When the owners of Gus & Ruby Letterpress, with stores in Portsmouth, N.H., and Portland, Maine, went looking for a new location for their custom design and print studio, it didn’t take them long to settle on Charles Street.
“From our market research, we knew lots of our customers live in metro-Boston, and we got feedback from our current clientele that quickly identified Beacon Hill as the ideal location for our third store,” said Samantha Finigan, who launched the business 11 years ago with her best friend, Whitney Swaffield. “And it’s also such a vibrant neighborhood that we expect a lot of people who are traveling will come see us.”
Finigan, who grew up in Marblehead, and Swaffield, raised in Wolfboro, N.H., named the business after their respective dogs, Gus and Ruby. Their first store opened in New Hampshire in 2009; the Maine location launched in August of 2017; and a third will soon open at 99 Charles St., although Finigan is reticent to say exactly when.
“Because this is our third store, we’ve learned the hard way not to give a firm date,” she said, “but we’re hoping to open by the end of this month.”
On Charles Street, Gus & Ruby will occupy an approximately 1,000 square-foot storefront, specializing in creating unique, one-of-a-kind invitations to weddings and other special events; birth announcements; and customized letterhead.
“Our bread and butter is custom design and foil-letter press, which is a very niche artisan technique,” Finigan said, “and we specialize in bespoke wedding invitations.”
Above all else, though, Finigan is looking forward to Gus & Ruby becoming an integral part of the Beacon Hill community.
“We are a small business committed to getting to know our community,” she said, “and we believe that beautiful, thoughtful things can bring joy to our lives.”
Visit www.gusandruby.com for more information.