Start a Scrapbook Store

CHA Winter Trade Show Tips

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:59:07 +0000

Are you going to CHA? The Craft & Hobby Association puts on its extremely popular winter convention and trade show each January in Anaheim, California, near Disneyland. In 2010, the event is slated for Sunday, Jan. 24 through Wednesday, Jan. 27. (When you book a motel, ask for the “CHA discount.” There’s an “education program” for store owners looking to learn more about the products they sell, along with the latest techniques, but most scrapbook store owners go to CHA to check out all the new scrapbooking product lines and place orders – often with a CHA discount only available to stores that place orders at the show. (Here’s a tip: some manufacturers are willing to hold off on filling the order for a few weeks while still honoring the CHA price. This is great when you have limited funds or just want to stagger the new product you have coming in, rather than putting it all out at once.)

Host a Holiday Gift Workshop at Your Scrapbook Store

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:33:30 +0000

You’ve probably noticed that every winter, shoppers, even those who you don’t see around that much during the rest of the year, start frequenting your scrapbook store for supplies to make Christmas cards, mini albums and paper craft presents. How about catering to these handmade gift givers by offering ideas, sample projects and a place to work on them?

A holiday gift bazaar or workshop is a natural fit for a scrapbook store. Stampers, cardmakers and scrapbookers alike can get away from their busy, cluttered holiday-time homes and spend a few hours focusing on their special projects.

You could sell kits or simply set out completed projects for inspiration. Just a few ideas include: gift tins (Altoid size), altered advent calendars, calendars, birthday books and altered address or composition books.

The holidays are also a great time to introduce your customers to new products via a make-and-take. And, of course, consider offering a wish list program so friends and family can their scrapbooking friends exactly what they want.

National Scrapbooking Day at your Store

admin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:02:27 +0000

May 2, 2009 marks the 15th year of National Scrapbooking Day. NSD, traditionally held the first Saturday of May, has become increasingly popular. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to build community at your scrapbook store and move product on what is essentially a holiday especially for scrapbookers!

Nowadays, shoppers are even more likely to be aware of National Scrapbooking Day due to the online presence of scrapbooking products, digital papers and kits for sale as well as popular message boards and page galleries. If you don’t invite your customers to a National Scrapbooking Day event at your store, you can bet they’ll find one—and spend their money—online instead.

You could plan a special crop for May 2, or sometime that week. Make up National Scrapbooking Day signs, prize packs, page contests and so on. Use your imagination or check out the great ideas on this site. If you host crops at your store, you definitely need one for NSD!

Or, have a great sale. Put several types of products or manufacturers’ lines on sale for the day, weekend or week. Or, offer a large percentage off the purchase of one product. It should be good for at least 40 or 50 percent off, to compete with chain retailers. But unlike when they shop at Michael’s, JoAnn’s or Hobby Lobby, your customers will almost certainly fill their baskets with much more than one item.

In a recession, everyone is looking for a deal. But economists agree that one category in which people are still willing to spend is on fun, feel-good products and experiences in the under-$20 range. This describes scrapbooking to a T! Don’t leave money on the table. Serve your customers and capitalize on National Scrapbooking Day.

CHA CHA CHA

admin — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:39:13 +0000

The Craft & Hobby Association summer 2008 trade show is coming up July 18-20 in Rosemont, Illinois. While the event covers a wide range of crafts, from general crafts to fabric (this year’s theme is Kids Crafting), the scrapbooking industry will be out in full force.

Besides the obvious opportunity to see and order new products, store owners can network and attend various business-boosting events as well as hear speakers on topics ranging from finance to how the digital era is impacting scrapbooking and other crafts. Specific to the scrapbooking industry, the executive editor of Scrapbooking Retailer magazine, Beth Mauro, will join Memory Makers magazine executive editor Beth Williams will speak, as will Renee Pearson, who is affiliated with Creating Keepsakes’ Digital Scrapbooking Magazine. Wendy Smedley of Simple Scrapbooks will also speak.

