groups failed
retailers
killing the
Independents
everyone
GO?
Speak no evil
are saying
& get involved
Questions?
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Read the editorials, read what others are saying and then get involved. Until independent retailers stand up and let this industry know how you feel, nothing will change. Take the time to send us your comments and then send your vendors an email letting them know that you support what we are saying and you want them to show their support by advertising. Finally we ask you to support our advertisers. We have a few advertisers that do not appreciate what we are doing for you. As time goes on you will know who supports the position of the independents by who’s advertising in this magazine. You must get involved and let our advertisers know that you appreciate them buy emailing them and ordering from them. Independents need to get smarter about who they support and who they don’t. We have drawn a line in the sand for you. Now we need you to do your part and together we will make a difference. Let’s be heard. |
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'Valerie I JUST WANTED TO SAY I LOVE YOUR MAGAZINE!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND I SWEAR I GO THROUGH WITHDRAWALS WHEN I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT COPY.... I READ EACH & EVERY PAGE LITERALLY... YOUR MAG IS THE ONLY 1 I DO READ FRONT TO BACK & KEEP EACH ISSUE FOR BACK INFO & IDEAS... THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK YOU PUT INTO THE MAGAZINE... SORRY FOR THE CAPS Owner
Lynne Ormesher As a retailer I do not take issue with the cost of attending the show, but if I were a vendor, I would. It is a crime what they are charging the vendors. Due to the challenges we have with the big box stores, I buy a lot from smaller companies, and most of those have stopped vending at CHA due to the costs. Your advertisers can be assured that I read your publication cover to cover, so their ads ARE being viewed. Keep up the good work and I hope you can continue to ride the wave with the rest of us. Owner
This is the best magazine you have ever put out. Thank you and please let us know how we can band together to help each other. I am trying to keep my business alive and don't have time to do much organization. But I will definantly jump on this bandwagon.
Susie Ellis I loved the last magazine you sent out. I read it from cover to cover. It didn't sugar coat the bad situation independent scrapbook stores are in. The vendor have not been helping us at all. The biggest offender is Provo Craft. When the Cricut came out, I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. They told us at the show that they were going to put us on the same playing field with the Big Boxes. They lied, and lied big time.
Mary Kay Seckinger Dear Scrapbook Business: I applaud your new direction and renewed committment to independent retailers. I've long been frustrated with the content you've provided, hamstrung by the need to cater to advertisers. One more thing I'd like to point out: The text of your magazine is poorly edited, ignoring basic grammar (your in place of you're, it's when you mean its). To be a truly professional publication, you must write in a truly professional voice. I saw these same problems on the virtual tradeshow site (BRILLIANT idea, by the way). I understand you likely have no budget for further staff; if you are interested, I'd be happy to help edit your copy.
Abby Riba I just read your editorial regarding CHA and as a vendor, I want to state you are 100% correct. A number of vendors have been complaining for years not only about the issues you raised but others as well. We will see if anything changes. There has been one change and that is limiting the number of free badges to non CHA members. One chain, a non member, has been known to bring 25 people. As a vendor, one of my concerns is the number of non Americans pretending not to speak English who are conducting espionage and stealing ideas for new products. Those people who take pictures without permission and pretend they do not understand that they can not and of course security is no where to be found. Another new issue is that a European trade show is now over the CHA dates affecting attendance.
Debbie Largen Thank you, Thank you, Thank you !! It is so refreshing for someone to finally tell it like it is!! I for one appreciate your candid articles and commentaries. Those of us that are struggling to keep our heads above water need you !! Scrap Funattic
Susie Ellis Your last issue was Great! Really told it like is. You are right the vendors have not supported independent store. I think the biggest offender is Provo Craft once they put the Cricut in Walmart it's all been downhill. The Cricut by it's self cut way down on the amount of Alpha stickers and embellishments but there was still the hope we could sell the machines and all the extras. But NO they took that away too when they let Walmart get their hands on it. Then all of the online stores!!! How can they sell it so low. I'm thinking Provo gave them a better price than us.
Kudos to you! For the first time since 2004 i read something thats worth my time! We are a small vendor representing the "only scrapbooking products in Spanish left in the market". We have struggled because time after time we have approa hed CHA and complained that our participation at the shows were greater an expense than orders we could get out of the show. We have asked for all kimd of help from the association to help us get in front of the "right vendors" with no avail. Seven years later we are still alive but struggling to survive and without any real way to "promoteour products" since most of our capital got washed out at the CHA shows! I am very happyto hearyour voice carrying our pain and feelings of deception (anger? Not anymore...no time for that!)... Warmest regards,
I wanted to share how much I appreciate Mr. Webster’s article about CHA (What’s Broken) in the May/June 2011 issue. I am so thankful for the refreshing honesty and courage displayed by Scrapbook Business Magazine in writing this article. I have not exhibited at CHA for almost two years because of many reasons the article discusses. Even when I did attend CHA as a vendor, I found it very difficult to compete with larger scaled manufacturers and get the attention of the buyers under the CHA umbrella.
Carol Lutza Thanks for posting your article on CHA you said things Ive been frustrated about as a retailer for years now. It frustrated me to no end to see "customers" who have lost their loyalty to us walking the isles of CHA because another store gave them admission to CHA! I closed my store this year and am trying a new avenue to try and keep this business alive by taking it on the road. I would love to speak to you regarding my idea if you have the time.....thanks The Crafters Connection California...
Isabel Lawerence I opened my 1st scrapbooking store in 1993, added my online store a couple years later, and am looking into moving into a larger location hopefully this year. There's alot that is broken in our industry, but like the bits of articles I've been able to read, you've covered quite a few, like--vendors catering to the large chains, customers bring bags and bags and bags of products to crops that they purchased at the large chains, buying groups that where not established for the benefit of the independent retailers, but for the benefit of the person who started the buying group, again to make money off independent store owners thinking they were getting something when in fact they where spending money on fluff when they should have been spending it on inventory, again alot of the buying groups where for consumers to join and purchase their personal 'scrapbooking stash' at wholesale. Alot of the scrapbook stores everyone is crying about that they have closed up, I don't think they intended to be in business for very long anyways, many stores opened to ride the scrapbook frenzie making quick cash, or just to get their scrapbooking product at wholesale prices until they where overwhelmed with meeting the vendor minimum orders. Then the industry tried convincing scrapbook retailers that they needed to be craft stores. I don't want to be a craft store, I am a scrapbooking store--I'm not even a paper crafting store--I'm a scrapbooking retailer promoting the best possible way to preserve ones photographs and memories. Seems the Scrapbooking Industry as a whole--forgot what Scrapbooking really is. Owner/Designer
Susan Skillicorn President/Owner
Heather Downs As far as the magazine goes, I think you have the right intentions, and am interested in the virtual tradeshow. I do think the content was mostly on track. Especially about the trade show expenses. Unfortunately, I feel it is too little, too late. Dennis, with the Smart Group, has been preaching these things for 7 years and has not gotten any results. What we as an industry need to focus on is getting new customers and retraining our current consumers. I wish I had the magic answer. I am interested to see the changes in Scrapbook Business. In the past, it has not been worth my time reading, as it was mostly useless editorials and advertising and I get plenty of that from my manufacturers and reps Sincerely, Heather Downswww.scrapbookexpress.com Mountains of Memories
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