Yesterday our family visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a fun day out. If you find yourself in Philly and you have a few hours to spare, I encourage you to check out the museum, which is possibly more famous for that image of Sly Stallone's Rocky running up the steps than it is for it's wonderful collections of painting, sculpture and decorative arts.

The Museum offers free entry on Sundays between 10-1 and there were lots of families taking advantage of the offer. In addition to the free admission, the museum was holding a series of events geared towards children. The first event involved a reading of the story Snowy Day followed by a craft project it started at 10:15a.m.

We were in line by 10:03 and still were closed out of the session. It seems that the Museum's children's arts & crafts classes often sell out and savvy parents have figured out how they can register in advance for these sessions. So getting admission to a craft program may be likened to securing a seat at the Super Bowl.

No matter. We spent the time exploring the nooks and crannies of the museum. I so enjoyed seeing the children interact with the art. For the most part kids were just itching to touch the painting and sculpture. In snippets of conversations you'd overhear kids saying "I don't like the red one because I like blue better." Or, "Mom, Lindsey says that is a horse but I think it is a tiger."

My son, who was having a ball galloping through the Asian temple past the Warhol Brillo Boxes en route to a Pollock stopped dead in front of a floor-to-ceiling brilliantly colored stained glass angel. It was gorgeous and he was mesmerized. Finally he turned around and said, "I like that one best,  and trotted off again.

I can tell you from my own experience it is never too early to expose children to art. Who knows how much they process? I bet it is more than we think. Plus, seeing paintings or sculpture in the museum inspires them to come home and create.

Art museums provide a vital window on our culture.I encourage you,  particularly with National Craft Month (March) and Youth Art Month (April) just around the corner, to reach out to local museums and support their efforts to provide children with hands-on crafting experiences.

Museum staff may need to purchase supplies at a discount. They may need instructors. They may need some suggestions on child-friendly supplies. They may just need your project ideas and expertise in the field.

You will be providing a tremendous community service. Plus, you never know if the next child who stops and says "I like that one best," will be the Warhol or Pollock of his or her time. - Beth

CHA's PR agency must be doing a great job of publicizing National Craft Month because it seems that many of the "women's" and "shelter" publications are talking about crafting, showing how-tos and featuring new products in their editorial pages.

Just yesterday I was perusing the pages of the new issue of Country Living and found them chock full of crafting inspiration. From women entrepreneurs who turned their art and craft skills into thriving businesses to quick and easy projects like making shoe bows out of ribbon it was an all-about-crafts issue.

Congratulations to Amy Barickman of Indygo Junction/The Vintage Workshop for being included in a group of women entrepreneurs who inspire. National Craft Month and the related website are also mentioned so if you are a retailer and haven't notified the association of your special activities for NCM- please do so. The association is really trying to drive traffic into stores.

I wonder what the tipping point was that pushed these magazines over to the merits of promoting crafts? We've been waiting so long! Checking out the mastheads I see some familiar names and just as many new ones. So it isn't just a matter of getting more "friends" on the editorial staff. Or is it? Could it be that having a passion for crafts is now a big selling point for new magazine editorial hires? We can only hope.

I don't think it hurts that the chains have gotten more aggressive with their consumer advertising. I hope we'll see some halo effect of that for independent stores as well. Also- and you may find it surprising- the outside editorial world is just discovering scrapbooking and paper crafts- how easy it is and how versatile the tools are. And especially- that people enjoy doing paper crafts.

I confess that the little fashion ideas that require some sewing, needlework, felting etc. really make my heart swell. Folks, we are poised to see an comeback in fashion crafting and fashion sewing, but we've got to get out there with inspiration and education!

I plan to track this uptick in media coverage of the craft industry. Will you help me out by sharing what is going on in your neighborhood?

Who are the influencers who are making crafting cool and worth dedicating valuable magazine pages? We should be supporting their efforts, and saying thanks, too. Stay warm this weekend.- Beth

 

I'm getting some interesting feedback to the Web posted article on Pay Per Project. The article is about projects that are available online to download at a price per project.

Not surprisingly the designer community is interested in hearing more. The idea that the Web can provide a cost-effective way to self-publish patterns is an enticing one. But not everyone thinks it is a good idea.One designer told me that a retail customer told her that the retailer would drop the designer's patterns from her store if she sold the patterns online. Ouch!

When conducting research on the article I asked all of my contacts- Where does the retailer fit in here? And from what I learned I believe that a retailer can benefit from online project instruction sales.

