Nation’s Leading Fabric and Craft Retailer to Exhibit at CHA Craft SuperShow

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ (June 14, 2010) The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is pleased to announce that CHA member Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, the leading fabric and craft specialty retailer in America,  will be exhibiting at the CHA Craft SuperShow consumer event in Rosemont, Illinois held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center  from July 30 – 31, 2010.

“As more people discover the joy and creativity of sewing and crafting, Jo-Ann is especially pleased to be part of the upcoming CHA Shows in Rosemont,” explained Riddi Kline, senior vice president, marketing, Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. “The CHA Craft SuperShow is in line with our own goals of providing consumers with a wide array of fabrics, sewing, and crafting supplies, while inspiring customers with knowledge, helpful service and value. The Show will help us better understand how to inspire our customers as they interact with various products.”

Jo-Ann will host a 40ft. x 50 ft. exhibit area that will provide CHA Craft SuperShow attendees with inspiring craft project ideas.  Additionally, the Jo-Ann team will host make-n-takes to gain valuable feedback directly from consumers.  

“CHA is very happy that the nation’s leading fabric and craft retailer is supporting the CHA Craft SuperShow’s inaugural debut in Illinois,” explained Steve Berger, President and CEO, CHA. “Jo-Ann stores generous support and participation in Rosemont underscores a commitment to crafters and the craft and hobby industry.  CHA is very appreciative for the support.”

While most consumer craft shows are focused on one or two segments of the craft industry, the new CHA Craft SuperShow educates and inspires attendees on a wide range of crafts. The goal is simple – to get consumers excited about crafting. An estimated 8,000 crafters will fill the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center looking to buy the hottest craft products and projects, attend professional-grade education and participate in product demonstrations from leading manufacturers and celebrity crafters in a family friendly environment.

Craft & Hobby Association

The Craft & Hobby Association is an international not-for-profit organization consisting of member companies engaged in the manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the near $30 billion U.S. craft and hobby industry. For more information about CHA, to find a craft project, or to find a local craft retailer visit www.craftplace.org. For more about the CHA Craft SuperShow visit www.craftsupershow.com.

Jo-Ann Stores Inc.

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores (NYSE: JAS) the nation’s largest fabric and craft retailer with locations in 48 states, was founded in 1943 as a single retail store. Today, 750 Jo-Ann stores across the country provide consumers with creative inspiration. For additional information, visit www.joann.com.

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ (April 26, 2010) – National Scrapbooking Day has emerged as a way of celebrating the number one, top-selling category of the 39 craft segments in the $27 billion U.S. craft and hobby industry. National Scrapbooking Day is held each year on the first Saturday in May. It started in 1994 as a way of celebrating the joys of scrapbooking.
According to the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) about 35 percent (or 40 million) of the 113 million U.S. households scrapbook, rubber stamp or make cards and spent approximately $4 billion* in 2009 on scrapbook, “Memory Craft” and other paper crafting products.

According to Google.com, Scrapping is so popular that there are now well over 1.3 million scrapbook bloggers, thousands of scrapbooking events, and dozens of magazines dedicated to scrapbooking. Many of the major cruise lines now offer special scrapbooking cruises. Tens of thousands of people across the country participate in special scrapbooking parties and retreats, called “crops,” where they get together to “scrap,” socialize with friends and family, and create new memories.

Scrapbooking is part of the important repertoire of American crafts meeting the personal, social, and health needs of millions of people each year while fueling the multi-billion dollar scrapbook segment of the craft and hobby industry. According to CHA research* most people craft for one or a combination of these key benefits:

1.    Sense of Accomplishment
2.    Relaxation
3.    Memory Keeping
4.    Health
5.    Economy/Value
6.    Recommended by Friends or Family
7.    Enables Spending Time with Others
8.    Interaction with Children

(*CHA Attitude & Usage Study – 12/31/2009)
About the Craft & Hobby Association
The Craft & Hobby Association is an international not-for-profit trade association consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the $27 billion U.S. craft and hobby industry. For more information about CHA visit www.craftandhobby.org. To find out more about its award-winning Conventions and Trade Shows visit: www.chashow.org.

