I have discovered a wonderful organization, The Los Angeles Obscura Society, they organize some very interesting trips around the Los Angeles area. It was through them that I was able to visit the Judson studios.
So this past week I had the opportunity to visit another fascinating business, Kater-Craft Bookbinders, the last remaining bookbinding business in southern CA. I’m sure there are people who do this kind of work on a small scale, but this is a real business. It is over 60 years old and has an interesting trajectory, from binding large scale projects for libraries, to one of a kind books, rebinding old Bibles as well as menu covers for restaurants.
Pico Rivera is not a tourist destination, but in a nondescript industrial park, this is what greets the visitor. A marvelous mid-century modern building.
I’m not a big fan of mid-century modern. But I must say, the more one learns about a style, the more exposure one gets, the more one appreciates it. This is true of anything, from classical music to art or design. So I am no longer indifferent to this period and I have developed an appreciation, if not a love for it.
Here we see the design continuing inside, with examples of some of the books and fonts used in the business.
I do love the use of the brick wall both inside and out.
Of course I asked the owners Bruce, Judy and Rick about the architect. They don’t know his name. The company was started by their father Mel 67 years ago in downtown LA. In 1965 they moved out to the hinterlands of Pico Rivera, theirs was the first business in the industrial park. Their mother was very artistic and she is the one who chose the architect and the design. Owning the building is what allows them to stay in business with only 25 employees.
The entrance is decorated with an old press, they are still using some very old equipment on the actual factory floor.
This lamp has to be an original, they have two of them.
One of the many unique books they have bound, The Thorn Birds, by Colleen Mccullough, bound in Kangaroo leather and fur. They will use many interesting materials for one of a kind books. This is the kind of thing many artisan binders will do as well.
Before going on to the next post, the actual factory floor I must share what Bruce shared with us about paper. Paper has grain. As someone who works with fabric, I am very very aware of grain and how it affects the end product. The same is true of paper, although many people who work with books and paper have no idea, which is why some books are superior to others and last longer – simply because the printer and binder are aware of the properties of the material they are using.
Leah