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Creative Leisure News
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Date: December 16, 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTSCOMMENTARY: WHY MJDESIGNS FILEDVendors worry about a retailer filing for bankruptcy when the retailer pays bills more slowly. That wasn't the case with MJDesigns (see article below) lately, so many vendors were surprised. But often a retailer has other problems, one of which is unprofitable stores with long-term leases. The only way out of those leases is bankruptcy.Another factor is when the investor pulls the plug suddenly, as Cardinal Group apparently did with MJD. That also happened to CraftShop.com, the most promising of all the big craft e-commerce sites that appeared and died a few years ago.
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MJDESIGNS FILES FOR CHAPTER 11 -- AGAINIn a move that caught most of the industry by surprise, MJDesigns filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last Friday, citing disappointing fall/Christmas sales and inadequate cash flow. The company, perhaps the most storied name in craft retailing, employs 600 people in 12 stores in the Dallas area. The stores will remain open through the holidays, but then there may be some closures and layoffs.CEO David Eisenberg said, "We are very disappointed that this step became necessary." He attributed the disappointing sales to new Michaels stores opening near some MJD stores, and lower traffic patterns at other stores after some big-box retailers moved out of nearby shopping areas. Apparently the stores affected by the decline in traffic have long term leases. However, one vendor in particular put a different slant on the explanation. "They just recently (last 60 days) opened two stores and therefore have two stores worth of unpaid-for merchandise. If they were on target, why would Cardinal pull the plug? One Toys R Us left one shopping center where they are, but the center is full other than that; Target, PetSmart, Old Navy, and a bunch more are still there. "Michaels did open one store, I believe, near them, but they just opened a store in Arlington that has Michaels, JoAnn's, Wal-Mart, and Hobby Lobby within a half-mile radius," the vendor continued. At its peak in 1997, MJDesigns had 57 stores and $250 million in annual revenue. The company ran into financial problems in 1998 and filed for bankruptcy in 1999. As part of the reorganization, a group of employees backed by the Dallas-based Cardinal Group bought the MJDesigns name and 8 of the Dallas-area stores. Since then, the chain expanded to 12 stores. But recent disappointing sales caused a need for more capital, Eisenberg told the Dallas Morning News, and Cardinal decided not to invest any more. "We were on target. We just ran out of money," he added. Eisenberg, considered a turnaround specialist after tenures at Chief Auto Parts and People's Drug Stores, became CEO more than a year ago. The decline must have been sudden. This summer Eisenberg predicted MJDesigns would be profitable by January, 2004, and late this fall was very optimistic in an interview with Craftrends, published in its December issue.
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NOVEMBER SALES: SIGNS OF A SLOWDOWN?The day after Thanksgiving may have been great, but not much else about November was. The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi-UBS Warburg's monthly chain store sales index registered flat against the year-ago period, Reuters reported. And this time industry-related chains seemed closer to retailers in general, after months (a year?) of above-average results.Part of the problem was the calendar. Last year there were nine November shopping days after Thanksgiving; this year there were only two. Reports for the first week in December are no better, reports Retail Store Merchandiser. Despite having the greatest sales day (the day after Thanksgiving) in history, Wal-Mart posted only a 2.8% increase in same-store sales, below analysts' expectations. Michaels same-store sales fell 6%, the most substantial monthly decline in recent memory. Jo-Ann's same-store sales increased 1.9%, and officials cited the calendar as the reason. Duckwall-ALCO's same-store sales fell 9.4% in November, but officials cited crafts as a strong department. The major exception was Hancock, which reported a same-stores sales increase of 12.8%, the best we've heard of in any industry. Hancock's board also declared a cash dividend of $0.08/share on the outstanding common shares, payable Jan. 15 to shareholders of record Jan. 1. FAO, owner of Zany Brainy and other chains, saw its stock tumble after announcing it would not meet previous earnings estimates. On Friday the Wall Street Journal reported that at least two large suppliers of FAO have stopped shipping merchandise. Some other retailers: Family Dollar, -0.7% ... Kohl's, -3.4% ... American Eagle, -6.5% ... May Department Stores, -7.9% ... Ann Taylor, -10.3% ... Sears, -10.9%.
