Date: March 7, 2005
Vol. IX, No. 5

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMMENTARY: Bad Deeds Will Haunt You 

I've been astonished lately by two series of correspondence that readers shared with me. One was between a vendor and a buyer. It amazed me because of the arrogance of the buyer. If you don't like a new line, or don't have room for it right now, fine. But there's no excuse for his rude, condescending tone to one of his vendor "partners."

The end result of such an attitude is that buyer will be the last buyer to whom the vendor shows her new products. Some day the buyer will ask, "Gee, how come I don't see as many new products anymore," – and he probably won't have a clue.

I was also shocked by tales of freelance designers (actually, naive consumers) whose designs, product ideas, made-ups, and even their time working in a trade show booth are not compensated. They are simply used, and then discarded.

The end result? Word will get around, and designers and consumers will stop submitting projects and ideas. Some day the manufacturer will ask, "Gee, how come I don't see as many new designs anymore," – and she probably won't have a clue.

Business-Wise. Is the industry ignoring at its peril categories that aren't hot at the moment? Or is this just a natural evolution? The readers weigh in on the subject.

Memory, Paper & Stamps. Are we paying too much attention to current scrappers and not enough to attracting newcomers? Sandra Joseph, who has one of scrapbooking's best analytical minds, thinks so.

Designing Perspectives. A report on the Inspiration and Design Faire at the recent CHA show, plus a first-hand account from a brand new designer.

Scene & Heard. An interesting report on the growing Craft, Hobby, and Stitch International show in Birmingham, England. Think paper, paper – and home dec.

Tech Topics. You know what spam is. What about "Shilling," "Astroturfing," "Evangelists," and other Internet predators that can harm your business?

(Note. If you surf to a column and it's an "old" column, click the "Refresh" or "Reload" button of your browser.)

The winter trade show season (TNNA, CHA, PMA, Stitches, Toy Fair, Creative Painting, Paperworld) is over. Buyers and sellers: now how do you think your year will go? To vote, and see how the industry is voting, click on Industry Polls or click HERE.

 CLN POLL: RATING THE CHA SHOW

Overall. When asked to rate the CHA show, 19% of the buyers and vendors said the show was excellent; a third said it was good; 28% were neutral; 15% said it was only fair; and 3.5% said it was poor ... When buyers and vendors were asked about CHA returning to Atlanta, 63% said no; only 19% said yes.

Buyers. The products were a hit: 83% of the buyers said they were very or somewhat pleased with the vendors' products; only 8% were somewhat or very disappointed ... 82.5% said they were very or somewhat pleased with the way they were treated by exhibitors ... Workshops and seminars did not fare as well. 42% said they were very or somewhat pleased with the workshops and seminars; 21% were somewhat or very disappointed, and the rest were neutral.

Exhibitors. They were happy, too; 63% were very or somewhat pleased by the buyers' responses to their products, and 27% were somewhat or very disappointed.

Tax refunds, reasonable weather, and a Super Bowl in February helped most retailers in February. Same-store sales figures for major industry retailers: Wal-Mart, +4.1% ... Jo-Ann's, +1.6% ... Hancock, -8.1%. (A.C. Moore only reports quarterly sales and Michaels has now switched to quarterly reports, too.)

Other same-store sales reports: Walgreen, +9.3% ... CVS, +9.2% ... Target, +9.0% ... Costco, +7.0% ... B.J.'s Wholesale, +6.7% ... J.C. Penney, +6.1% ... Dollar General, +5.5% ... Family Dollar, +4.9% ... Sam's Club, +4.1% ... Fred's, +4.1% ... Big Lots +3.3% ... Best Buy, +2.9% ... Sears, +2.2% ... Duckwall-ALCO, -0.3% ... ShopKo, -3.4% ... Pier I, -15.3%.

Bill George was named CEO/President of Delta and its subsidiary, Rubber Stampede, replacing Ron LaRosa, who resigned late last year. George will report to the board of directors of parent company Diethelm Keller Management Group.

