Our Story

The Wild Beaver story actually begins with my parents’ business story. In 1991 they returned to NW Arkansas to open a Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) franchise in the Bella Vista Town Center when I was 17. The MBE corporate office thought my parents were crazy for opening a center in NW Arkansas. Banks rejected them again and again for SBA loans. One local banker told them, “Quite frankly, I don't see your business lasting 3 years.”

My parents self-funded their business and pressed on anyway. They knew there was something special about NW Arkansas and believed they would succeed. The whole family got involved! Within 3 years, we expanded to a second location in Bentonville. Within another few years, the Bentonville location was among the top 3 revenue producing MBE centers in the US and #5 globally out of 4000+ centers worldwide.

When UPS bought the MBE franchise network to turn them into UPS Stores, my parents decided it was time to go independent. It wasn’t easy to shake loose from their franchise agreements, but they did it because they wanted to finally run their business how they wanted. In 2002 they became Bentonville Copy & Ship.

And in 2020, COVID Changed Everything
The Supplier printing and shipping business that Bentonville Copy & Ship always relied on completely vanished. But by 2021, as people started side hustles and new business ventures during COVID, we noticed a greater call for design and a larger variety of print services from our local community.

In fact, at the time Wild Beaver Print Co LLC existed as my own side-hustle! It was as an online t-shirt and sticker shop that specialized in Ozark lifestyle theme merchandise.

But I saw an opportunity to craft a new business around the design and specialty print services our local customers needed. I invested in a C910 digital press, a latex ink wide format printer, and a small flat bed printer, then set them up in my parents' shop. Wild Beaver Print Shop was born in late 2021!

By mid-2022 we had experienced a very big, very real shift in our customer base away from the Supplier-based shipping & presentation printing. Suddenly, NWA businesses, organizations, and events were the ones keeping us busy!  Our print business & capabilities expanded as we worked to accommodate the various things they needed. Running with these organic, customer-led changes has been so exciting for us. So when we say #welovelocal, we really mean it!

After 33 years and 1 month in business, my parents decided it was time to close Bentonville Copy and Ship. We all appreciate the support we've had as a mutli-generation family-owned and run business. My husband Charles and I are proud to carry on the family business tradition at Wild Beaver with our son Logan & our staff who are definitely like family to us! :)
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