Meet Our Family
You may see our fur-babies, Max and Dozer from time to time at the shop! They’re loving dogs who enjoy the occasional walks by the river and are friendly to anyone, especially those with treats. We started J&R with family and community being at our core.
Once a dream of a young man who loved screen-printing, little did he know that his dream to own his own print shop would eventually come true. Rick Sisk grew up in the City of Niles, Michigan where he attended high school and found his passion for the trade. One of his favorite classes was graphic arts, where he learned about the basics of printing from his role model and teacher, Lou Miley. The summer in 1992, Rick picked up his first job working for a local printer. Twenty-three years later, Rick and his wife, Julie, ventured out to start their own screen-printing business, J&R Specialty Printing.
In 2015, J&R Specialty Printing began as a side venture, printing t-shirts for their son who was away in college. Rick thought it would be fun to print shirts for his son’s fraternity, that is until he quickly found out Greek letters have a copyright. The word got out about Rick’s new hobby and within a short period of time, J&R had printed their first few jobs for some small local businesses. This is where Rick found another new passion, helping fellow local businesses.
2017 paved the way for some exciting new adventures for Rick and Julie. Early that year, Rick decided to leave his job to focus on the business full-time. As the year progressed, they picked up their first embroidery machine, first automatic press, and made an offer to purchase what would become the current location for the business. In 2018, J&R Specialty Printing moved from their cozy little garage, to a cool, old historic building located at 215 N. 9th Street in the City of Niles.
J&R Specialty Printing is a veteran-owned small local business, offering embroidery and screen-printing services in the Michiana area. The business was built through the love and support of family and friends and does what it can to give back to the community and support other local businesses. They pride themselves on high-quality printing. They produce clean, sharp prints through attention to detail, accomplished with the use of quality apparel, high mesh screens, superior ink, and (of course) their passion for printing.