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KEY EXEC CHANGESMichaels named Ron Staffieri President. Staffieri has 30 years of retail experience, most recently as President of Waldenbooks, the 820-store, $850 million division of Borders. Before that he had been President of Things Remembered and President/CEO of KayBee Toy Stores. He starts work in January and will answer to CEO Michael Rouleau.David Ladd, Founder/CEO of Walnut Hollow, announced that Tim Valentyn, who has been President for the past five years, resigned to return to his previous law firm as a managing partner ... Ladd also named Brian Adkinson as VP of Sales and Marketing. He had spent 12 years with Fiskars, where he was National Sales Manager of the Gerber division, and then the Wausau business unit. Jeff Berline returned to CPE as Chair/CEO and will oversee the launch of a new program, Glimmer Felt. Garden Ridge named Randall Onstead as CEO.
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2002 IN REVIEW, PT. I: POSITIVESSALES. An excellent year, as indicated by the HIA's ongoing Size of Industry study, which showed double-digit growth over 2001. The number, $26.7 billion, is high, depending on how you define the industry, but 11% growth sounds right for the year.RETAILERS. Most had a strong year. Our chains outperformed most retailers in other industries, although they started coming back to the pack toward the end of this year ... Independents were watching to see the results of Michaels' Village Crafts (smaller stores in smaller towns) experiment ... Wal-Mart turned 40 as the largest retailer in the world ... Michaels lost some key execs, posted record sales and profits, and the stock split ... Jo-Ann's revamped its merchandising department and seemed to be ahead of schedule with its turnaround plan ... A.C. Moore -- best profits and sales ever, and the stock split ... Rag Shops had a successful year under new president Jeff Gerstel ... Hancock may have quietly had the most successful year of all. NATIONAL MEDIA. The year has seen the greatest public relations bonanza in the industry's history. Were there any major print media that didn't report on our industry's growing appeal? Among the majors: The Wall Street Journal (the popularity of homemade gifts) ... Vogue (trendy designers getting "Crafty") ... Real Simple (quilting) ... Reuters (female prisoners sewing dolls for disadvantaged kids) ... The Chicago Tribune and New York Times ("Arts-and-Crafts Stores Defy Retailing's Slump") ... Martha Stewart Living (9 pages on quilling) ... The Orange County Register (new craft products save time) ... Health (called knitting "the new yoga") ... Bazaar and Lucky (macrame accessories and airbrushed t-shirts) ... Teen People ("How-To: Make a Scrapbook") ... Almost every woman's service magazine ran an article about a show business personality -- even Russell Crowe -- taking up knitting or crochet ... Newsweek reported on scrapbooking and Time on altered books ... Forbes profiled Michaels' Michael Rouleau ... The only negative was the sniper attacks near Washington, D.C. area Michaels stores. TV. Ratings are up for the cable shows, industry related PBS shows are growing, and the national networks have noticed. The Today Show had a mini fashion show of Lion Brand Yarn projects from the new magazine, Knit It.
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2002 IN REVIEW, PT. II: TRANSITIONSACQUISITIONS, I. The industry continues to consolidate. Dynamic Resource Group (DRG) purchased the assets of Clotilde's Sewing Notions, and then bought ASN Publishing, one of the industry's leading needlework book publishers ... Bill Reilly, former president of Primedia, first purchased F&W Publications and then Krause Publications ...Creativity Inc. continued to expand its family of companies, which now includes Westrim, Distinct Marketing Designs (DMD), Crop-In-Style, and Elizabeth Ward (Blue Moon Beads) ... Promotions Unlimited bought the domestic assets of Pacific Creative Distributors and changed the name to Herr's Pacific -- and then bought E-Z Gregory, a variety-goods distributor in Madison, Wis.ACQUISITIONS, II. Right Start, the company that purchased Zany Brainy and FAO Schwarz, changed its name to FAO, Inc. ... Prym-Dritz finalized its acquisition of Dal-Craft, the manufacturer of LoRan needlework accessories ... Janlynn acquired the craft kit, floss, and accessories division of Leisure Arts/Designs for the Needle (DFN) ... Duncan purchased a 50% share of PSX and later acquired Scioto Ceramic Products ... The Berwick subsidiary of CSS Industries bought substantially all of the assets of C. M. Offray & Son, making Berwick the largest producer and distributor of ribbon in the world ... MagEyes added Body-Rite, The Posture Pleaser to its product line ... Victoria Paper merged with Savoir Faire ... Rupert, Gibbon, and Spider/Jacquard Products acquired Versatex. BANKRUPTCY. Who says running a chain is easy? Kmart filed Chapter 11, Frank's and Canada's White Rose emerged from it, and Ames died for good ... IDD, the magazine distribution company, closed its doors. TRANSITIONS. Larry Fine to A.C. Moore (as president) ... Mark Hill to Westrim ... Erik Mandleberg to Lion Brand Yarn ... Gwen Edwards, to Michaels ... Ed Lidz, to Precision Custom ... Karen Kilbourne to Dynamic Resource Group. RESIGNATIONS/RETIREMENTS. The top three HIA staffers: Susan Danker, Susan Brandt (to become head of HIA's Foundation), and Pat Koziol (effective in February) ... Michaels' Exec. VP/CFO Brian DeCordova ... Paul Mackey retired from Prym-Dritz, replaced by Johan Starrenburg.