Interest Fueled by Recovering Economy and Rosemont Venue

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ (March 15, 2010) – With several months remaining before the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) 2010 Summer Convention & Trade Show, CHA announced today that over two dozen new and returning exhibitors have signed-on to join over 275 companies at the CHA Summer Show.  The Summer Show – to be held July 27-29, 2010 with education starting on July 26 – marks the return to Rosemont, IL and the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center after moving to Orlando in the summer of 2009.

As the summer’s largest craft and hobby trade show, the 2010 event has drawn several new companies, including many manufacturers that did not exhibit at the 2009 Summer Show.  Companies such as Darice, Anna Griffin, Dreamweaver Stencils, KI Memories and many others will occupy several thousand feet of exhibit space.  They join long-time exhibitors such as 7gypsies, Coats & Clark, Die Cuts With a View, iLovetoCreate, Plaid, and Ranger as exhibitors at the CHA Summer Show.

Thousands of craft professionals are expected to converge on Rosemont to discover the newest products and latest trends at the Summer Show.  Widely considered the key buying event of the season, the Summer Show attracts thousands of domestic buyers from independent retailers as well as from international and national retail craft chains.

“CHA is pleased with the early influx of new exhibitors to the Summer Show,” explained Steve Berger, president and CEO, CHA. “We think this is due in part to an improving economy and the member request to return to Rosemont.”

The 2010 Summer Show also marks the debut of a brand new Toy Industry Association (TIA) Pavilion.  The TIA will host the Pavilion featuring toys and youth products in an effort to better serve both CHA and TIA memberships with a broader array of products.

This summer also marks CHA’s debut of the first Craft SuperShow in Illinois. This consumer event will be held immediately following the CHA Summer Show July 30-31, and is open to the public. The Craft SuperShow is expected to draw more than 8,000 crafters.  For more about the Craft SuperShow visit www.craftsupershow.com.

To learn more about the upcoming CHA 2010 Summer Convention & Trade Show, including how to exhibit, exhibitor listings, travel discounts and other key show highlights visit www.chashow.org.  Online event registration opens April 12, 2010.

About the Craft & Hobby Association

The Craft & Hobby Association is an international not-for-profit trade association consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the nearly $30 billion craft and hobby industry. For more information about CHA visit www.craftandhobby.org. To find out more about its award-winning Conventions and Trade Shows visit www.chashow.org.

The pavilion will feature manufacturers and distributors from TIA’s premiere trade events: American International Toy Fair and Fall Toy Preview.

“This is a great way to highlight the synergies between the craft and hobby, and toy industries,” explained Steve Berger, President and CEO, CHA.  “The TIA Pavilion will provide retailers with another forum to review and order youth-oriented products for the Fourth Quarter.”

“Toy manufacturers will benefit from the additional Third Quarter face-to-face sales opportunities,” added Carter Keithley, TIA president.  “We are pleased to present our Toy Fair and Fall Toy Preview customers with a summertime trade event that will open additional markets for their products.”

The CHA-TIA collaboration also signifies the launch of a new cross-industry promotional program which could expand to include enhanced retailer education and legislative outreach.  Both industries already share a united voice on several important issues, including consumer product safety legislation.

“We are confident that carefully planned and coordinated efforts from both our organizations will result in an ideal opportunity for manufacturers, distributors and retailers to conduct business in the critical weeks and months leading up to back-to-school and holiday shopping,” said Berger.

ABOUT THE CRAFT & HOBBY ASSOCIATION
The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is a not-for-profit organization consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the near $30 billion craft and hobby industry. The Association offers a broad range of member services, including market research, education, as well as operates award-winning trade show events, the CHA Winter and CHA Summer Shows, and the CHA Craft SuperShow consumer event. For more about CHA go to www.craftandhobby.org.

About Toy Industry Association (TIA)
TIA is the not-for-profit trade association for producers and importers of toys and youth entertainment products sold in North America, representing over 500 companies who account for approximately 85% of domestic toy sales.  Toy safety is the number one priority for the toy industry. TIA has a long history of leadership in toy safety including development of the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 30 years ago, and working with government, consumers and industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe and fun play.  For more information visit www.toyassociation.org.