Our business folllows fashion, whether it is apparel, gift or home decor. Some of those trends are regional, some are seasonal, some last a while. Celebrity-fueled trends get hot overnight and fizzle out just as fast. The problem is that the trend cycle does not always jive with print production cycles. Or, the trend is too regional to publish in a national magazine. And what about those neat niche products that never make it into chain stores or a wide showing of independents? We still need projects that use those products

If you look at it strictly as a pattern sale, I can see where a retailer might be fearful. However, a unique project that may never see the pages of a craft magazine or book could sell a bunch of product. 

Some of the designers offer lesson plans. And most of these sites have some kind of wholesale purchase option for the retailer. So if you have a class you buy the project wholesale and pass it along to the customer at full retail price.

Every time I go to a show I see hundreds of patterns and projects. Not all of these projects sell into the independent store. After all, your display space is finite. Plus, a lot of those patterns aren't carried by distributors. So some stores will never carry those designers' innovative projects. If a consumer could download these projects from the Web, the retailer could still get the sale of supplies.

There is a lot of design talent out there. Not all of the designs are going to sell 1000, much less 10,000 copies. Some will have a limited dedicated audience others will bring their following from books and magazines. My question is: " If more ideas translate into more crafting, isn't there room for everybody?" Let me know what you think- Beth 

Now that everyone has (hopefully) rested and recouped from an exciting week in Anaheim, it's back to work to sythesize everything we took in at the show. One day of entries can hardly wrap up a show the size of CHA and as I am getting phone calls and emails from folks offering feedback from the show, we'll continue reporting...

A bright spot was the activity in the Art Materials category. Not only did we see a good turnout of retailers, there were some great new products offered.Whether they were selling tiny canvases, new paints or giftable art sets the art materials suppliers came to CHA to do business. 

Unfortunately, the strong showing by art materials folks did not quell a growing concern that CHA Winter has become a scrapbooking show. I think this is a situation where perception becomes reality. If you don't want to do a show, you can always find a reason not to. Could it be that most of the excitement was in paper crafts because some long term general craft and hobby exhibitors have opted out of the show? There were some great items for general craft stores but you had to dig to find them.

Where have all the flowers gone? We know home decor crafting is growing. We also know that florals can bring in the non-traditional crafter. Yet, floral offerings were slim at this show.

Don't knock knitting. If you passed on some of the yarn exhibitors you missed out. Knit and crochet enthusiasts are out there, they've just moved on to new projects and different kinds of yarns. The  fuzzy, hairy, furry, skinny scarf was a fashion trend that brought thousands of people to needlework. That trend has run its natural course. Some customers have moved on many are sticking around. They are using more traditional yarns and are trying new projects especially socks and purses. Crochet is very exciting right now with plenty of new fashion projects for clothing or home.

Yes, the craft gadflys have moved on from knitting scarves but the ones who really got the needlework bug are sticking with it. Be sure you have the product they need!

How about hobbies? CHA was born from the hobby industry and this is one area that I think is vastly untapped by general craft retailers. Each year kids have to create projects for school and Scouts that involve models- Styrofoam, Clay, wood, modelling compound, scenic materials, paint, adhesives, etc. It's not just for kids. For some adults, decorating for the holidays involves detailed sets and accessories. Model train enthusiasts need supplies to create their vignettes. 

Have miniatures moved on? The miniature business has tapered off at  this show. Ironically, just when miniatures are given a new life as pieces in altered art projects or as elements of scrapbook/paper decor.

Something to consider... the timing of this winter show was tricky. It came a week after TNNA in San Diego, it came right on the heels of the big Christmas market in Dallas, a gift show was on in NYC, folks were leaving early to go on to the bead extravaganza of shows in Tucson or getting ready for Toy Fair. Retailers and manufacturers were spread thin if they wanted to attend the key shows in those categories. Hard choices had to be made because marketing dollars are stretched to the limit.

What is the solution? Let's open it up to your thoughts!

As for me, combining shows does not look like an immediately actionable choice. For now, the best thing retailers can do is to urge their key vendors to attend CHA Shows. For those of you vendors who say, "we have to have 40 feet to do the show right," I say consider cutting back if the alternative is not to do the show. We miss you- Beth

 

I know it has been a busy show. I have that croaky been-talking-too-long-and-on-the-way-to-laryngitis voice you get  from lots of powwowing on the show floor.

