Located in the beautiful coastal town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Gus & Ruby Letterpress is another all-star stationery store we’re proud to call a Bella Figura retailer. Their shop specializes in artisan letterpress stationery, gifts and paper goods, with a focus on small, independent brands. Named after their super adorable dogs, Gus & Ruby is owned by friends Samantha and Whitney, a third generation letterpress printer. These ladies are a wealth of knowledge, ideas and keen design sense. If you’re in the Portsmouth area stop by to say hello!

Q & A with Sam and Whitney of Gus & Ruby Letterpress

What’s your favorite thing to do in your town?
An ideal Portsmouth day would include a trip to the farmer’s market, a puppy playdate for Gus and Ruby at the dog park, lunch on the decks and then some delicious ice cream from Annabelle’s.

What’s your favorite past time or hobby outside of work?
We both love to cook, bake and watch reality TV. What can we say? We have high-brow stationery sense and low-brow entertainment preferences! Whitney is a multi-sport athlete (tennis, field hockey and ski racing) so she enjoys some good competition and Samantha is an equestrian and spends her free time at the stable.

Can you share a recent favorite read or find?
We both share books back and forth all the time. Recently, we both read and loved Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.

An interest, hobby, or something you’re passionate about:
Our mutual passion is definitely our dogs, Gus and Ruby. They are our muses and our furry babies.

Five things you couldn’t live without:
Gus & Ruby (we’re counting them as 1)
Our moms (who each work for us 1 day a week)
Liz (our rockstar employee)
Flatbread Pizza
Glee