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The year 2009 was a terrible year to be graduating and entering the job market. The recession had made jobs scarce, and even though starting a small business had never been in the works before, it became the most viable option for Danielle Chargo, a graduate of Grand View’s Graphic Design program.

Letterpress started out as a hobby for Chargo during her time at GV.

“(It was) just for fun at that point, and then I kind of kept doing more of it,” Chargo said.

“Trying to figure out where you want your business to go and what that looks like sometimes can be challenging.”

—Danielle Chargo

Her parents and professors had encouraged her to pursue her artistic passions, and she now was finding a way to support herself by sharing her creativity with the world through card-making. The logistics of starting her own business were tricky, especially finding the right space for her presses, the largest of which weighs 2,500 pounds.

Through these challenges, Chargo learned that sometimes one has to let go of parts of the business that are not working properly. The product has to be something that customers will actually want to buy. And Chargo’s business, Iron Leaf Press, has found its niche. Her storefront in Mt. Vernon, a small college town between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, has been successful so has her online shop.

The letterpress process involves either hand-setting type or creating an illustration (by hand or on the computer) and getting the printing plates ready. The paper is then pressed onto the printing plate to pick up the colored lettering or design. This process is repeated for each color. Because each color requires its own printing plate, the more colors used the more expensive a letterpress product will be. Chargo uses the letterpress to design greeting cards to sell via her online shop or retail store, as well as more custom products such as wedding invitations and personalized stationery.

To gain artistic inspiration for designing her products, Chargo references books, magazines and color palettes from photographs. She prefers physical objects for inspiration over online images; however, the most difficult part of the creative process is simply setting aside intentional time to ensure that the busy schedule of being a wife, mother and small business owner still lends time for artistic creations.

“A lot of it for me is just dedicating the time to do it,” Chargo said.

“It’s always different, and it’s always challenging. Every day is different.”

—Danielle Chargo

Running her own business has allowed Chargo to experience more freedom than she previously had in the freelance work that she did throughout college and prior to the official start of Iron Leaf Press in late 2011. With that freedom does come added responsibility. Chargo said that sometimes she has to push through obstacles alone because there is no one else to do the work. Despite the difficulties, Chargo enjoys her work and the variety that it offers.

The variety of her work can make it difficult to plan what the future will look like, but she is planning to push her wholesale line in order to further expand the business.

“You know you see yourself going places, and then you don’t end up there,” Chargo said.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the perfect example of this. Chargo never would have foreseen having to close her storefront for two to three months this year. Because she already had an online component to the business, she was able to continue working in some capacity and carry herself and her business through the difficult time. Chargo shared that a positive she has experienced from the pandemic is new collaborations with other companies that would not have happened without the crisis.

Collaborations and support from both customers and other small-business owners have been important to surviving the pandemic challenges. She encouraged those interested in starting their own business to make those connections.

“Don’t be afraid to make other business friends and see what they’re doing,” Chargo said. “Ask for help.”

She said that Google can also be a friend to a new business owner who is unsure of what to do.

“There’s never a perfect time to start a business; there’s never going to be like the stars align and this is ‘go time,’” Chargo said. “I’m kind of a believer that done is better than perfect.”

That is not to say that Chargo does not strive for perfection when possible. In 2018, one of her greeting cards gained national recognition by winning a ‘Louie’ from the Greeting Card Association. Chargo described this award as the “academy award for greeting cards” and sees it as one of the accomplishments she is most proud of with her business.

Chargo’s work has been noticed by other businesses too. Several years ago, when Chargo’s artwork was shown at the Des Moines Arts fest, another small business owner, Chrissy Jensen, discovered her letterpress cards.

“Her letterpress work fit our shop perfectly, and she was generous enough to let us carry her cards,” Jensen said.

Jensen’s business, called Domestica, is in its 10th year and based out of Des Moines although her products are currently available online-only due to COVID-19. She loves being able to partner with other small business owners, especially other women-owned businesses, by selling their modern, hand-made products at Domestica. And Chargo’s letterpress cards have been a perfect fit.

“Crafting hand-printed cards is so labor-intensive, which is respectable enough, but Danielle’s cards are also always on-trend, and she really pays attention to presentation,” Jensen said.

Chargo is excited to be increasing her wholesale line at Iron Leaf Press and partnering with other small businesses like Domestica around the country. Despite the early challenges that she faced starting her career during a recession, Chargo has been able to use her artistic gifts to create meaningful products that help people connect and celebrate important moments and events in their lives.