Vine Grove Mayor Pam Ogden is moving on from the printing business.
Alliance Printing, the Radcliff print shop she has and owned and operated for 17 years, will be sold.
“I just feel like it’s time,” Ogden said.
The business will be sold to Kim Vance, who has been working under Ogden since September when she approached Vance about buying the business. It now will be called Vance Printing & Design.
Ogden’s last day of business is Friday, with Vance taking control Jan 16.
“I am a little bit nervous about it and I’m sad because I’ve been doing this my entire adult life,” she said.
Ogden has been working in the printing business for the past 36 years since she was 18 years old.
As a teenager, Ogden said she went to the printing shop to get her resume printed to apply to jobs. She was able to get a job at the print shop when the owner asked her if she wanted to work there.
She bought the business from the previous owner with a partner who lasted for around three years.
“I loved it, and I’ve loved it ever since then and I still love it. And I love my customers,” Ogden said.
Ogden said she didn’t want to close the business because she wanted the service to stay locally.
Ogden also had a U-Haul contract for about 10 years, which she also is moving on from.
Last year, the Vine Grove city council approved a pay raise for the mayor which went into affect this month. However, Ogden said while it’s still not enough to live off of, it is better. On top of that, Ogden said she will be working on getting real estate license as well.
“It’s something I’m interested in, and it’s something that I can work around my schedule at the city,” Ogden said about working in real estate.
Ogden said one aspect that led to her decision to sell the business was someone she had worked with at the shop for several years had moved.
“I knew it was probably time for me to sell and move on,” she said.
Vance said she’s learning from Ogden about how the equipment at the shop works. She said she has self-taught herself graphic design, and has designed some labels for Boundary Oak Distillery, and has done some print work in the past.
Vance said she and her husband also own a concrete business called Vance Professional Concrete, which its office also will operate out of the print shop location.
Vance does have some changes in mind, including creating a website where customers can place orders. She also wants to create some pre-made templates for customers, and also to ship orders on a national scale.
However, she said prices will remain the same. She said she also wants to continue to uphold the high customer service reputation that Ogden has established.
“One of the biggest things that we are steadfast in, that Pam and I have talked about a lot, is her slogan, ‘Where customer service still matters,’ and that is definitely going to be a focus,” Vance said.
Comments are closed.