Business Spotlight: Springfield's Stamp Man

John Arnold has left his mark on Springfield. The co-owner of Springfield Stamp & Engraving Inc. began making stamps in 1963 at his uncle’s downtown shop and never stopped.

“I don’t know, I just like it,” he says of his 52-year career. “It’s a real people business, and I’m a real people person.”

Arnold, and wife Dalenita, opened their 1416 S. Glenstone Ave. shop in 1993, expanding the stamp business to engravings, seals and vinyl signs. Now, engraving represents 60 percent of company sales annually.

“People don’t use stamps as much as they used to now that things are digital,” he says, declining to disclose revenue but noting 2014 sales were up about 10 percent. “Nobody needs a stamp for the back of your check at the register when people don’t write checks anymore.”

Advancing technology also has changed Arnold’s process, moving from molding individually hand-set letters for each stamp to photopolymer rubber plates developed through a series of water baths.

From there, Arnold and his five employees still complete the process by hand, washing and cutting each stamp. Place an order before 8 a.m. and it will be ready by noon.

It’s the reason Arnold is at the shop around 5 a.m. each morning, an approach he says isn’t likely to change soon. The hands-on philosophy is evident as he greets each customer who comes through the door by name. Customers also are greeted at the door by the friendly face of Ripley, an 3-year-old Irish setter.

“She’s our head of PR,” Arnold says with a laugh.

Carving a niche
Arnold and crew can engrave just about anything from glass to leather thanks to the company’s laser helix engraver. Arnold says he and Dalenita saved for many years before making the purchase about a year and a half ago.

“They start at $15,000 and went up from there,” he says, “but it’s been worth the price.”

Mercy Hospital Springfield started using Springfield Stamp about six months ago to engrave glass awards for retiring employees.

“I’d used him a bit with my previous employer, and he had a good reputation,” says Courtney Wilson, Mercy human resources manager. “It was an easy transition, and we like to utilize local services when we can.”

Wilson said the hospital has spent roughly $1,500 on 30 statues for retiring employees in the last six months.

While the laser printer can engrave anything, another printer in the shop holds the spot as Arnold’s favorite – the nametag machine.

“I get to do a bit of design work with this one,” he says of the small cube attached to a computer near the front counter.

Arnold estimates 70 percent of the magnetic nametags around Springfield come from his shop. The completed and alphabetized nametag shelf stands floor to ceiling with orders waiting to be picked up from Price Cutter, Ozark Bank, Reliable Chevrolet, Steak ‘n Shake and James River Church.

Arnold donates his nametag services to local charities, such as Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks. Program Director Staci Holland estimates the pro bono work saves her organization about $1,000 a year.

“We have about 10 to 15 new volunteers each quarter, and each need a nametag,” Holland says, adding it’s a security issue at the home away from home for families of area hospital patients. “We’ve been working with them since 2004, when we went to them for a project quote. John said he would do us one better and donate the tags.”

Holland says Springfield Stamp also provides embossers, stamps and various signage.

Stamps to go
Outside the packed strip-mall shop, Arnold also works with office supply dealers in Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma and locally, such as The UPS Store and Midwest Office Supply, to sell custom orders.

“We sell his products to our customers, things such as inked stamps and door signs,” says Debbie Wilson, Midwest’s office manager. “I’ve dealt with John since he was just a pup in 1969.”

Wilson said it varies depending on customer need, but the company usually does $1,000-$1,500 in business with Springfield Stamp each month. Arnold says personalized return address stamps remain the shop’s most popular item.

Well established in the store’s current location, Arnold says he has no plans to move or expand anytime soon.

“This is home, people know us here and we know them,” he says, adding, at age 68, he has no plans to retire, either. “I’m just going to keep making stamps.”