Meet Crafters’ Home & Discover The Latest Issue of Retail Minded Magazine

Since 2007, Retail Minded has proudly partnered with various retail groups, state level organizations, national merchant associations and more in an effort to support retailers with quality news, education and support specific to independent businesses. Among our longtime partners include Crafters’ Home, the largest group of independent scrapbook and paper craft retailers in the world. Their membership includes independently owned retail stores from around the world – all of whom exchange information in order to provide their customers with the freshest ideas, the newest products, cutting-edge techniques and stellar customer service. Retail Minded is honored to be among the resources they lean on to help them achieve this, and we’re thrilled to have recently sat down with Missy Brozek, Vice-President & Creative Director of Crafters’ Home, to discuss the value of Crafters’ Home and how retail groups in general can support merchants nowadays. Additionally, we’re proud to feature one of their members – Simple Pleasure, a Colorado Springs based retailer – on the cover of our latest issue of Retail Minded Magazine (featured above).

Join us as we discuss retail, membership groups for merchants and more with Missy Brozek from Crafters’ Home.

Retail Minded: We are such big fans of your group! Can you share with our readers what exactly Crafters’ Home is? 

Missy Brozek: Crafters’ Home is a diverse group of independent paper-crafting retailers from around the world – all exchanging information in order to provide their customers with the freshest ideas, the newest products, and top-notch customer service, to stay competitive in today’s tough economy. Our membership is exclusive to independently-owned brick and mortar retail stores and our goal at Crafters’ Home is to help our retailers do more than survive… we want to see them thrive!

Retail Minded: That’s fantastic! Assuming this is why Crafters’ Home was first founded, can you further explain why Crafters’ Home first came to life? 

Missy Brozek: Crafters’ Home was created in 1997 to help foster communication and connections between independent retailers and manufacturers in the scrapbooking industry. We knew even then that there is much more our member retailers were able to accomplish together than any of us can do on our own. Our goal has always been to provide retailers with the tools, resources, and relationships they needed to be successful.

In the early days of Crafters’ Home, the focus of the group highly revolved around negotiating discounts for the independent retailers. And though we still work hard to negotiate discounts, exclusive offers, and terms that benefit our independent retailers, the focus of Crafters’ Home has definitely shifted. We feel retail education, face-to-face time with our fellow retailers and partner vendors, exclusive hands-on workshops and events, and putting critical business tools and resources at our members’ fingertips is what helps make them successful today.

Retail Minded: We love that. What a fantastic resource you have been to the retail scrapbook community. We understand that Crafters’ Home is a membership based group. Can you explain the perks of being a member to a group such as yours – and specifically, how any independent retailer can benefit from this in their unique niche category?  

Missy Brozek: Crafters’ Home is membership-based and exclusive to independent brick-and-mortar retailers. There are a number of benefits to being a member of Crafters’ Home – as there are to other similar groups in other niche retail categories. With Crafters’ Home, for example, we offer negotiated discounts; exclusive products & offers; promotional and marketing tools created exclusively for Crafters’ Home members; bi-annual networking, education, and buying events; and outlets for making connections, exchanging ideas, asking questions, sharing frustrations and successes, and keeping up-to-date on industry news and products. More broadly, however, we see Crafters’ Home as a way to stand together and help independently-owned paper-crafting retailers grow and thrive.

Retail Minded: We’ve always said that independent retailers don’t have to work alone, and you guys are a great example of this. As a retailer, we know there is so much to do on their always expanding to-do-lists. Do retail groups help ease this at all, and if so, how does Crafters’ Home do this specifically? 

Missy Brozek: This has been a big focus for us this past year! With so many of our retailers being the sole employee, or one of very few employees in their stores, we realized we need to do more to help them check things off those to-do lists.

We have introduced “Plug & Play” promotions where we do almost all the legwork for our retailers so our members have social media, e-mail and store promotion materials at the ready. All materials are customizable, and retailers can quickly make them fit their situation or upcoming event.

There are a plethora of education articles, business tips, retail trends, and publications to sift through to keep up to date and competitive. Through our social media channels and e-mail newsletters, we curate the best and most relevant articles and tips for our retailers so they can spend that time focusing on their business and customers.

Retail Minded: Love what you offer your members! So creative and so helpful. On that note, can you give us some examples of what members of your group could expect to gain over the course of a year? 

Missy Brozek: Many Crafters’ Home retailers tell us that their favorite part of being a member of Crafters’ Home is the invitation to attend our exclusive Crafters’ Home Showcase events each summer and winter. Crafters’ Home Showcase is a two-day event preceding the industry tradeshow. Packed full of retail education, hands-on workshops, vendor presentations, demos, networking, and getting rejuvenated about their businesses, Crafters’ Home Showcase is definitely a highlight for many of our retailers – as well as for us at Crafters’ Home! This July, Crafters’ Home, our retailers, and our partner vendors are heading to Salt Lake City – collaborating with Sierra Pacific Crafts Mixed Media Event – to host our next Showcase. On top of all of the other great happenings, Showcase will also include a day-long bus tour to many of our Utah vendors for more hands-on workshop, site tours, and so much fun!

Retail Minded: Any other details you can share about the benefits of retail groups in general? 

Missy Brozek: Quite possibly the most important benefit our retailers gain is the facilitation of connections and relationships. We have seen some amazing bonds and friendships grow over the years, but new and seasoned retailers alike have a dynamic group of retailers at their fingertips who share so many common goals and want to see each other succeed!

Retail Minded: That alone is worth the membership! Thanks for sharing your insight, Missy. And thank you for sharing with us Simple Pleasures, a Colorado Springs based retailer we had the pleasure of visiting recently. Their store just celebrated 21 years in business and is featured on the latest edition of Retail Minded Magazine – which you can find here (Issue 24).  Congratulations to the entire Simple Pleasures team! 

Learn more about Crafters’ Home and the benefits of becoming part of their membership based retail group here!