Since 1972, the Kahn family has served the Wilmington area with Copycat Print Shop. As of Aug. 9, another family-owned business, Charlotte-based Duncan-Parnell Inc. has acquired the business.

“Over the past 20 years, I have had other opportunities and other discussions, specifically with Duncan-Parnell, and I know the company and have had great respect for them since day one,” Copycat owner Betsy Kahn said.

After “42 years and 10 months” at the helm of Copycat Print Shop, Kahn, a second-generation owner, has officially passed the torch to a larger third-generation family-owned business. 

The acquisition is a strategic fit for Duncan-Parnell, allowing them to offer a broader scope of printing products and services to industries they are very familiar with by expanding their existing footprint in the Wilmington area. It will maintain Copycat’s current location at 637 S. Kerr Ave. along with Duncan-Parnell’s current Wilmington branch location at 3001-C Wrightsville Ave.
 
“Copycat is a great fit for Duncan-Parnell. It’s an honor to be able to blend in with such a well-respected family-owned North Carolina company. Our goal will be to bring even more value to their customers through a wider range of solutions and services and to grow the overall business together,” Kahn said.
 
Duncan-Parnell, an independent, family-owned company since 1946, offers a portfolio of products and services. Not only is there a natural fit with Copycat’s offering of reprographics (construction printing), signage and graphics production, but Duncan-Parnell also offers solutions for the geospatial industry, a line of construction software, and an array of unmanned drone solutions. 

“Copycat and Duncan-Parnell have enjoyed a long, friendly relationship for years, so we are thrilled to bring Copycat into the DP Family. They have an outstanding team who have a great reputation for quality and customer service. Our charge will be to add additional resources to the market to bring more value to customers,” said Mark Duncan, president of Duncan-Parnell. 
 
As for Kahn, she plans to stay connected and is excited to see where Duncan-Parnell takes the business she and her father grew into what it is today. 
 
“There is still work to be done,” she said.