Photos by Ben Walton for NYRA.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — As probably every Saratogian knows, the 2026 Belmont Stakes will be the last iteration of the Triple Crown race to be held at the historic Saratoga Race Course. In 2027, the event will return home to the newly built Belmont Park.
When the New York Racing Association (NYRA) revealed its 2026 Belmont Stakes logo a couple weeks ago in a video posted to its social media accounts, it decided to highlight the storied legacy of the Spa. To aid in that endeavor, it contacted the Saratoga-based Pavoldi brothers, who are the keepers of a vintage letterpress that is nearly as old as the track itself.
“[NYRA] wanted to feature local guys with a local business, local craftsmen doing things in Saratoga that were really antique,” Nick Pavoldi told Saratoga TODAY. “Belmont [Park], apparently, is being renovated to be super futuristic, very clean and very modern. Whereas Saratoga has a real antique look. That’s its vibe. Its whole thing is this antique, Victorian style. The letterpress is from 1886, and it happens to fit right in the wheelhouse with what they were looking for.”
NYRA commissioned the creation of 300 fliers that featured its new Belmont logo. To fulfill the order, the Pavoldis had to have a special ink made to match Belmont’s distinct green color. The brothers then used their letterpress and hand-set hundreds of fliers. A NYRA film crew captured the process, and next thing they knew, the Pavoldis were being directed as if they were Vogue models.
“[The film crew was] like, ‘Oh, now we’re gonna get another beauty shot of you two doing this,’” Nick recalled. “Jim and I thought that was the funniest thing because this is kind of a hobby. It’s not really our day jobs. But it was super fun. We both really knew our process and what we were doing.”
The brothers’ interest in the niche hobby of letterpressing began when Nick, the owner of Bodywork Professionals, wanted to create some extra-fancy gift certificates for his massage business. He heard about the art of letterpressing, and then found an antique letterpress at the Architectural Parts Warehouse in Albany. He took a few lessons on how to operate the machine. Before long, he was making his own gift certificates. When the previous owner of the letterpress offered to sell it, Nick eagerly jumped at the opportunity.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is a dream come true,’” Nick said. “At that point, I was just head over heels in love with the letterpress. I don’t know why. It just delights me and tickles me.”
Nick needed a place to stash his bulky new toy, and it ended up at a distillery that became Artisanal Brew Works. To help pay his rent, Nick started making liquor and beer labels for the craft brewery.
“[The letterpress] became a real feature of this distillery and Artisanal Brew Works,” he said. “People would see it down there and sometimes I’d give people tours. They’d want to see it and touch it.”
The letterpress then bounced around a bit, from the brewery to a garage to a storage space, before eventually finding a home on Maple Avenue. Although Nick now has his letterpress in a convenient location, the work of actually using it for bulk production is both time and labor intensive. Every gift certificate Nick makes has to be pressed several times. So, 1,000 gift certificates with one envelope apiece equals 5,000 separate prints. It’s tiring work, and it’s why Nick’s Saratoga Letterpress business doesn’t really seek out new clients.
“If NYRA wants me to do another one, I will,” Nick said. “If you’re a big, prestige organization and you want somebody to do this, then maybe we will. But for just regular odds and end jobs, it’s not really our thing.”
Though it may not be in constant use, the Pavoldis’ letterpress has already made its stylish mark on Saratoga Springs history.