George was president of Markwins Int., a California-based cosmetic and personal care business. "My vision for Delta is to bring us to the leading edge of product and packaging innovation while enhancing efficiencies for our global partners," said George, who has 20+ years experience in consumer goods.

The Mar. 7 edition of Time says it's spotted a new trend: young people making, altering, and embellishing clothes to demonstrate their creativity. "Just when you thought it was all about knitting," Time says, "a much broader craft-it-yourself movement has emerged that's altering modern views about the domestic arts and enabling anyone with the will, the imagination, and a sewing machine to create one-of-a-kind fashions."

The article highlights www.craftster.org, and its founder Leah Kramer, 30, who told Time, "There are no craft hearts, bunnies, or toilet-paper cozies without irony on Craftster." Get Crafty (www.getcrafty.com) and a retail store, Magpie on Huron are also profiled.

(Comment: We're not certain the article appears in all the regional editions of Time. To read the article, visit www.time.com and type Pretty Crafty in the search engine.)

The Associated Press reported that Hirschberg Schutz has voluntarily issued a recall for about 2.8 million metal charms, the Charming Thoughts line, after a six-year-old girl from San Jose, CA apparently suffered lead poisoning, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The charms are used for embellishing various craft projects, particularly scrapbook pages.

Apparently the girl was wearing the charm as a homemade necklace and repeatedly put it in her mouth. The chain used to secure the necklace, which was not manufactured by HS, may also have contained lead. The girl was not hospitalized and is not undergoing any medical treatment related to her lead levels.

"We take this very seriously," HS president Raymond Bialick, told the San Jose Mercury News. "As soon as we became aware of this issue, we immediately pulled the product [70 SKUs] from the shelf." The mostly silver-colored charms, made in China, were sold in packages of 2-12 pieces at Michaels, ReCollections, and Hancock at various times from 2002 until last month, the AP reported.

The CPSC set acceptable lead levels for children's metal jewelry sold at dollar stores and in vending machines, but did not require testing, the AP said. The Charming Thoughts line was never intended as jewelry.

Hirschberg Schutz is urging consumers to take the charms from children and contact the company at 800-873-5506 or email charmsrecall@horizongroupusa.com. For refunds, consumers are being sent to the retailer where they purchased the items. To read the official CPSC report, visit www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml05/05127.html. (Comment: There's a lesson here for the entire industry: vendors, if you make something, anything, that a child could put in his/her mouth, you better have it tested for lead.)

Net income for the year was up 18% to $209.8 million ($1.51/diluted share). Sales for the year rose 10% to $3.393 billion, and same-store sales were up 5%. Customer traffic rose 4% and average ticket was up 1%. The top departments were Needlework and Yarn, Scrapbooking, Frames, and Kids Crafts, and the top zones were the Central, Pacific, and Northeast.

Net income for the quarter increased 18% to $16.7 million ($0.80). (Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had expected earnings of 78 cents.) Sales for the quarter rose 11% to $1.185 billion and same-store sales grew 7%. Customer traffic was up 6% and average ticket increased 2%. A custom frame promotion in late January shifted additional revenue recognition of deliveries into February, reducing overall quarterly same-store sales by 1%. For the quarter, the top departments were Needlework and Yarn, Scrapbooking, Custom Framing, and Kids Crafts, and the top zones were the Pacific, Southeast and Central.

At fiscal year's end, the cash balance was $586.2 million, up 72%. Average inventory per Michaels store, inclusive of distribution centers, fell 3% to $1.010 million.

For fiscal 2005, execs expect same-store sales to rise 3-5%; sales to increase 8-10%; operating margins to grow 60-80 basis points driven by gross margin expansion and expense leverage; and diluted earnings/share to increase 15-20%.

Thus far for the first quarter, same-store sales are trending toward the high-end of previous guidance of a 3-5% increase, and better gross margins are expected due to lower clearance levels, the timing of department resets, and related markdowns. These factors are expected to boost the first quarter's diluted earnings/share 25-30% over the previous year.

After Michaels report was released, Wachovia Securities upgraded Michaels to outperform from market perform.

