Since first opening our doors in 1888*, Blackwater & Sons has maintained a pristine record of customer satisfaction as a result of our punctilious eye for detail, our ceaseless devotion to typewriter, paper, & pen, and -- most importantly -- as a result of our unique habit of transporting our customers back in time. Every order is processed & packaged as it would've been if you had meandered into our brick-and-mortar store from a dusty train car in 1888, and you can still expect to receive in the mail that same ornate billhead/paid order receipt that you would have stuffed under your top hat or into your coin purse long ago.
"I feel like I took a time machine back to a place only in my dreams and brought this stamp back with me as a token of my travels! [...] and my, oh my, the invoice I was sent in the mail was so beautiful I just left it out on my desk to admire for days. If you appreciate beauty, desire the finer things of a bygone era, and crave attention to the smallest details, this is the shop for you!" - Cindy from Kokomo, IN
Uniting beneath a novelized facade that exudes a distinctly 19th-Century tenor of American decadence and industrialism, Blackwater & Sons has over the years amassed a loyal following of philatelic customers and fans that are dedicated to preserving, understanding, and emulating the shared artistic and visually aesthetic world of our ancestors.
As the old adage goes, "they may not make 'em like they used to"... (but we still do).
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*- Basically since 1888. Pay no attention to our utterly fictional, novelized backstory. We are *basically* as old as we pretend to be, and besides, how young we actually are as an established company is technically a well-arranged secret, so just go along with it. Perhaps approach it in the same way you would those "don't ask a woman her age" types of things. In case there's any ambiguity, the answer is no: you should definitely not ask a woman that. Thank you for your most valued cooperation.
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Top: Our fictitious storefront facade
Landing Page: Watercolor rendition of the Blackwater & Sons 'production plant', digitally altered from an original illustration of 'Goes Lithographic Company' of Chicago, Illinois – a company that still exists today, though unfortunately no longer operating out of its originally depicted, sprawling brick plant.