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2002 IN REVIEW, PT. III: MISCELLANEOUSTRADE SHOWS. They often reflect the state of the industry and 2002 was no exception. Generally shows were active and upbeat, although attendance from international buyers was down. ACCI rebounded strongly from previous years' decline, and TNNA had record-breaking events. The floral and toy shows seemed to reflect the continuing transition of those industries. Quilt Markets continued to shine. The INRG/NATS needlework show is not what it once was.MISCELLANEOUS. HIA spent the year wondering about the outcome of its reserve assets of $2.4 million, frozen by the SEC as part of its actions against Bentley Financial Services, the investment company through which HIA and many others had invested. Still no final resolution ... A number of vendors announced special programs for independents, including Hot Off The Press, Fiskars, and Fairfield ... Plaid closed its European distributorship and announced partnerships with key European distributors. For more on Plaid, click here. ETHICS. There is growing resentment by vendors -- fueled by often unverifiable rumors -- about retailers taking the vendors' ideas and giving them to other vendors or taking them overseas ... Designers are increasingly worried about ideas taken from them without adequate compensation ... Are some buyers taking too many gifts from vendors? LOST FRIENDS. Once again we've lost some wonderful people this year. Roy Morgan, 50, VP of Purchasing for Dee's Delights ... Dennis McKee of Canyon Foam Design ... George L. Miller, President of Watoni Trading Company ... Independent retailer and former ACCI board member Bob Vogelsberg of Dee's Crafts ... Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel and creator of Barbie ... Michele Covey, formerly of VIP Rubber Stamps and Stampendous ... Larry McPhedrain, the founder/chair of Mary Maxim ... Rebecca "Becky" Stevens, formerly of Blumenthal Lansing, Simplicity, and Belding Corticelli ... Kaethe Kliot, founder of Lacis. QUOTE OF THE YEAR. "How's this for irony? I've made more money in the last six months buying the stocks of our chains than I have selling products to them." -- Long time industry manufacturer
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SOME RANDOM PREDICTIONSSCRAPBOOKING. Seems to be maturing where it has been established the longest (west, northwest, etc.) but still growing in the east. It's too early to tell if scrappers will jump on altered books, but cardmaking seems likely ... Scrapbook Preservation Society is trying to develop consistent, verifiable terminology and eliminate the confusion over terms such as acid-proof and photo safe.KNITTING/CROCHET. Probably won't receive as much publicity next year, since almost every major magazine and newspaper has already reported on its resurgence. Will continue to benefit from the efforts of the Craft Yarn Council of America. PAINTING. Should begin to reap the benefits of the new in-person and online efforts to teach painting to novices. But margins continue to make the category less profitable than it should be. JEWELRYMAKING. Will continue to grow, thanks to the "tween" market and higher-end glass and stone beads. WATCH FOR. Certain trade associations beginning to work together. The miniatures association holding its show within next year's ACCI show is just the beginning ... International buyers returning to our trade shows, provided there are no more major terrorist attacks ... A cruise line (yes, a major cruise line) to form a major alliance with one of our retail chains. ON THE RISE. More licensing ... Consolidation at the manufacturer level ... "Slim" books ... Increased cooperation with schools ... The Sierra Pacific Crafts group of independents ... Embellishments in quilting and scrapbooking ... More time between chain department re-sets. DECLINING. The size of trade show booths ... Professional crafters ... Patriotic, red/white/blue designs (unless we invade Iraq).
