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Scrapbooking: Passionate DevoteesExpertise, sources, and time and money spent define these hobbyists.Devoted or merely well-intentioned, scrapbook enthusiasts have turned this hobby into a multibillion dollar - and growing - industry. Many have even made it their career.
Scrapbooking may conjure up images of photo albums filled with trendy colors, patterned paper, and creatively cropped photographs surrounded by stamped letters and stickers, all of which illustrate significant events in the lives of family members and friends. This, of course, assumes the scrapbook is finished and not scattered across the dining-room-turned-craft-room with bits and scraps waiting for the cropper’s next burst of creativity and energy to complete a page. In 2004, Creating Keepsakes magazine conducted its “Scrapbooking in America”™ (SIA) survey. Phase I of the survey assessed the size and value of the scrapbooking industry through a mailed survey to 40,000 random households. Phase II queried 2,500 scrapbooking households to identify their scrapbooking behaviors and create a consumer profile. Key findings from the SIA survey revealed a $2.551 billion industry consisting of more than 32 million scrapbookers. Almost one in four U.S. households participates in scrapbooking. A Day to Call Its OwnA February 2007 press release from Fun Facts Publishing announced the fourth annual International Scrapbooking Industry Day on March 4, 2007, to commemorate the industry and the entrepreneurs fueling its growth. There are an estimated 4,000 retail scrapbook stores in the United States; nearly 2,000 manufacturers; tens of thousands of direct sales consultants; and countless Web sites. Sue DiFranco, founder of Fun Facts Publishing, has watched scrapbooking grow from a $350 million industry to well over $3 billion in 2007, and she estimates it will grow between 40 and 80 percent annually over the next five years. DiFranco says it's not just about opening a scrapbook store. Enthusiasts are creating careers as product designers/manufacturers, direct sales consultants, instructors, event organizers, professional designers, authors, web designers, and online community facilitators. The Opportunity is ThereThe many variables of the scrapbooking industry help make it a feasible entrepreneurial opportunity for devotees. Serving a specific market and being aware of trends are important elements for success, but having the gumption to make it happen is critical. The Web site womenhomebusiness.com has a success story about two sisters who immigrated from the Dominican Republic and launched ArteLatinoh.com, a scrapbooking supplies company offering Hispanic-themed paper kits, rubber stamps, stickers, fonts and other products with distinct Spanish text and design. Another woman became an authorized licensee of college scrapbooks when she found such a product did not exist. She expanded into custom quality scrapbook papers, stickers, and rubber stamps among other specialty gifts. Still others are taking advantage of the skull-and-crossbones craze, pirates, and Harley-Davidson themes to add personality and style to their creations. After all, scrapbooking isn’t just about hearts, flowers, and cutesy fonts. Other recent articles on the Suite101 site related to scrapbooking include how to start a scrapbooking kit and things for beginners to consider when starting a scrapbook.
The copyright of the article Scrapbooking: Passionate Devotees in Scrapbooking & Paper Crafts is owned by Michelle Gardner. Permission to republish Scrapbooking: Passionate Devotees in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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