The craft industry recently lost one its finest demonstrators and greatest advocates of crafting and needlearts with the passing of Syl(via) Pearson, education director at Clover Needlecraft.

Every manufacturer should be so lucky as to have an educator like Syl on their team. Diminuitive in stature but huge in heart and knowledge Syl could demo a new product like nobody's business.

From punchneedle embroidery to pom-pom makers when Syl showed you how to use a product, you not only wanted it, you wanted the three other products she showed with it. Her knowledge ran far beyond Clover products and you could ask her any question and she would have the answer.

Syl would sit at a high table so you would be face to face with her, enhancing the demo experience. She always had an array of tools on the table in and out of the package so she could show you how to use the tool and what it looked like when it arrived in your store. She was great at the upsell, showing a product and how other Clover tools and products could be sold with it. Syl really understood the power of suggestive selling and offered retailers ideas on how they could sell more to their customers.

Syl's enthusiasm would gather folks around, often drawn in by the laughing and sound effects. Lots of days she wasn't feeling so great, but you'd never know it. She had this tremendous upbeat spirit. You could tell she genuinely loved the business.

If you have a Syl on your team, you are very lucky. Great demonstrators are the lifeblood of the creative industry. So... in honor of this fine lady be sure to say thanks to "your" Syl today.-- Beth

It's holiday photo time and there is a new bullet point you can put under the mom and dad job description- photo stylist.

Incorporating photos into cards is easier than ever and with photo technology widely available to the average consumer, the holiday photo is taking on a new importance. No more lining the kids up in red sweaters or pjs in front of the fireplace. Today's photos are taken Santa at the country club party or staged in August with a holiday set so elaborate, it gives the Macy's window a run for the money. And, if somebody isn't smiling, no matter, I'll just PhotoShop a smiling face in.

Long before photo cards were common, our local garden center saw the desire to capture that perfect moment on film- and the revenue to be generated as a result of it. The store features an enormous Dickens village set up, live nativity animals, model railroad display, Santa, sleigh that you can sit in and now.... a half-dozen themed "rooms" or vignettes that showcase a particular holiday trend.

They offer no photo services but everywhere you look it is set up for a great photo op. Even on a Tuesday at 7:00p.m. there is a dad with a tripod and two young kids decked out in holiday bowtie and faux fur muff finery trying to get the perfect shot.

Talk about store traffic! They've even started selling hot chocolate and soft pretzels to the photo-taking crowd.

Scrapbook retailers need to get in on this action. Whether you have an uber garden center or the regular old mall santa, drop by during the holidays to find out who your contact would be for planning 2008.

Learn how you can promote digital scrapbooking products to go along with the Santa photo CD. Co- promote with your local garden center and sell your holiday page kits there and their silk poinsettias in your store.

The holidays is a great time of year to partner with fellow retailers because the consumer is pre-disposed to taking shopping shortcuts. Mall Santa + Page kit = easy scrapbooking. One less stop now but if the kit includes a coupon to redeem in your store after the holiday....you may be on the way to finding some new customers.--Beth