The Ruff House Story
Ruff House is a woman owned and run letterpress print shop in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. Each product we create expresses our love of the outdoors and adventure, small-town values and positivity. In 2009, I followed a dream of “someday” and bought a 1915 antique letterpress, quit my designer day job and Ruff House was born. Five years later, in 2014 I upped my solopreneur game, moved my print shop out of my basement and into a gorgeous downtown space and topped it off with a stationery & gift retail store. Today, our team of 14 women spends the day creating products, fulfilling orders and chatting up local customers!
Our best-selling line of gifts and stationery features hand letterpress printed artwork created by us and has appeared in over 3000 independent boutiques around the world and select national retailers like Anthropologie and Paper Source. In addition to home office stationery such as planners, calendars, greeting cards, and pencils, we also create home goods products like notepads, recipe books, coasters and enamel pins.
Chandler & Price
Manufactured in 1915
Used For :
Printing Notebook Covers, Coasters
& Seeded Paper
Heidelberg Windmill
Manufactured in 1955
Used For :
Printing Greeting Cards & Pocket
Notebook Covers
Kluge
Manufactured in 1933
Used For :
Diecutting Pencil Packaging
Jill Shephard
Owner | DesignerI live in Lawrence, KS with my husband, Brian, and our two girls, Mila & Brynlee. I was born and raised a small town, farmer’s daughter from the middle of no where Kansas. That upbringing nourished my love of adventure and the outdoors and later on my desire for entrepreneurship. I have been living out this dream of mine, growing Ruff House since 2009. It has come a long way in 11 years. Starting in a spare bedroom, printing in our garage to moving all the equipment into our basement to finally moving into our beautiful downtown location, adding on the retail store in 2014.
I’m inspired by everyday life. My husband and our friendship, our kids and their laughter and the stationery industry and all the talented folks in it. I’m excited to work every day and it never seems to get old. I strive to work hard and make a positive impression on my daughters so they’ll learn the value of hard work and determination. The sky’s the limit. Lots of coffee, tears, laughter, and stress can create magical things. I always have something brewing.