Hey what are we calling the new super pretty color palette of leafy green, periwinkle, lilac, mango and pink? It's gorgeous and everywhere from the new paint colors at Krylon to the ribbons at Wrights and lots of papers in between. It's very English Garden- fresh and new and a free spirited step forward from the elegance of the chocolate brown+ palette. Not that chocolate's going anywhere (in crafts chocolate is the new black) it's just that the sunny colors are welcome.

I will be watching all of this scrapbook home decor very closely. I think this trend could bring in new customers - people who don't admit they are crafty or maybe wonder if they are. The tablescape at Ellison with the glittery paper boxes was gorgeous and very do-able for a beginner.

I noticed a food/kitchen theme moving forward with recipe card blanks, labels and food packaging and cookbook albums. There were picnic or barbecue inspired papers complete with checkerboard tablecloths or food motifs. I guess I am not the only one who enjoys combining cooking and crafts.
Also supporting this idea is the Best of  Innovations was a tool for candy and cake decorating.

Some cool things over at EK... first a new template set from the gals at K1C2 that can be used to create dimensional boxes. The samples created from photographs were so cute and it was one of those ideas that caused folks to stand around and riff on all the things you can do. Also a new tool under $20 SRP I predict to be a hot item for this year because of its giftiness- the Cutter Fly- think Swiss Army knife meets crafts. There's no corkscrew but it does have a really useful rotary cutter.

Retailers, I hope you are checking out the fabulous options for kids craft/activity sets. This is a great year round category that is easy to refresh and expand into a seasonal gift department.Statistics from the toy industry suggests that the kids activity category is on the upward curve as moms and grandmas look for activities that don't involve a screen.

News from the yarn folks suggests that all is well in the world of yarn-not hot item gangbusters- but strong and steady. We may not be blowing furry or hairy yarns out of the store but customers are going for smoother yarns. And folks are making socks. Socks. Socks don't have as much legs (it's midnight pardon the pun) as the skinny scarf trend. However, you can bet this is the customer who  knits for the sheer enjoyment. Fashion crochet is also very popular and has been a focus of  CYCA.

Suppliers also have babies on the brain. Sure this is an important life passage to celebrate in cards and scrapbooks but also tiny sweaters and rubber stamped onesies. One new company had a baby tooth scrapbook. I think the focus is also due to the fact that lots of our industry designer and manufacturer personnel are becoming grandparents for the first time.

Finally- the CHA staff should be congratulated on a great show. It was dynamic and very polished. Now we can all go home tomorrow (or the next day) and collapse. Safe travels home whether that is here in the U.S. or to one of the 46 countries represented at this show-Beth

My Monday was packed to the gills and the second day on the show floor underscored yesterday's observations.

I still haven't seen the "next big thing" but there were lots of corollary trends and technique revivals such as felting. Need some more ideas for moving yarn. Anybody?

Jewelry- not just beads but lots of different kinds of techniques making it possible for just about any retailer to jump on the bandwagon.

Scrapbooking on stuff other than pages- Home decor accessories!

Wearables-layering and mixed media make it new. There are hot iron transfers, fabric paints, lace trims and appliques and hand embroidery. Decorating the new tee shirt is like eating potato chips, you can't stop at one (technique).

Embossing- get your heat gun out. Lots of folks were demonstrating different embossing trends. Remember the first time you shared the magic of embossing? Revisit that with your customer with new embossing products.

There are many great looking booths on the show floor and I hope retailers are snapping pictures (get permission of course) to take advantage of all of the visual merchandising inspiration. I am always amazed at how simple and easy to find items turn into great display containers when filled with product minis.

Good job getting the word out Maya Road-- I don't know what a Maya Roadie is but I sure was reminded of your company every time I saw one of your stickers.

One last note- today I interviewed Mary Engelbreit for an audio webcast that will eventually be posted online to this website. Mary was extremely friendly and forthcoming. We congratulate her on the 10th anniversary of her Home Companion magazine. The company is promising more crafts coverate, particularly in the area of sewing and quilting.-Beth

Is it me or did this day just fly by? I feel like I covered a lot of territory and yet didn't see near enough.

I did a quick run through of new products downstairs. Amongst the toy folks and paper suppliers was a new vendor named Tinkering Ink. Check this company out. their attention to detail is impressive. I wanted to steal one of the custom tops the ladies were wearing today. The embellished tee shirts reflected the paper design and I think this team has an opportunity to add scrapbook paper-inspired fashion to their lovely collection of products. Also notable were supremely gifty limited edition hand lotions with fragrances inspired by the names of the paper collections. Alot of thought went into these products to position them as an affordable luxury. I can't wait to see tomorrow's tee shirt.

