Start a Scrapbook Store

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.)

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.