Justin Wizard Printing

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Do you remember the Country Boys Market with its wooden floors? Walter Smiths was the place to go for clothes on the Fulton Mall. Penny Candy had great blacklight posters and don't forget Whitie's Pet Store on Blackstone. What vintage retail do you remember growing up in Fresno?
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printingdude

Justin Wizard Printing

Post by printingdude » Wed Oct 10, 2012 11:43 am

I remember a fun guy (but a little odd) who ran a quick print business in Fresno which closed in the early 90s due to IRS problems. I just heard that he passed away last year from cancer, he was living in West Virginia on a farm he had bought. His real name was Richard Lundeen and he graduated from Hoover High in 1970 I think. At some point he thought that it would be cooler to have Justin Wizard as his name and he had it legally changed. Any memories of working at his print shop or just interacting with Justin would be fun to read here. He was quite an interesting character in old Fresno, there is no doubt in my mind about that!

Big J
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Re: Justin Wizard Printing

Post by Big J » Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:51 pm

He was one of the first guys to really pursue the "quick print" concept in Fresno, wasn't he?

I know his success annoyed some of the bigger shops...

Lost Fresno
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Re: Justin Wizard Printing

Post by Lost Fresno » Wed Oct 10, 2012 3:54 pm

This information is from a web site that I found about Justin Wizard. Apparently he was selling Trust Documents and wanted to share his personal story:

IN 1994 THE IRS WANTED EVERYTHING I HAD

My expensive attorney said, "Don't worry they can't do that."

They did.

They kept levying every penny out of my business and personal bank accounts. All checks and payroll would bounce costing me $25 per check. No IRS meetings, no due process. Nothing. After paying another $2000 retainer to my attorney he said "They can't do that."

Oh yeah?

They then seized my house. The sheriff said, "If you try to go into that house, I will have to arrest you." My attorney said, "They legally can't do that!"

They did.

I owned a large quick printing company. For many years I was the good-guy volunteer of the year. Helped anyone who needed help. Spoiled my customers and employees. Was kind to small children and animals. The IRS didn't care.

I lost my wife. Women don't much like losing their home, car, and money source. They like security. I couldn't offer that for a very long time. Everything that happened to me, could happen to you. Tomorrow. By total surprise. I lost $973,000 in assets I had worked 18 long years for, often working 7 days a week.

The original TOTAL amount IRS wanted in the beginning was $6,800. I not only lost everything but IRS kept adding penalties and interest to where I still owed $249,000! They also said I didn't show good faith by not making payments towards it.

You must be kidding!

I wrote to my senator, congress people, mayor, the IRS commissioner with zero help. What finally helped after years of torment and misery was sending a heartfelt letter of desperation to Ann Landers. Former busy managers became unbusy. Results happened quickly after that and was finally resolved.
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MikeS1957
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Re: Justin Wizard Printing

Post by MikeS1957 » Sat Mar 01, 2014 12:28 am

Justin and his wife did our wedding announcements in 1977, they did a great job and had the best price around.

act1girl

Re: Justin Wizard Printing

Post by act1girl » Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:20 pm

I worked for Justin Wizard briefly back in the early 90's. He was a very nice man and cared deeply about his business and his employees. I'm sorry to hear of all the trouble he went through and his ultimate passing. Justin Wizard was a valley legend.

Rick Sterner

Re: Justin Wizard Printing

Post by Rick Sterner » Thu May 22, 2014 9:16 am

Back in the late 70's I was a sales rep for Multigraphics, a manufacturer of offset printing equipment. I remember that Justin was opening a new print shop and he purchased a used printing press from me. I seem to recall that he wore bright blue contact lenses that made his eyes really stand out. One thing I remember was reading his employee handbook and laughing at the chapter titled: "How to get fired", which listed what NOT to do at work.

Lost Fresno
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Re: Justin Wizard Printing

Post by Lost Fresno » Thu May 22, 2014 11:21 am

Thanks for the Justin Wizard memory Rick! Another one that I have found is when Justin sent a letter "Ann Landers" about his struggled with the IRS and the fact that they drove him out of business..
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bigdahlias
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Re: Justin Wizard Printing

Post by bigdahlias » Wed Jan 06, 2016 12:01 pm

I was Justin Wizard's sweetheart from early 2007 until his passing Sept 30, 2011. I heard so many great stories about his "printing" days, but that is ultimately what did him in....

Benzene was used (at least in those days) to clean the presses, and apparently profound exposure to it causes Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), 20 or 30 years later. It starts off slow, undetectable, with no symptoms, and replicates exponentially. Once you are symptomatic and the blood and bone marrow testing confirms it, you have 3 weeks to live if you don't do anything.

Justin used to tell me stories (before his diagnosis) of his eyes burning from the chemicals, and, as you all know, working long hours. When he first started, it was only him. Lots of orders = lots of benzene.

We had a bucolic life on the farm in WV, eating lots of organic food. We were both in similar alternative-health online businesses but not one alternative clinic around the world offered any hope for AML. The mainstream doctors gave us only a 15% chance, with a full week of constant chemo, and, if he survived that, he'd need a bone marrow transplant. The results were dismal. With all the good healthy stuff we did, and periodic blood transfusions, Justin had 7 more fairly good months, if knowing you're dying at 59 could ever be considered "good". At least when the end came, it was quick.

If you've worked in the printing industry (or gasoline industry too I think) please research benzene, AML and attorneys - they are lined up and down cyberspace to take your case from benzene exposure.

Rick, I heard stories of that first printing press!! He didn't even know how to print!! He was a self-made man!

One last note, Rick, Justin's eyes really were that blue. His contacts were clear.

In sadness, Tina, owner of http://www.URparamount.com

Lost Fresno
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Re: Justin Wizard Printing

Post by Lost Fresno » Thu Jan 07, 2016 12:59 pm

Fresh from the 8mm film archive is this sequence of Richard prancing for the camera. This home movie was filmed at Richard's second apartment ever, located at 1329 Van Ness in Fresno, well before he founded his print shop. If he was still alive, he would giggle and say, "yup, that's me!"


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