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RAG SHOPS: PROFITS SHOW SUBSTANTIAL INCREASENet income for the year ended Aug. 31 was $290,000 ($.06/diluted share), compared to $46,000 ($.01) per diluted share for previous last year. Officials said a better in-stock position, new products, improved merchandise displays, and positive post 9/11 trends were the key factors. Sales for the year ended Aug. 31 rose 9.7% to $110.7 million; same store sales were up 4.9%.The fourth quarter, historically a loss quarter, resulted in a loss of $1.3 million (-$.27) similar to last year. Sales for the fourth quarter were $23.7 million and same-store sales rose 7.5%. Contributing factors were new store opening expenses, additional payroll expense incurred in connection with filling executive and management positions that were vacant in the prior comparable period, plus increased insurance expenses. President Jeff Gerstel said, "Our 4.9% same-store sales increase for the fiscal year reflects a significant improvement over recent historical results. We made substantial investments in our future by attracting experienced talent to build our executive and management team. Although we made progress in the area of profitability, there is much more work to be done in this area. One of our major focuses for fiscal 2003 will be expense control and profit enhancement, especially given our expectations of a difficult retail environment."
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NEW HIA EXHIBITORS(Note: More will follow in our next two issues.)A Cherry On Top (#0744). Stickers, scrapbook supplies. www.acherryontop.com; info@acherryontop.com. Accent Depot (#0743). Buttons, fasteners, brads, rubber stamps, photo and scrapbooking supplies. www.accentdepot.com. Aimeej Keepsake Albums (#0816). Handmade baby keepsake albums, supplies. Visit www.aimeej.com. Album Artistry (#0812). Books and supplies for papercraft, quilling, rubber stamps, and scrapbooks. Visit www.albumartistry.com. Apothecary Products (#0403). Beads & bead kits, buttons/fasteners/hardware, collectibles, jewelrymaking/sewing supplies, product development. www.apothecaryproducts.com. Art & Technology (#0548). Beads & kits, books, cross stitch kits & supplies. www.pinn-stitch.com; bussaya@pinn-stitch.com. Art Impressions Rubber Stamps (#0865). Rubber stamps and supplies. www.artimpressions.com; artimpstamps@cs.com. As You Wish (#0546). Scrapbooks, sewing accesories, supplies. www.asyouwish-products.com; info@asyouwish-products.com. Awesome Albums (#0933). Embellished Edges border kits, fiber cards, & other scrapbooking supplies. www.awesomealbums.com; awesomealbums@att.net. Agence Pierre Grenier/BabyEyelets (#0641). Scrapbooking supplies, eyelets and rivets, manual and power scissors. www.babyeyelets.com; info@babyeyelets.com.To see and learn more about these products, click here. Beautone Specialties (#0712). Containers, stationery, photo, and scrapbook supplies. www.beautone.com; doug@beautone.com. Biblical Impressions (#0736). Art materials, collectibles, glues/adhesives and applicators. Metal & wirecraft, rubber stamps, scrapbooks, & supplies. www.biblical.com; sales@biblical.com. Black and Tan Tales (#0427). Dog diaries, scrapbooks, supplies. www.blackandtantales.com; products@blackandtantales.com. Bridge Import. (#0930) Art materials, floral containers, florals: garden accessories/fountains, home dec, plastercraft & resin casting supplies. Visit www.jardyns.com; bridgeimp@jardyns.com. CPFilms, Gila Product Div. (#0510). Coated films and other photo supplies, framing mats. www.cpfilms.com; lisa.killen@cpfilms.com. Calambour (#0407). Decoupage supplies; books, instructions, & videos for general crafts; art paper/canvas prints & posters, scrapbooking, stencils, wall coverings, borders, & appliques. www.calambour.com; sales@calambour.com. Candlewic (#0402). Candlemaking, glassware, modeling compounds, plaster & resin casting, potpourri/scents/aromatherapy. waxnwic@epix.net. (To see and read more about Candlewic products, click here.) Martin R Carbone (#0512). Art materials, kid's activity kits, storage containers, craft kits, adhesives/applicators, modeling compounds, polymer clay, models/puzzles/ & games, papercraft & quilling, product development, stamping, science kits, soapmaking, stationery, hand & power scissors. www.adelphia.net; martinrc@adelphia.net. Carved Stamps (#0558) Metal, wirecraft, stamp, and embossing supplies. www.carvedstamps.com; carvedstamps@onebox.com. Cast Paper