8/29/20: Friend-of-a-friend, John Casey is famous for something unusual. You may not have heard of him, but if you were a member of the international rubber stamp community, he’d be the equivalent of Oprah. John is the owner of the iconic East Village specialty shop Casey Rubber Stamps, and he’s the only novelty rubber stamp maker working in NYC today. John’s commitment to the traditional process of rubber stamp making has made him the darling of artists and crafters alike.

Casey grew up in County Cork, Ireland, but he’s been here so long, he now identifies as a New Yorker.

“I originally came to New York in 1968, God help me… ’67! Bloody hell. New York is a town of misfits, so I fit in perfectly.”

– John Casey interview with CBS New York

Casey is thoroughly committed to his craft, hunting through vintage books, magazines, and encyclopedias for crisp images which he turns into his beautiful, handmade rubber stamps. While he does have a few modern designs, the vast majority of the stamps are more vintage in style. Casey also does custom work, including logos, customer-request images, and stamps for invitations and the like. The magical tiny shop is stuffed from floor to ceiling with his handmade rubber stamps which you can’t find anywhere else!

You can follow the fantastic John Casey on his website and on Instagram and Facebook. And while the shop is closed for COVID, you can still buy Casey’s stamps on Etsy.