ACOT Message Board

I used to to DT work for  a few sights as well as spotlight Dt.. Since 2012, I have started working as a Dental Assistant at age 50.. Ive been so out of the loop as to whats goiing on in the industry since I began school and work. I look to places like this for staying in the know.. then today I find out that TWO Peas is closed too. so many stores closing.. our archivers in round rock closed.. is scrapbooking becoming a hobby of the past??? dear I hope not... 
 

Hello Lana! I know what you mean...It's always so sad when a LSS closes!! We have a scrapbook retreat close by and I think they have closed too. But, we still have ACOT!!!  Hopefully for a VERY long time!!!!!!!!!!!  We'd love to see ya back here more often!!! 

I know, I miss yall. I cant really find my scrappin mojo.. been branching out in some new techniques to get me out of my funk but havent put them on a page in while. I come home exhausted from the clinic.. 

I cant believe twopeas is gone.. how long has that been? 
thank god acot is still here.. c

Im going to the CK convention in sanmarcos texas this friday and saturday. hopefully i will find my mojo again!!!

An owner of our local scrapbooking store summed it up perfectly.....people aren't printing their photos anymore. They are keeping their pics on their phones, tablets and other electronic devices. Sad but true.

the amount of late summer/early fall product line releases--shows me that scrapbooking isn't going anywhere......its just becoming more ummmmmmm compact..(does that makes sense)  Project Life is going strong also still only not just the Becky Higgins stuff.  Just morphing industry......to change with the times---------the economy prob has had a lot to do with it

Two Peas announced that they were closing in June. The writing had been on the wall for awhile. They had an inventory sell-off through sometime in July, and the web site, all but one page - with the goodbye message, went down in August.

So many companies have closed and/or have been bought out by larger companies.

CHA has only one show a year now. 

I guess I can justify my scrappy buying as supporting the scrapping companies that are left.

CarrieG wrote:the amount of late summer/early fall product line releases--shows me that scrapbooking isn't going anywhere......its just becoming more ummmmmmm compact..(does that makes sense)  Project Life is going strong also still only not just the Becky Higgins stuff.  Just morphing industry......to change with the times---------the economy prob has had a lot to do with it

It worries me that there are less companies - so many of the smaller niche companies have been bought out by the larger ones, and I'm starting to see those lines, while left in name, lose their character.  Plus some of my favorites are gone forever, making me glad I overbought because I still have plenty of them to use.

I know that not everywhere has felt the economic woes the same across the nation............maybe my optimism comes from the fact that I am happy to see the larger companies be able to umbrella the smaller ones that were struggling.........
where I live we have watched company after company, chain store after chain store close...........some to be eventually replaced with cheap type stores like BIg Lots..........
we have lost our Albertsons, Kmart,  JC Penny's, Gottschalks-- our mall is half empty and our downtown is very vacant--mom and pops places are struggling--Our Sears will be closing.............very depressing.........soooooo many ppl out of work..........
so when I see scrappy stuff releases still seeming to be coming out indecent numbers--I am happy..LOL

Archiver's and all LSS on the northside of Indy have closed.  But a new LSS just opened on the south side - apparently the owner worked at Archiver's & bought a bunch of their stuff (furniture/displays) when they closed!  It's not close to me so I haven't been but I'm happy it's there.  Our JoAnn's have huge scrapping sections as of course do Hobby Lobby and Michael's - at least 2 of those chains have classes but I don't know about crops.  And we just had a Hancock Fabrics *and crafts* open here in Carmel and they even have a few scrappy/cardmaking supplies.  So I'm encouraged that it's still going to be around for a while.  And our Tuesday Morning has a weird mix of stuff - some recent lines (they have tons of 6x6 & smaller paper packs, some as low as $1.29) but also some defunct companies like Heidi Grace & Chatterbox!

there is a smaller summer show now........cant think of the name of it.........

It is the Sierra Pacific Crafts Trade Show. A different organization. But we still get to see all the sneak peeks! 

We no longer have any lss either, and with Archivers gone, the closest sb store is about 70 miles away. (More than I want to pay for gas to go.) 
PezKat, where is the store on the south side of Indy? Is it in the Greenwood area?  I would possibly drive that far if I make a trip to the outlet mall at Edinburgh. There used to be a great store in GW  called "Forget Me Not" and it had stuff you just didn't see anywhere else. I sure hope we see a revival of sb stores soon; maybe now there would be more room for a family-owned store now that there's not as much competition.  Thanks for your help.    Maria

It's sad but true. My LSS is either ACOT or Michaels and my Mikes just has junk. Their flowers are ugly and their Bazzill is super expensive (I did get lots at the last sell off). I get my Spellbinders dies here and really ACOT is the only LSS I need. 

I think the industry is just going through a normal adjustment period after a huge period of growth & expansion.  I know the boon was a couple of years ago but for a while, the market was saturated with new product and new companies rolling out what felt like every few weeks.  New product companies and stores were popping up all over.  I can't think of many industries, esp a craft industry, that can sustain that type of turnover for the long term especially after the recession hit.  It had to be impossible for stores to meet the demands of customers but at the same time not getting stuck with excess inventory that won't sell when everyone wants the latest and greatest the second it becomes available.

The LSSs that were closest to me closed a while ago but from what I could see, had no business being in business.  They had terrible hours, one of them had employees who completely lacked product knowledge (didn't hear of bazzill cardstock), treated the store like a personal crop place for their friends so other customers were always shut out and there was some drama between the owners of other local stores. It was very unpleasant and not at all the type of business I want to support no matter what kind of business.  

Overall, I don't think scrapbooking is going anywhere.  People have been scrapbooking in one form or another forever.  There is still a lot of new product available on a regular basis.  Now there are lots of different ways to scrapbook...more traditional pages, pocket pages, digitally, etc.  

I think the scrapbooking world is going more digital.  That is evident with all the magazines these days.  I agree that the industry is adjusting.  Clearly the economic downturn played an impact on the industry.  The one thing I miss about LSS is the availability to go and crop with friends, but as for shopping, I am sort of an overall online shopper.

I do most of my shopping here at ACOT.  The only thing I want an LSS for is for the Cardstock.  I buy the Patterned Paper, and it might be months later that I match it up to photos and until I match it up to photos, I do not know what color CS I will need, so I don't like to buy the CS in advance.  The big box stores do not really have a lot of selection for CS.  We are down to one LSS now.  It is 45 minutes away in an area I do not travel.

I have not really stopped my scrappy buying, but I rarely go to crops, and it has been many years since I have gone to CKC Charlotte.