Art (#0410) Paper mache, casting, papercraft, and quilling supplies, scrapbooks and stationery supplies, wedding accessessories. www.castpapaerart.com; customerservice@castpaperart.com. Cellophanebag.com (#0914) Containers and storage products. www.cellophanebag.com. Chantilly Lace (#0749) Craft, framing, papercraft and quilling, stamp, scrapbook, stationery, and supplies. www.chantillylacecrafts.com; mvcram@aol.com. Clear Solutions (#0505) store Fixtures, displays, lighting. www.cleardisplays.com. ClearSky Publishing (#0644) books, scrapbooks and stationery supplies, stickers. www.clearskypublishing.com; info@clearskypublishing.com. Cloud 9 Design (#0533) Photo and scrapbook supplies, stickers. www.cloud9design.biz; info@cloud9design.biz. Color-a-Cookie (#0760) Cake decorating/candymaking supplies, kid's activity and craft kits. www.coloracookie.com; pashka@coloracookie.com. Creative Native Crafts (#0520) Papercraft and quilling, party, and scrapbook supplies. www.creativenativecrafts.com; creativenative@hawaii.rr.com. Cridge (#0948) Ceramic surfaces: bisque, seasonal, home dec supplies, paint surfaces. www.cridge.com; kpallanta@cridge.com. Cropper Hopper (#0754) containers; stamps, scrapbooks, and photo supplies; plastic canvas kits and supplies. www.cropperhopper.com; April@leecoindustries.com. Cyndi's Whims (#0626) stamps, scrapbooks and supplies. www.cyndiswhims.com; cyndi@cyndiswhims.com.
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VENDORS: MAXIMIZE YOUR TRADE SHOW INVESTMENTYes, it's not that long since you've returned from the January shows, but the summer shows will be here before you know it. Considering how much it costs to exhibit at trade shows, it makes sense to get the most out of them. Some suggestions -- in more or less chronological order:1. Creative Leisure News. There is still time to get your new products in front of buyers before the January shows. CLN will have two pre-HIA issues in January (the 6th and the 20th). For info on having your lines included, call Mike Hartnett or email mike@clnonline.com. 2. Appointments. Call key buyers and magazine editors to set a specific time for them to visit your booth. 3. Staff Training. All your booth personnel should know how to use your products, who makes products used in conjunction with yours, freight policies, shipping dates, etc. 4. Postcards. Send them to every buyer on your list. List your booth number, any show specials, and tease them about new products. 5. Madeups. Get new madeups -- particularly showing your existing products used in new ways. 6. Press Room. Drop off about 50 copies of all recent press releases. Don't assume every magazine will stop by your booth, but they still stop in the press room. 7. New Product Areas. Most shows now have a new-product display area, usually somewhere near the buyer registration area. Virtually every buyer looks at that display first. 8. Demos, Make-it/Take-its. They attract crowds, and crowds pique the curiosity of buyers passing by. 9. Show Specials. If you want to encourage buyers to place orders at the show (and who doesn't?), offer a discount of some sort for immediate orders. And make certain you have signs big/clear enough that explain the specials to buyers in the aisle. 10. Shipping. Buyers at January shows are very skeptical about vendors' promises to ship. If you have lines that really are ready for delivery by a certain date, make and use signs that say that! But only say it if you mean it. 11. Distributors. Print copies of a list of all of your distributors to give to all of your buyers or at least to those who can't order your minimums.
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RANDOM NOTES, RANDOM THOUGHTS1. My very best wishes to Wanda Burnett and Linda Queen, who have written their final "Shop Talk" column for Craftrends. You won't find two nicer, funnier, smarter women than Wanda and Linda, who've written the column for 18 years.2. I received a copy of nature photographer Tom Mangelsen's 2003 calendar and once again I feel what a high school basketball player must feel watching Michael Jordan. I am an amateur photographer, and Tom is the finest nature photographer in the world. I mention this because Tom is the brother of Bill (president of Greensward), Hal (president of Midwest Design Imports), and retailer David (Mangelsen's). Tom has studio/shops in various Western states (including the Denver airport). If you can't visit a store, visit www.mangelsen.com and be prepared to be awestruck.