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ (April 27, 2010) – With several weeks still remaining before the Craft & Hobby Association’s 2010 Summer Convention & Trade Show, all signs point to a robust event.  As of April 27, there is a 11% increase in square footage and 11% increase in number of exhibitors over year to date (YTD) figures for CHA’s 2009 Summer Show.  
Among the exhibitors contributing to the growth of the Summer Show, to be held July 27-29 in Rosemont, IL, are dozens of new exhibitors, including such names as:

• Dies Direct
• Photocentric Inc.
• Craft-N-Doodle
• Silhouette America
• Theresa Collins Designs

In addition, notable exhibitors, including 3M Corp, Anna Griffin, Creative Crafts Group, Darice, Midwest Products Co, and Plano Molding Co are returning to the Summer Show in Rosemont.

On top of the increases in exhibitor figures, hotel bookings for the 2010 Summer Show are also up 54% over the 2009 Summer Show.  Several CHA room blocks have already sold out while several more hotels are almost full. There are still rooms available at area hotels with rates as low as $59 a night.

“The lineup of new and returning exhibitors combined with the uptick in hotel bookings are some favorable signs pointing to another successful CHA Summer Show,” said Steve Berger, president and CEO, CHA.

This summer also marks CHA’s debut of the first Craft SuperShow in Illinois. This consumer event will be held immediately following the CHA Summer Show on July 30-31, and will be open to the public. The Craft SuperShow is expected to draw more than 8,000 crafters of all ages.  For more about the Craft SuperShow visit www.craftsupershow.com.

To learn more about the upcoming CHA 2010 Summer Convention & Trade Show, including how to exhibit, exhibitor listings, travel discounts and other key show highlights visit www.chashow.org.  Online event registration is now open.

About the Craft & Hobby Association

The Craft & Hobby Association is an international not-for-profit trade association consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the nearly $30 billion craft and hobby industry. For more information about CHA visit www.craftandhobby.org. To find out more about its award-winning Conventions and Trade Shows visit www.chashow.org.

If you want to know which media is hot, just follow the money.

As technology changes consumer habits — using the DVR to skip commercials and using the Internet to access more video content — advertisers are smelling the scent in the wind. A study by the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) released late last year predicts a continued upward surge in digital media investment for 2010. According to eMarketer’s summary, “81 percent of the brand executives surveyed expected an increase in digital projects in 2010, and one-half will be moving dollars from traditional to digital budgets. Further, more than three-quarters think the current economy will push more allocations to digital.”

Todd Gregorcic, president of online video advertising provider Click My Video, Inc. (www.clickmyvideo.com), said the survey tracks with what he has been seeing in the marketplace.

“The Internet is becoming more and more attractive to advertisers with big budgets as well as those with modest budgets because there are more eyeballs than ever and better ways of tracking them,” he said. “With TV, you have to rely on Nielsen ratings to tell you who you reached, and with the advent of the DVR, who really knows who is watching, when they’re watching and what they’re watching. With digital media, you can track Web site visits, collect marketing information and even email consumers directly with rich media like video. More than that, advertisers are able to target their audience based on key demographics and enthusiast interests on a granular level that just isn’t viable with any other medium.”

Gregorcic said that many advertisers are using digital in unique ways, to fit the habits of Internet users.

“Every day, millions of people email YouTube videos and links to interesting things they see on the Internet to their friends,” he added. “Consumers are used to getting video emails, so emails from advertisers with rich media aren’t as unwelcome as they used to be. In that sense, advertisers are now becoming content providers, using video to deliver actual content related to their message embedded in direct marketing emails to consumers. They aren’t just emailing TV commercials, but rather, they are creating or co-opting funny or informative emails and wrapping their advertising message around it in order to suit the habits of Internet users.

He said that his experience with advertisers has demonstrated that most people are willing to open the emails and watch them, and many respond back to the advertisers as a result of the video.

“We are seeing and tracking a high percentage of consumers who watch a video they were emailed by an advertiser who then click through to the advertiser’s Web site,” Gregorcic said. “And even when they don’t respond, we can track it and adjust the campaign. That’s something you can only do in the digital world. You’d never be able to react on the fly like that with a TV campaign.”

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd,  the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is pleased to introduce an eco-friendly, plastic bottle craft as a way for people to get crafty while saving the planet, one plastic bottle at a time. CHA has partnered with Maddylane, a Canadian designer and photographer to provide the tutorial on how to transform plastic beverage bottles into handcrafted lanterns.

Photography courtesy of Maddylane ~ miycreations.com

Total time: About 2 hours (up to 24 hours for the paint to dry and cure.)

