my LSS

I went to my favorite Local Scrapbook Store (LSS) yesterday. They have reduced their retail space and class/scrap space by about half. They have a lot less product, but they are making it work - and I hope they stick through it! A lot of stores are closing right now - and it showed at CHA Winter (no lines, no waiting).

Between the downturn in the economy and the adoption of scrapbooking by big chain stores like Target... The LSSs have a lot to compete against. I think that the big brands product we all love can help, though. They can offer smaller lines, spread out their releases, and look for ways to reduce their prices. The demand just isn't there like it used to be.

As an example, SEI is helping out retailers with a great credit program for older products that aren't moving - that's a great way to help the LSS and online stores clear out the older stuff without taking a huge hit.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SCRAP STORE! Of course, I buy many staples at discount stores... I need to save money, too. But when I scrap at the LSS, I consider it "entertainment," and I allocate some money I'll spend to pay for that cost. I buy products there that I know I can't find at the discount chains.

Organized, at last!

I finally have everything organized and put away from CHA Summer - just in time for the next shipments to begin arriving! My husband and I put up slatwall panels (It was harder than I thought it would be - those things are HEAVY!). I used slatwall shelf brackets to hang my new Cropper Hopper 12x12 Hanging Files. And in them? As much paper as we could safely stuff. About 150 sheets in each.

The paper is easy to find, doesn't get bent, and is safe from light and dust. I put the sheets upside down, so I can see the names and SKUs (sorted by SKU). I managed to get all the paper into a nice spot this way. Now, I only wish I had more wall space, so I could store ALL my scrapbook paper this way!

Then, I hung up all the beautiful new Heidi Swapp goodies I have in stock, but NOT online yet! I have had them in stock for about two weeks, so I should probably get going on that. It has been a lot of work to get the images formatted for the web - but I'm almost done.

I'm also busy adding a Gift Wrap option to the site in time for the Holiday season! I'm very excited about this - our customers will be able to buy presents at our store and ship them to family everywhere - looking beautiful! I am hoping it will be ready some time next week.

The last major thing in the works is moving the site to new shopping cart software. We are upgrading the software and will need to do a lot to get it ready and looking decent. There are quite a few reasons for this - I'll have to leave that for another day (and get working on the Heidi images!)

Joy of Assembly

I love putting orders together! I get home from work and rush to get the kids fed & bathed, homework done, and off to bed. Then, I can relax. I print out the day's orders and get to pretend shop - without any of the decision making, and sometimes with a beer of a glass of wine (I love my job)!

{When I manage to print orders before the kids go to sleep my 2 year old, Ryan, hears the printer and runs toward it yelling "paper!" He picks up the printed order and hands it to me. It is the cutest thing.}

I love thinking about someone from across the country or world opening their package and wonder what they are going to create with it. I imagine them excited to create something beautiful that will be treasured for years or decades.

It's inspiring to see how people put together new products in different ways - I've gotten great ideas. Today, I packed an order with American Craft Foam Thickers in Daiquiri Light Green and Latte Brown. Also in the order are BasicGrey Mellow papers, Scenic Route papers, and Love Elsie Soft Charms. The green and brown colors coordinate so well with the papers - I'm definitely scraplifting that idea.

My favorites new products in stock right now are the new Mellow and Recess collections from BasicGrey, Ally's Wonderland from SEI, and all the new stuff from Scenic Route. I am very excited that the CHA Summer products are mostly not themed, making them very versatile. I think I'll use Mellow for my 2 year old boy's pre-school album. I love the fall colors in it. Actually, all the new products are great - and seem much more versitile than the winter releases. I hope my customers feel the same way!