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GU I D E to Y E L L OW S P R I NG S | 2O22 – 2O23 49 Gardner moved to Orlando, Fla., in 2007, where she oper - ated Bookplate Ink for several years — though she said she kept her P.O. box in Yellow Springs just in case. “Almost as soon as I moved down there, I kind of wanted to come back,” she said. While Gardner was in Florida, The Antioch Company, from which Bookplate Ink had sprung, began a steady decline — it sold the publish- ing arm of its business to an Indiana company in 2008 and filed for bankruptcy the same year, temporarily bouncing back in 2009. By that time, the company had switched all of its focus to Creative Memories, its direct sales photo album and scrapbook - ing division, which had been established in the late 1980s. Creative Memories moved out of the village in 2012, and was sold in 2015 amid further bankruptcy and lawsuits. In 2014, Gardner and her husband, Kevin Stokes, moved back to the village, where Bookplate Ink continues to do steady business. Every week, Gardner sends orders around the world in custom boxes, which were designed by current YS News designer Matt Minde. Along with more than 150 traditional person - alized bookplate designs, Bookplate Ink also offers pre-printed, non-personalized bookplates — to be filled in by the owner’s hand — at a less expensive rate, continu - ing Ernest Morgan’s vision of making bookplates accessible. Nevertheless, Bookplate Ink has attracted some big names over the years, fielding orders from journalist Charles Kuralt and former President George W. Bush, among others. Though bookplates are cer - tainly not as popular as they were in the late 19th through mid-20th century, Gardner said their utility continues — sometimes in unexpected ways. For example, much of Bookplate Ink’s bread and butter comes from authors, who will often order book - plates featuring custom book art to sign and offer as promo - tional materials, crowdfund - ing rewards and as gifts to customers. Gardner said she received an uptick in these kinds of orders during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as authors were often unable to go on book tours and sign books for fans in person. The biggest order Bookplate Ink ever received, however, was not from a political figure or an author, but from a couple in their twilight years, who ordered 13,000 bookplates for their personal library. “The husband died about a year later, and the wife wrote to me and said that the two of them had had a really nice time putting the bookplates in the books together and talking about the memories surround- ing the books,” Gardner said. “It was a really sweet story.” It’s stories like these that make the work worthwhile for Gardner, who said the day-to-day duties can often be tedious or frustrating — espe - cially cutting the bookplates from sheets to individual rect- angles, as the industrial cutter she uses “has its own person- ality and sometimes seems a little grumpy,” she said. The human connection keeps Gardner invested in her work, and she prides herself on her relationship with her customers, many of whom have been ordering book - plates for decades. “That’s one of the things I really love — I’ve spoken to some of the same people for years,” she said. “Even though I’ve never met many of them, I kind of think of them as friends.” For a deep dive into archived art from the Antioch Bookplate/ Publishing Company from the 1930s through the 2000s, visit yshistory.org and click on “Bookplate Blog Posts.” ♦ Service Company,Inc. How well do you know your LOCAL PLUMBING & HEATING COMPANY? AIR CONDITIONING / HEATING We service all brands & install: • Bryant furnaces, air conditioning units and mini-split systems • Gas furnaces and boilers PLUMBING We repair & install: • In-house plumbing and fixtures We install & repair: • Water Heaters • North Star Water Softeners • On-Demand Water Heaters We install new & repair old: • Water lines, sewer lines, gas lines • “Inside & outside” • DOT-certified #LWS • State ID #27702 www.acserviceyso.com 116 Dayton St. 937-767-7406 We’re a local business offering COMPETITIVE PRICING & a 100-YEAR, RESPONSIBLE RELATIONSHIP with the people of Yellow Springs! Financing available! Master teachers with small class sizes Empowering community Children’s autonomy and identity are respected Oldest democratic school in the country, est. 1921 Program focuses on: • Developing conflict resolution skills • Inspiring creativity through art • Taking risks and building grit • Exploring science and nature • Learning through play The way a school should be. 937-767-7642 • P.O. Box 242, Yellow Springs www.antiochschool.org • nathan@antiochschool.org