Kevin Bradley is shown with a colorful wall of posters inside his VooDoo Rocket print shop on West Irish Street.
Bill Bradley is vice president of VooDoo Rocket.
Kevin Bradley shows some of the letterpress blocks in his print shop on West Irish Street.
Kevin Bradley hand cranks a machine in his print shop on West Irish Street.
These drawers contain hundreds of font styles.
VooDoo Rocket print shop uses the Gutenberg press style of printing.
A large collection of specialized press blocks allow Kevin Bradley to print a variety of products at VooDoo Rocket.
VooDoo Rocket could be a roadside attraction on West Irish Street. Visitors can view this large exterior poster that includes a story about Bigfoot.
Kevin Bradley is shown with a colorful wall of posters inside his VooDoo Rocket print shop on West Irish Street.
Bill Bradley is vice president of VooDoo Rocket.
Kevin Bradley shows some of the letterpress blocks in his print shop on West Irish Street.
Kevin Bradley hand cranks a machine in his print shop on West Irish Street.
These drawers contain hundreds of font styles.
VooDoo Rocket print shop uses the Gutenberg press style of printing.
A large collection of specialized press blocks allow Kevin Bradley to print a variety of products at VooDoo Rocket.
VooDoo Rocket could be a roadside attraction on West Irish Street. Visitors can view this large exterior poster that includes a story about Bigfoot.
Kevin Bradley is putting Greeneville on the map.
After living in Santa Monica, California, for seven years, he has returned home, bringing with him the Church of Type.
What in the world is the Church of Type?, you might ask.
Well, the Greeneville version is called the VooDoo Rocket Institute for Advanced Typographic Research.
In layman’s terms, that’s a letterpress shop with two printing presses that produce an array of unique posters, fine art, folk art and other merchandise.
What makes VooDoo Rocket so special (besides its quirky name) is that in a world of countless advanced technological shortcuts, VooDoo Rocket uses technology of the original Gutenberg press that revolutionalized printing centuries ago.
This one-of-a-kind style of printing, paired with Bradley’s list of high profile clients from across the country, is putting Greeneville on the map.
He describes his style of printing as “genuine and authentic,” and he offers his shop as a roadside attraction.
Bradley officially opened his Greeneville shop in June to a crowd of 200 people from Knoxville to Asheville. He is preparing to host next month’s fall social of the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association, presented by NETTA and the Greene County Partnership.
He also hopes to host business retreats and other events and said he might even bring in some of the entertainers he has met throughout his career. He tossed out names like Lucinda Williams and Steve Earl, and has also spent time with Bill Monroe, James Brown, Dolly Parton and Bob Dylan.
Bradley has been in the printing business for 35 years. In addition to Santa Monica and Greeneville, he’s owned shops in Nashville and Knoxville.
He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
He has worked with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, National Gallery of Art, MTV, Nike, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Jack Daniels, Old Smokey Moonshine, and other well-known ---clients.
In addition to posters and artwork, his services and products include graphic design, custom logos and letterhead, advertising campaigns, wedding and other invitations, and business cards.
His own business card proclaims “There’s a new serif in town,” a clever play on words referencing a style of font.
“If I can make myself laugh I feel like I’ve done my job,” he said.
In his own laid back style, Bradley says his new shop is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. “or whenever.”
It’s promoted as being open nine days a week. That’s not a typo; it’s just a manifestation of Bradley’s quirkiness.
He spent a year renovating the building at 601 Irish St., which is listed as the Greeneville Mills building dating back to 1920.
His dad, Bill Bradley, a former supervisor at the Magnavox Company, is VooDoo Rocket’s vice president.
Bradley’s shop is filled with cabinets and drawers of letterpress blocks and some with special designs he has acquired over the years. One cabinet contains 350 different fonts. Each drawer weighs about 100 pounds.
Bradley currently has around 600 one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork for sell at the shop.
“We’ll have hats, coffee mugs, and T-shirts by Christmas,” he said.
VooDoo Rocket can be found online at voodoorocket.com and on Facebook, Instagram and Etsy under “Church of Type.”
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.