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MISCELLANEOUS NEWSNEW VENDORS. A.C. Moore has initiated open buying days for any prospective vendor on the following Tuesdays in 2003: Jan. 7, March 4, April 1, June 3, Aug. 5, Oct. 7, and Nov. 4. Call Dot Hahn at 856-228-6700, ext. 364, to schedule an appointment.PEOPLE. Ron LaRosa (Delta) has been elected to the HIA board. He fills the seat created by the resignation of Tim Valentyn (see below). LaRosa will serve the balance of Valentyn's three-year term ending in 2005 ... Steven Fishman, CEO of Frank's, has resigned. Fishman's duties will be assumed for now by COO/President Adam Szopinski ... We've learned unoffically that Linda Augsburg Sirott has resigned as editor of Michaels Create! magazine, published by Krause Publications ... NAMTA elected Sam Seelig of SLS Arts as VP/Finance. HIA. Numbers for the January show as of Dec. 1: 2700+ attendees pre-registered, 1080 exhibitors (up 8%), 211 new exhibitors (up 59%) and 2918 booths (up 3%). For more info, call 201-794-1133 or visit www.hobby.org. LATCH HOOK. The Dec. 16 issue of Newsweek called latch hook "the newest craft craze" and that it, opposed to knitting, can be learned in 15 minutes. ACQUISITIONS. Barnes & Noble is buying Sterling Publishing, the publisher of numerous hardcover craft related books and publishes Fiberarts magazine and Folkwear Patterns. Officials say Sterling will continue as a separate division ... Jarden Corp. announced plans to buy the assets and certain liabilities of Diamond Brands, the manufacturer of Forster wooden craft items. SHOWS. Exhibit space for INRG's Nashville Needlework Market Feb. 7-9 is sold out. CHARITY. Proceeds from the HIA Foundation's 12th Golf Tournament Jan. 24 will go to the SHOPA Kids in Need Resource Centers. To participate or be a sponsor, call 201-794-1133. CUTBACKS. Binney & Smith is dropping the third shift at its Bethlehem plant and considering pay cuts or moving some of its production to Mexico because of decreased demand for paints, modeling compound, and activity kits, Reuters reported. CHRISTMAS. The October survey at HIA's consumer site, www.i-craft.com revealed that 54% of 681 respondents said they would spend more time on holiday crafting this year; 5% said they'd spend less time. Gifts (69%) was the most common motivation; home decorations (60%) was next. The most popular activities were Ornament making, 38%; Wreath making, 31%; Painting/drawing, 27%; Needlecrafts, 23%; Beading, 19%; Floral arranging, 19%; Scrapbooking, 18%; Candlemaking, 17%; Cake decorating/candy making, 16%; and Crocheting, 16%. CORRECTION. The Memories Expo in Orlando drew 6,649 attendees, up 1,000+ from a year ago. FRANK'S. Same-store sales for the third quarter dropped 8.4% due, officals said, to heavy promotional activity last year when Frank's closed out numerous lines. Net sales fell 13.3%, due in part to having 13 fewer stores. The net loss was $15.9 million compared to a loss in 2001 of $33.1 million. The current store count is 170 stores in 14 states. PROMOS. HIA's National Craft Month (March) will culminate on Sat., March 29th with a one-day event, "Look! I Made It Myself ... A Kid's Craft Day." For more info on how retailers can get involved, call 201-794-1133. TECHNOLOGY. Jo-Ann's will begin to use Bottomline Technologies' PayBase Payments Engine to pay vendors. It will be integrated with the current SAP software. MAGAZINES. Another issue of Knit It is due on the newsstands Dec. 24. LOOKING. Experienced sales manager in arts and crafts based in Chicago area is looking for an exciting new opportunity. Call Mike Hartnett, in confidence, at 309-925-5593, or email mike@clnonline.com. CONDOLENCES. To the family and friends of Kristina Becker, who passed away last month. Kristina was a former quilt shop retailer and popular author and teacher. Her latest book, Come Listen To My Quilts, was published by C&T Publishing this past spring. A special "In Memoriam" feature honoring Kristina is at C&T's website, www.ctpub.com.
