Jean Rudegeair, Rita Shealey and Dick Northway worked at The Antioch Publishing Company during the business' heyday. On Sunday, Aug. 18, Rudegeair will lead a presentation at the Senior Center on the labor and artwork of the publishing company. (Photo: YS News archives, 1989)
Presentation to recall Antioch Publishing Company
- Published: August 16, 2024
What began as a clever idea by Antioch College students nearly a century ago, would later grow into one of Yellow Springs’ largest employers over the course of its 86-year presence in the village.
It was the Antioch Publishing Company which, for many decades, designed and manufactured calendars, books, cards, journals, stickers, scrapbooking materials, bookplates and a bevy of other reading accessories — some of which are still in circulation today.
On Sunday, Aug. 18, at 2 p.m., former employees of Antioch Publishing will give a presentation, titled “It Started with Bookplates…” in the Senior Center’s Great Room.
With a focus on the history, labor and artwork of the publishing company, the talk will be led by longtime village resident, former creative director and YS Historical Society board member Jean Rudegeair.
“We’re going to share stories that many villagers may not know,” Rudegeair said. “People may have seen our books at Scholastic fairs or our bookmarks with our designs, but how did they get made? By who?”
In addition to a Rudegeair’s talk, the historical event will also feature eight tables that display a number of designs, original works of art and products from Antioch Publishing.
It all began in 1926 as the Antioch Bookplate Company when students Ernest Morgan and Walter Kahoe came up with the idea to use scrap paper from the college to make and sell bookmarks. Half a century later, in 1981, when sales surpassed $5 million from an ever-expanding product line, the company changed its name to the Antioch Publishing Company. That same decade, sales doubled and the company acquired Creative Memories and became one of the world’s largest direct-sales scrapbook and accessory suppliers.
Later renamed The Antioch Company, the Yellow Springs-grown business reached its peak in 2003, when about 175 employees worked at the business’ facility at 888 Dayton St. In 2008, The Antioch Company sold its bookplate division, and then, in 2012, Creative Memories closed its manufacturing plant in the village, relocating operations to St. Cloud, Minnesota, thereby ending The Antioch Company’s physical connection to Yellow Springs. Today, Creative Memories generates an estimated $536 million in annual revenue.
Rudegeair said many longtime villagers and local history buffs likely already know this history. Her presentation, then, will center more on Antioch Publishing’s heyday — specifically how the business ran on a day-to-day basis, and the creative and technical artistry that went into making products that could be found in shops and stores across the country.
“People knew about our huge building at the edge of town, but few people knew what actually went on in there,” Rudegeair said. “We did a lot.”
For her 24-year-long career with Antioch Publishing, Rudegeair wore many hats — like many of the employees at the company. She began in 1980 as a staff artist, then ascended to art director and eventually, creative director. Her most iconic and recurring designs were of cartoon bears — characters who appeared in children’s books, calendars and cards.
Rudegeair’s job often took her away from the drawing table. Because of the many licensing agreements Antioch Publishing had with film studios and media companies — which yielded many products with images from “Star Wars,” “Ghostbusters,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Garfield,” “The Beverly Hillbillies” and more — Rudegeair did a lot of traveling.
“At one point, I was at a Star Wars licensing meeting at the Lucas Ranch near San Francisco,” she said. “Paramount Studios, England, New York City, New Orleans — interesting places like those.”
Many of Antioch Publishing’s products that came from those far-flung licensing agreements will be on display at the Aug. 22 presentation, Rudegeair added.
“It’s really going to focus on the art and the products we made,” she said. “The history that people might not know, but that people still have seen in stores all over the place.”
“It Started with Bookplates…” will be presented on Sunday, Aug. 18, at 2 p.m. in the Senior Center’s Great Room. The talk is free and open to the public.
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