Plaid is going after that future customer in a big way with new lines that support their fashion art products. Great display ideas that could be easily replicated in a craft store. I liked the customizable belt program and new embroidery kits from Michael Jolly that looked like something you'd see in Vogue.

Categories I am watching closely.... paint. Some interesting new product introductions for use on fabric as well as water-based "craft" paints that dry like a fine art paint. Embroidery- especially contemporary takes on classic techniques such as crewel and stamped embroidery designs.

If you have toddlers at home or are just a fan of the enormously talented Eric Carle, search out Loew-Cornell's new Eric Carle line of craft kits. Eric Carle is an author and collage artist/illustrator whose popular book series is often used by educators to connect art with math and language. The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear products sang to me. This is a recognizable brand in a thoroughly gifty educational toy format.Retail priced under $20 for those of us on the 4-year old birthday party circuit.

If I didn't know better I'd swear I was at the Leather and Luggage Show. The breadth of luggage and tote offerings is immense not only are they well crafted and well-executed design-wise. They have lots of special storage sections for crafters to tote stuff between classes and crops.

Lots of surfaces for scrapbookers that aren't pages cards or albums: alphabet letters, clip boards, frames, shadowboxes. DCWV made a strong statement about home decor in their booth. Very Attractive.

"Pretty" powers on  whether it is rhinestones from Thermoweb, glitter, flower embellishments or pretty color combinations. Vintage chic, boho, soho- whatever you call it, we still love an informal mix of print and pattern.

Neat wall shelf in Making Memories booth. Whitewashed wood with deep shelves and a bar to hold ribbons. It was craft storage made to look like furniture.

Ribbons! Buy them on the spool and cut 'em yourself.There's more of a profit margin for you and there is more of an opportunity to coordinate them with the paper lines you're bringing in.

Martha Stewart packed the house for the keynote. I don't think I have ever seen such attendance at a keynote speech. Apparently she spent quite a bit of time visiting booths looking at products and taking photos with fans. Too bad she isn't staying through the whole show. She was adding to the excitement.

A good full day. Now we all rest up for another big day tomorrow- Beth

If you happened to be one of the unfortunate souls checking into the Hilton on Saturday between 1:00 and 9:00p.m. you most likely got caught up in  what I imagine is every hotel's nightmare- the check-in system was down.

Now I have a soft spot for folks who work in hotels, one summer as a housekeeper at a Jersey Shore oceanfront hotel can do that to you. But to say the Hilton management fell a little short in their dealings with inconvenienced customers is the understatement of the year.

Ok, for whatever reason the check-in system was down. You'd think there'd be a back-up plan, especially in the case of a VERY large hotel that caters to convention travellers. After all, smooth check-in and check-out is vital to a hotel's service promise.

Early on inconvenienced customers were annoyed but understood it to be a situation beyond the staff's control. But when hours of being told "a few more minutes" or "another half hour" spun into hours on line without a clear picture of when the situation would be resolved, patience thinned and tempers flared. Some frontline staff, wearied by tongue lashings from frazzled travelers became clip or detached from the intensity of emotion swirling around them.

There's some lessons to be learned here.

1. Have a actionable plan B. What would you do if your registers went down on the day after Thanksgiving? What would you do if the ship carrying your product from China was lost at sea? What would you do if your office computer crashed taking with it all of the records of purchase orders placed in the past month? Do a "disaster" drill and test if that plan B actually works in practice.

2. Have a communications plan in place. Not only do you have to solve the problem, you need to communicate with your customers to tell them what is going on and how you are going to deal with it. Don't make excuses. Take your lumps. You need to be as honest as possible. The earlier you can tell your customers about a problem, the more time they have to explore other options. Keep your staff updated with whatever pertinent information is available so that they never have to say "I don't know" or "I can't help you."

3. Apologize meaningfully. Saying you're sorry is one thing but feeling sorry is an entirely different proposition. People were standing in line for hours, staff made fruit juices available but it took quite a while- well past dinner hour- to roll in any food. Some chairs were eventually brought in for folks standing in one long line.Ironically no chairs were ever brought for the folks standing in the VIP Hilton Honors line. Tired and hungry people get crabby. Crabby and losing patience= mean. Mean = security people standing behind the front desk.