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BUSINESS PROFILE: MAGEYES, INC.Homemaker Mary Frances Sherlock always did a lot of hand sewing and needlework. Then one day she visited her dentist and discovered he used a "professional" head-mounted magnifier. She also learned it was expensive, uncomfortable, and awkward to use. Her family always encouraged an entrepreneurial spirit, so when she realized she could design and make a more user-friendly, head-mounted magnifier -- she did!That was 10 years ago. Today MagEyes offers several types of head-mounted magnifiers: MagEyes Double Lo (1.6x and 2.0x) ... MagEyes Double Hi (2.25x and 2.75x) ... MagEyes Plus Lo (1.6x, 2.0x and 5x loupe) ... MagEyes Plus Hi (2.25x, 2.75x and 5x loupe). There is also the ESD line of Single Lo, Single Hi, Double Lo, Double Hi, and the Deluxe, which has all four lens powers. Plus, the four different magnification lenses can be purchased separately as replacement lenses. The newest product is Hat Eyes (worn on the brims of caps, hats, or sunvisors and is available in four different powers). Mageyes also makes a special Anti-Static model for computer chip manufacturers who need a magnifier that does not allow a static charge, for use in their "clean rooms." MagEyes began marketing to the sewing and hobby industry, but has expanded into other industries -- education, electronics, fishing, lapidary, optical, etc. MagEyes recently acquired the manufacturing and marketing rights to Body-Rite, The Posture Pleaser -- a gentle counter-balance worn over the clothing during everyday tasks to help relieve back stress and strain. To see and read more about HatEyes and Body-Rite, click here. All products are manufactured and assembled in America. Orders are shipped within two days, or the customer is told by fax when the order will be shipped. The products are promoted via consumer and trade magazines, national TV, and trade shows. The e-commerce site will link consumers to stores in their area, and sell direct only when there isn't a store in the area. Distributors and direct store retailers are provided with a variety of marketing tools -- POP displays, flyers, logos, graphics, pictures, and literature for any product promotion. Key Execs. Mary Frances Sherlock, Owner ... John Schubert, CEO ... Regina Schubert, Accounting ... Evelyn Bloys, Purchasing/Warehousing ... Donna Jenschke, Marketing Director/Sales ... Sandra Borroum, HR/Mktg./Sales ... Mary Neal, Shipping/Sales ROLODEX. MagEyes, Inc., P.O. Box 293010, Kerrville, TX 78029-3010. Call 800.210.6662 or 830.896.6060; fax 830.896.6064 or 888.949.1840; email mageyes@ktc.com; visit www.mageyes.com. Note: CLN will include one "Business Profile" in each issue. The company can be a manufacturer, retailer, service company, trade association, etc. All profiles are archived online for one year. To read profiles published in previous issues, click on the "Business Profile Archives" button. To learn how your company can be profiled, call Mike Hartnett at 309-925-5593 or email mike@clnonline.com.
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THE CREATIVE NETWORK: JOB OPENINGSTo see a sampling of the current job openings and to contact The Creative Network, click on the "Jobs" button in the left hand column.
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THE CLN RETAIL INDEXA. C. Moore (ACMR). Last*: 14.85 ... Change**: +0.68Hancock Fabrics (HKF). Last*: 16.19 ... Change**: +1.31 Jo-Ann Stores (JAS.A) [a]. Last*: 25.38 ... Change**: +0.91 Michaels (MIK). Last*: 33.80 ... Change**: -3.85 Rag Shops (RAGS). Last*: 3.52 ... Change**: +0.19 Wal-Mart (WMT). Last*: 50.54 ... Change**: -3.36 CLN Retail Index. Last*: 100.501 ... Change**: -3.0% Dow Jones Index. Last*: 8,433.85 ... Change**: -5.2% *Dec. 13 ** from Nov. 29 [a] voting share Prices are exclusive of dividends
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A HOLIDAY WISHDecades from now, when historians chronicle how the artistic and show business communities reacted to the tragedy of 9/11, they should start with Bruce Springsteen's CD, The Rising. One song, "Into The Fire," is a tribute to the firemen and policemen who ran up the stairs of the World Trade Center. It contains a mantra-like refrain that is my wish to you for this season:May your strength give us strength May your faith give us faith May your hope give us hope May your love bring us love.
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REMINDERS1. For more information on how your business can be the subject of a "Business Profile" or have products/photos included in the "CLN's Online Product Preview, call Mike Hartnett at 309-925-5593 or email mike@clnonline.com.2. Paid subscribers are invited to have their website evaluated by Lynn Carlisle of Carlisle Communications. She'll check the site and provide a confidential assessment and suggestions for improvement. Just email mike@clnonline.com or ljc@carlislecommunications.com. 3. If you want a hard-copy of this issue, click on "Printer Friendly version". 4. If your company is a paid subscriber, everyone in the main office is welcome to register, free. Just click on "Current Subscribers Click Here To Register." 5. If you want to recommend CLN to a friend, use the "Tell Your Friends" box on the home page. 6. Creative Leisure News is published on the first and third Mondays of each month. Your next issue will be Monday, January 6.
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