After 75 years, The Sherwood Press in Olympia seeks funds for key upgrades, repairs

For 75 years, The Sherwood Press has kept a home in the woods, nestled among towering firs overlooking Capitol Lake where it produces a range of printed materials on a Heidelberg press.

The Heidelberg, known as a “windmill” press for the way it moves, has been the beating heart of the business since 1953.

But after all those years spent in a 420-square-foot English Revival-style cottage, the building and surrounding area is in need of some repairs.

That has led current owner and former longtime apprentice Jami Heinricher to launch a 45-day crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.com that ends on Dec. 14. So far, so good because the business has already raised about $10,500.

The primary goal is to raise $13,500 to replace the south wall of the tiny structure, as well as remove a Douglas fir that is estimated to be about 175 feet tall. The tree is beginning to press up against the cottage, while the “root ball,” which surrounds the base of the tree, is lifting up a corner of the building, including the toilet inside.

If the campaign achieves its secondary goal of $19,000, the plan is to improve site drainage, replace siding and paint the building, Heinricher said. A further goal, if funds are available, is to replace the driveway asphalt, she said.

Meanwhile, the work of The Sherwood Press will carry on, printing materials, for example, for the Olympia Coffee Roasting Co., such as labels and business cards.

Although design work now takes place on a computer, the finished product still is run through a machine that remains durable and reliable.

“In general, it is built like a tank,” said Heinricher about the press.

The Sherwood Press was started by Jocelyn Dohm in 1940, after she graduated from the University of Washington in 1936 and built the cottage with her father. They didn’t have to travel far because it was built just uphill from the Dohm family residence.

Heinricher who had an interest in calligraphy and book binding was encouraged to visit The Sherwood Press in 1989 when she was 25. She then never stopped coming back for the next 14 years, eventually learning from Dohm and taking over the business.

Dohm passed away at 85 in 2003.

Fall is a special time for the business, too, because Dohm was born in late October and died Nov. 17, Heinricher said. Her urn was buried on the property and the dog tags from all the dogs she owned over the years have been hung on a nearby tree, she said.

Asked what Dohm enjoyed about her work, Heinricher said it was everything — the printing, supporting her community and being master of her own destiny.

Step into The Sherwood Press cottage, with its inviting hearth, wooden interior and old press and it’s hard not to be charmed, said Terry Bunce, Heinricher’s partner. He, too, has learned to run print jobs on the machine.

“It’s just a wonderful craft,” he said.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 4:40 PM with the headline "After 75 years, The Sherwood Press in Olympia seeks funds for key upgrades, repairs."