4. Diffuse the situation as quickly as possible. When folks stand around for extended periods of time they begin to chat with others in line. That's when everyone starts sharing horror stories of past bad experiences with the company and how they will exact revenge for the inconvenience. When someone has a bad experience they tell five people and so on and so on and so on.


The bottom line is when something unexpected happens, even if no one is to blame, you need to step right up and take responsibility for the inconvenience to the customer. This will likely cost you money. It will likely expose you to some griping that frankly, you've heard 100 times already today. But your grace under pressure says something about you and your business. Handled well,
 a terrible situation does not have to result in losing a customer's trade permanently.

By the way, around 9:00p.m. when a back up system was up and running, the Hilton did do something right- they put people at every check-in computer possible and started moving those people through lines as quickly. Also, I give the more experienced managers credit for taking QUITE a bit of flak without losing their cool.

To my fellow Hilton guests... a good night...tomorrow will be a better day.-Beth

Good morning.

Well here I am shoving things into suitcases and briefcases as I get ready to leave for the airport. Boy have times changed. Last year I was worried that I had enough notebooks and business cards, this year I'm wrangling a laptop, iPod and digital camera. Travelling light is an oxymoron in business. 

From what I hear, people will really be making the most of peer networking opportunities this week at the show. Whether it is organized chats or a "let's catch up in the hotel lounge" I see an extra effort to reach out.

One of the best things about trade shows, something we take for granted, is the chance to catch up with colleagues that we may deal with every day by phone or email, but see only at trade shows. That "face time" is invaluable. The Internet certainly has made the world smaller. With email I can follow up with international show attendees as easily as I follow up with colleagues in the states.  But without trade shows I would never get to see those friendly faces.

These relationships, and the gatherings where we exchange stories, are really the cherry on top of the trade show sundae. Sure we go there to see new products and identify trends but we also get as much out of catching up with our industry friends.

I can't tell you how many times I have gotten story ideas or great resources from a casual conversation in the Press Room or cafeteria. My favorite question- What are you seeing? I love to hear what people say and I track trends by tallying up similar responses.

If you don't already make it a habit, ask your colleagues what is working for them- it could be a class, a way to handle a staffing issue, a great designer. And, share your success stories. Retailers should especially be exchanging ideas for classes, demos and displays with store owners from other parts of the country. Spread the good ideas around!

I'm looking forward to seeing you at the show and if I do... be prepared because I'm going to ask, What are you seeing? Safe journey-Beth

Thank you for joining me on this exciting new adventure.

Those of you who know me well know I have resisted the lure of technology and the opportunities it offers. I cherish my collection of coffee-splattered, dog-eared steno notebooks. I'm not giving those up yet but I am officially leaving the Luddite community.  Since I've joined the staff of F+W Publications, I've jumped into the fascinating world of online media. Now that I am here, I see dozens of ways that CNA can not only bring more information you, but more importantly provide that information to you in a more timely manner. It's all very, very exciting.

Like many of you I am knee-deep in last-minute preparations and scheduling for the CHA Show. The steady stream of new product press releases and requests for appointments suggests that exhibitors know they are going to have to do even more to get the Buyer's attention at this show.

I hear from manufacturers that one of the ongoing challenges they face is shrinking product development time. In the "old days" manufacturers introduced new products for the CHA Show in the winter and the ACCI Show in the summer (now known as CHA Summer). As manufacturers move into different product areas and participate in category-specific shows they feel an obligation to bring new product to each venue in order to feed the buying community's insatiable appetite for new product. The pressure to consistently produce winners is enormous.

That tide may be changing. This weekend I expect to see evidence of vendors rethinking their positions on new product introductions in order to maximize both financial and human resources. I think we'll see tons of new product but perhaps fewer new lines or items. By carefully editing new introductions, companies can put more energy into marketing support. I believe that is good news for all links in the supply chain.

I also expect to see more new programs for independent retailers. These could be independent-exclusive collections, special promotions or lines that will not discounted for Chains. That last one is tough because the world revolves around volume discounts so if I ferret one out, I'll let you know.

What are your expectations? I'd like to hear from you, so get out your crystal ball and share your forecast with me: Beth.Mauro@fwpubs.com.

If you're going to CHA I wish you safe travels and healthy kids. For those of you who won't be joining us in Anaheim, stay in touch through cnamag.com.-- Beth