About Mendo Litho

In 1972 Philip Sharples and his wife Grace moved to California from the Philadelphia area and settled on the beautiful North Coast. Both were recent graduates of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio and were interested in starting a business. The idea of printing was suggested by an acquaintance, and Mendo Litho was born.

The hope was that the new business would provide quality offset printing including close register four-color work that was not available in the local area. The idea took hold and the business grew steadily each year.

The building purchased for the business is part of the historic downtown Fort Bragg area. It was built in 1890, and it served as a tavern, boarding house, and meat market. It was reconstructed for the print shop, but much of the original wooden frame remains the same.