The Map Shop on East Morehead has a new owner

Tony and Katie Rodono of the fast-growing City Prints map art business will now run both the retail and online properties of The Map Shop.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ted and Patrice Northrup, who have run the business since 1995, will stay on to help with the transition before retiring and doing some traveling.

The Northrups were careful about picking who they would sell the business to, and Ted Northrup said he’s confident the City Prints founders will help their business continue to grow.

“This is the right guy,” he said.

If you’re not familiar with City Prints, you should be.

The company started when Tony and Katie used their design skills to give their family members map art of their favorite places for Christmas. Since then, City Prints has sold more than 50,000 pieces and have built an online juggernaut.

Their best sellers include street outlines of famous cities, and stadium outlines of college and professional venues.

Photo via City Prints

Photo via City Prints

They’ve got big plans for The Map Shop.

Location-based gifts as a category are going through the roof, Tony said, and The Map Shop will become a destination for that.

The company will also shift from more of a map retailer (buying and selling maps) to a map manufacturer (making the maps and selling them).

The Northrup family will hold on to the iconic property at the corner of Morehead and Kings.

They bought it in 2000 for $1 million, according to property records. They’ll now be the landlords to Tony, Katie and The Map Shop business.

Cover image via Tony Rodono