Not all scrapbook store owners attend both CHA shows (CHA West is typically held in Anaheim in January), but many do. If you go, be on the lookout for show specials and up-and-coming trends, and be sure to read our article on scrapbooking retailer trade show tips.

Networking with CHA Members Online

admin — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:33:35 +0000

If you’re the only scrapbook store owner in your region, or the others aren’t really the collaborating type, you might want to check out the new forums on the Craft and Hobby Association Member Networking web site. You have to be a CHA member, but if you are you can join in on a variety of discussion forums and learn about business building and networking, or get a heads up on new products and trade show news. The forum is at www.craftandhobby.org.

Building Your Scrapbook Store Mailing List

admin — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:58:54 +0000

It’s always a good idea to know how to reach your customers in case you want to send out some targeted direct-mail advertisements, distribute a printed or e-mail newsletter or invite them to store crops. Nowadays, people may be wary of sharing their street addresses or e-mail contact info for fear of being inundated with unwanted communications. Encourage customers to sign up for your mailing list by making it part of a drawing or other promotion. (For example, everyone who signs up during a specified one-month period gets their name put in a bowl for a prize drawing. Or, every 100th newsletter recipient gets a bonus, high-value coupon.) Of course, use this information judiciously and don’t “spam” your patrons with lots of unwanted e-mail or share their personal contact information with other businesses.

National Scrapbooking Day and Your Store

admin — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:43:54 +0000

Retail scrapbook stores across the United States are gearing up for National Scrapbooking Day, which falls on the first Saturday in May. In 2008, that’s May 3. The event was started in 1994 by Creative Memories, but since then many scrapbook supply manufacturers, publications and retail stores have gotten involved. There’s even an effort to get the “holiday” included on official national lists. You don’t want to be left out of this great marketing opportunity, and chance to spread the word about scrapbooking to people who have yet to explore the hobby. Mention National Scrapbooking Day in your store’s newsletter, or on your Web site. Consider offering a special coupon good only on that day, or have a storewide sale. Even better, host a grand National Scrapbooking Day crop. Some product manufacturers plan on donating supplies for stores to include in prize packs, so don’t miss out on this potential bonus. Read on for more about hosting crops at your retail store. And happy National Scrapbooking Day!

For the Perplexed Shopper: Gift Certificates!

admin — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 04:22:52 +0000

Come holiday season, scrapbook stores usually have a fair amount of two types of people: picky scrapbook enthusiasts and confused gift-seekers. Solve both problems by offering store gift certificates.
In an earlier blog, I mentioned holiday wish lists. Well, besides listing specific scrapbook supplies they would like to find in their stocking, give customers the option of checking “gift certificate.”
Offer gift certificates in a wide range of denominations. Spend a little time designing a custom certificate, or have someone do it for you. Make sure your store logo is on there, as well as other pertinent information such as address, phone number and expiration date (if any).

Time for a Holiday Wish List

admin — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 04:22:08 +0000

Want to help out your customers and their families and boost Christmas sales at the same time? How about a holiday wish list?
Just make up a simple template with space for customer’s name and the product they’d love to receive come Christmas, Hannukah, etc. Print out several copies, snap them into a clipboard and voila!
Your customers can drop the hint to loved ones that they’ve listed a few faves, or when shoppers who aren’t scrapbook-savvy stumble in looking overwhelmed, direct them to the wish list. Consider having a “guy’s night” when you invite husbands and significant others to shop. You could even offer a discount on items bought off of a customer’s wish list.

Turn Black Friday in Your Favor

admin — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 02:06:28 +0000

The shopping day that heralds the start of the holiday season, “Black Friday,” has increasingly become the domain of chain retailers, who whip shoppers into a frenzy by offering select “deals” and open their doors at 6 a.m. or even earlier on the day after Thanksgiving. You can compete with Black Friday, and similarly with “Cyber Monday” (The first Monday after Thanksgiving, when a great deal of holiday shopping is conducted online). Plan for an after-Thanksgiving Day sale of your own! Add an element that’s different from your usual sales, such as honoring a chain craft store’s 40-percent off coupon.