Materials & tools:

• Plastic water bottles
• Vinegar
• Lint free cloth & paper towels
• Painter’s tape in assorted widths
• Scissors or craft knife
• Marker and pencil
• Assorted self-adhesive stickers
• Vitrea 160 glass or acrylic paint paints
• Sponge
• Paintbrush
• Paint tray (recycle an old plastic container)
• Cup and water to clean the paintbrushes
• Color wire
• Clippers or pliers
• Hhole punch
• Beads – various sizes and colors
• Cotton swabs
• Electric tea candles or glow stick
• Sand

Directions:

• Clean the plastic bottles thoroughly to remove labels and wipe dry.
• Cover work surface with newspaper and prepare materials and bottles to be painted.
• Make a line using a marker about 2 inches below the cap of the bottle, all around the bottle neck. Use a craft knife or scissor to cut the top off.
• Use a variety of assorted self-adhesive stickers to create patterns by applying them to the surface of the bottles.
• Use painter’s tape in various widths and lengths to place vertically or horizontally around the bottles to create stripes.
• Place some paint in a paint tray. Dip the paintbrush or sponge, dab it to remove excess paint and apply the paint all around the jars over the sticker and tape.
• Place the painted bottles upside-down onto a newspaper to let them dry for approximately one hour.

Photography courtesy of Maddylane ~ miycreations.com

• Before the jars are completely dry, use the tip of a craft knife to help peel off the stickers and painter’s tape. If some bleeding occurred along the edges of some of the designs, it can be simply wiped off gently with a damp cloth or a cotton swab. Remove any adhesive left by the stickers with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol.
• Clean the paint tray and sponges.
• Use a hole punch to make holes about half an inch from the top rim.
• Cut a piece of decorative wire to desired lengths. Insert the wire at one end of the rim handle into one of the holes and use pliers to loop and twist the wire to secure it into place. Insert decorative beads as per desired. Making a loop at the end of the wire, insert it into the second handle hole and twist to securely close and fasten the handle.
• After the paint has dried insert sand into the bottom of the bottle and insert votive candle, tea candles, or glow stick.

Photography courtesy of Maddylane ~ miycreations.com

For more information about the harmful impacts plastic bottles can have on the environment and Earth Day please go to www.earthday.net.  For more Recycled Craft projects and tips, log onto www.craftplace.org. View more eco-friendly make it yourself creations and inspirations by Maddylane, visit www.miycreations.com ~ inspired by Nature.  (More photos on this project can be found HERE at miycreations.com.

About the Craft & Hobby Association

The Craft & Hobby Association is an international not-for-profit trade association consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the $27 billion U.S. craft and hobby industry. For more information about CHA visit www.craftandhobby.org. To find out more about its award-winning Conventions and Trade Shows visit: www.chashow.org.

1. Getting strangled by inventory expenses. Old merchandise will clog the system and keep you from buying new and important merchandise.  Keep your inventory at a sensible level, liquidate problematic items, and reinvest in new trends and hot sellers. Ask yourself if it’s necessary product or fringe items you can do without.  Review the cancellation dates on orders. If possible, cancel orders for product that just doesn’t make sense right now.
2. Allowing your sales floor to become stale.  Speed bump displays, power walls, hot spots – refresh these areas at least every two weeks.  This will give your store a new look and make older merchandise look fresh.  If you’re low on stock, do some creative displays to fill the space.
3. Not holding in-store events.  Out-event your competitors with a ladies craft night that features hands-on demos, professional crafters teaching how to use new products and giving hot tips and new uses for old favorites, plus a glass of wine and a pedicure.
4. Allowing your store to become a vending machine. Keep customer service a top priority.  Make sure that every single shopper in your store is greeted and then escorted to the product he or she is looking for.  Out-service every competitor by doing things in your store just a little bit better than everyone else.
5. Ignoring Kizer and Bender’s “7-Tile Rule.” Whenever anyone working in the store comes within seven floor tiles of a customer, they must acknowledge that customer, no matter how many times they pass them.  Owners and managers, hold your own feet to the fire: you have to do it, too.  Studies show that customers who are greeted by the owner or manager are up to 12 times more likely to return.

You can learn more about the best retailing practices at the CHA 2009 Summer Convention & Trade Show.  To register for the Show and educational sessions, visit www.chashow.org.  There you will also see a complete schedule of all Show programs and events.  You may be surprised to find out what fatal mistakes you’re making in your store!

