client you can think of from Ralph Lauren, Nike, Amazon to Google. It’s pretty amazing when you work on a project and once you create the printed products you then see them in national advertising campaigns. It’s just great to be a part of something so unique and out of this world. There is huge planning that goes into these projects. Its more than just a quick thought, but now a full team signs off before we go to press.
What’s your favorite type of project to work on?
Our favorite projects are the ones we start from scratch. When a customer comes to us with a idea and ask us to create it for them. Our team of designers will come up with different concepts from that one idea and, with the client, we finalize it to make it perfect and print ready. For me seeing the overall path from idea to physical product in hand is the best thing to work on.
Any other memorable stories of the neighborhood?
I have seen 99% of the neighborhood change from the stores in the neighborhood, types of stores, to the physical footprint we’re in today. Its bittersweet to say the least.
What’s your favorite thing about NoHo?
Growing up in Manhattan and seeing all the different neighborhoods, there is nothing like my NoHo. Working in a neighborhood like NoHo has all the benefits. With a strong fashion and design aesthetic and non-stuffy corporate feel, there is no other neighborhood I would rather be in.
Any favorite businesses in the neighborhood?
I’m pretty much a workaholic but when I get out and travel out my favorites places around is Angelique, Gonzales and Gonzales, Hans Deli, NoHo Newsstand, Coco and Cru, and Maria Tash to name a few.
