Though many of us commute to an office or work from home these days, artisans in LOU are keeping the trades of the past alive — whether that’s milling their own flour for dough or developing 19th century tintype photographs.

That’s why we’re delving into four local businesses that are bringing the magic of the old world into today.

River City Tintype, 324 E. College St.

Invented by Adolphe-Alexandre Martin in the 1850s, tintypes were the main means of documenting the US Civil War + the process works nowadays by coating an enameled aluminum plate with light-sensitive chemicals to capture striking, silvery portraits.

DYK: A tintype photo doesn’t produce a reversed image like modern photography? For example, pull out your phone, hold up your right hand and snap a selfie. Now look at the photo and you’ll see your right hand is now on the left side of the image. Tintypes don’t do that.

How to get yours: Book your session online or hire Rudy Salgado, the owner + photographer, for your next event

Hound Dog Press, 785 S. Shelby St.

Remember that class at the How-To Festival on how to print like Gutenberg? This is the company behind the press, and Nick Baute — the owner + operator — hand feeds each custom greeting card, invitation, and print through his antique equipment that dates back to 1862.

How to order prints: Send an email if you’re looking for something specific or shop the website

The 1862 Washington Press is one of several antique printers at Hound Dog Press. | Photo by Nick Baute

MozzaPi, 12102 La Grange Rd.

The impressive stone fixtures on this Anchorage-based property are enough to transport us back to medieval Europe, especially the stone mill the restaurant uses to make flour for its pizzas called the “Louismill.” MozzaPi also offers a five-day bread camp where you can learn to bake with the best of ‘em.

How to try: MozzaPi is open

Tues.-Fri., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sat., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sun., 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Scroll & Ink, online

Though the store will be closed through mid-July, local artisan Kris Stewart has been bookbinding for the last 20 years. Her leatherbound journals find many uses like tasting notebooks and mini journal gifts + she offers journal page refills for you wordy wordsmiths.

How to buy: Sign up for the Scroll & Ink newsletter for updates on the store’s reopening