Through my experience consulting with retailers I have learned that there are many factors surrounding the fear of incorporating digital products into their store. The biggest fear is how the digital products will affect their bottom line since digital products are not in the same consumable category as traditional paper and embellishments. 

What’s the solution? It’s simple really: Creative hybrid displays, knowledgeable employees or teachers and smart purchases from your procurement agent. 

The most common mistake made by a retailer introducing digital products is that they themselves do not often understand the product and so they don’t know how to display it in a fashion that will encourage sales. Since time is limited for most storeowners there are ways to conquer this issue that require minimal time. Send an email or post an announcement that your store is looking for hybrid and digital teachers. With the influx of digital scrapbooking over the past 5 years you will be surprised to find that many of your consumers have knowledge in this area. Tapping into your loyal customers is a way to bring in the knowledge that you do not have the time to learn. If you are unsuccessful at finding capable teachers then search on the Internet for Hybrid Scrapbooking and Crafting and then request help and information from sites that are already catering to this area. The final option is to take time out to learn about it yourself and then educate your employees. 

Putting a CD on your shelf, no matter how eye-catching the cover is, will not sell the CD. Your customers are tactile and visual. They need to see what the CD can create and touch the printed items. Create displays that catch the eye and educate your customer. If all you do is print out samples that can be hung next to the CD you will increase the purchasing power of the product but the most innovative way to encourage sales of digital products is to couple them with traditional items that you already carry in the store. You can show the full capabilities of the digital products by combining pieces of them with matching embellishments and papers that your loyal customers already love and purchase. By creating sample pages that show the mixture of traditional and digital products on them you show your customer how seamlessly the products fit together. Use arrows or other tags to label the different methods for creating the page. Point out the digital products so that your customer can see how versatile the items contained on the CD are and how well they match with your traditional products. Keep an eye out for manufacturers that are already thinking along these lines for you. Companies that have released their own digital products often have creative ways that they can be combine with other traditional items. Utilizing these products in your store will make it easier for you to sell them to your consumer. 

Manufacturers are beginning to understand the need that retail storeowners have for products that intermix. Prima has a fantastic line-up of hybrid products that go hand in hand with each other. Glitz Design offers a variety of CD’s that match their papers and embellishments. They also have a Create-A-Card CD series that is quite popular. Daisy D’s has several 4-in1- Stamp Kits that include an alphabet stamp set and a CD that includes the same font as the stamps and a few digital papers. These kits match existing lines that Daisy D’s offers. Tinkering Ink offers their papers on CD as well as by the sheet and their finery and other embellishments work in conjunction with the digital and traditional items. Lasting Impressions offers their Memory Mixer Software that can be used to create scrapbook pages and books. As these manufacturers push the industry to adjust to the need of the hybrid scrapbooker and their retailers I believe we’ll see a growing number of companies that jump on board and provide compatible digital products that are intended to be used in conjunction with traditional products.

To help encourage your loyal customers to step outside their comfort-zone you have to be willing to do so yourself. Adding digital products into your store and displaying them properly will help your customers feel comfortable coming to you for products, information, classes and ideas. To break into this area it is sometimes easier to have a “HYBRID DAY” at the store where your customers can drop by to learn about this method of scrapbooking, see in-store demonstrations, sign up for classes and purchase products. Package traditional and digital products together to make it easier for your customer to walk in and purchase items that work well together. A hybrid day is also a great way to feel out the interest from your customer base. Once you have interest begin offering classes that will teach your customers how to combine traditional and digital techniques and products together. 

It is important that you don’t feel discouraged when you first launch your digital products. As the interest in digital grows in the industry, so does the curiosity of your consumer. During the recent CHA Summer show in Chicago we spent a lot of time talking with manufacturers about the concerns of retail stores and how they see the retailers moving into the digital products marketplace. Lane Hill from Lasting Impressions had this to say, “Every store owner is viewed as the memory expert in their community. Take advantage of that and learn the new technology so that you can be the place they go for answers.” I am a firm believer that if you aren’t doing it, your competitor will. By providing the products in a visible location in your store and offering classes you are sending the message to your customers that you are the place they can come when they are ready to try out a digital product. 

It isn’t easy to take the first step forward but when you start small and start smart you will be successful in integrating digital products into your store. If you have more questions about this, visit our private Retailer and Manufacturer section in our forums and we will be happy to give you additional information that will help you on your way.