The company is switching the timing of its sales reports from monthly to quarterly. The current store count is 845 Michaels stores, 165 Aaron Brothers stores, eight ReCollections stores, and three Star Wholesale operations. To read the complete earnings report, visit www.michaels.com and click on Corporate Information.

During the conference call with analysts, CEO Michael Rouleau said Michaels is now in its "execution" phase, having completed earlier phases – the turnaround and the building/systems phases. The final phase is the "perfect" store. (In earlier conference calls, Rouleau implied that the perfect store would generate $5 million in sales.)

To achieve those sales numbers, the perfect store will have to be better merchandised, provide more of a "fun" shopping experience, and have a stronger brand.

In other news, Michaels will reset five departments this year – floral/wedding this quarter and scrapbooking/paper/stamping in the next quarter.

Regarding other formats, the company will only add three ReCollections stores this year, and will limit expansion of the Aaron Brothers format until the concept has been tweaked to produce better sales. There was no mention of the Village Crafts concept.

A federal grand jury and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating whether trusts controlled by Michaels board chair Charles Wyly Jr. and vice-chair Sam Wyly were not properly disclosed in SEC filings. Michaels said trusts to benefit Sam, Charles, and their families own about 5 million shares – about 3.7% of the outstanding shares. Filings with the SEC may not have disclosed that the Wylys beneficially own shares held by the trusts.

"It appears what happened is the Wyly brothers have engaged in transactions in Michaels Stores' stock through offshore trusts," Ross Albert, a former SEC special counsel, now at the law firm Morris, Manning & Martin in Atlanta told Newsday. "It appears the amount of shares involved was not fully disclosed in SEC filings."

Michaels CFO Jeffrey Boyer said Michaels was cooperating with both investigations and would not comment further. A spokeswoman for the Wylys said the brothers were cooperating with Michaels in responding to the inquiries.

In an unrelated matter, the Wyly brothers exercised options and sold 169,938 shares of Michaels stock for $5,249,964.99 in January. Collectively they still own about 1.8 million shares, according to Vickers Stock Research Corp.

The Wylys have strong political connections. Charles introduced Barbara Bush as the keynote speaker at the 2004 HIA (now CHA) show. The Associated Press reported that the brothers each donated $10,000 to the anti-Kerry group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. In 2000, after John McCain defeated George W. Bush in the New Hampshire primary, the Wylys financed $2.5 million in pro-Bush ads for the South Carolina primary. Bush defeated McCain in that primary and went on to win the GOP nomination, and then the Presidency.

(Comment: It's getting to the point where a reporter needs to be a lawyer and a tax accountant in order to accurately report on this industry. I am neither, but it appears that it's the Wylys who are in hot water, not Michaels per se.)

For the fiscal year ended Jan. 30, sales declined 3.8% to $426.7 million and same-store sales fell 4.2%. Net earnings were $1.8 million ($0.09/diluted share), down 90%.

The year included a fourth-quarter charge of $1.5 million for expenses related to the required accelerated recognition of future retirement benefits. In addition, an increase in the Producer Price Index the company uses to measure inflation in inventories resulted in a LIFO charge of $385,000 in the fourth quarter this year versus a credit of $875,000 last year.

The retirement-related expenses and full-year LIFO charge had a negative impact of $0.14/share on the earnings comparison between years.

For the fourth quarter, sales fell 4.1% to $127.2 million and same-store sales were down 4.7%. Net earnings were $2.6 million ($0.14), down 66%.

New CEO Jane Aggers stated, "Granted, 2004 was a disappointing year from an earnings standpoint. However, it was a remarkable year of achievements in which the two most significant infrastructure improvements in the company's history were completed by our valued associates. The transition to the new distribution center and corporate offices, together with the implementation of point-of-sale systems in our stores, represented the culmination of efforts by a lot of people to improve the position of Hancock Fabrics for the future. However, not surprisingly, both initiatives carried costs in terms of disruptions in the flow of merchandise and distractions to the entire company."

Customer traffic remained about the same, Aggers added, but the average ticket was lower. Aggers attributed the decline to a drop in home dec sales, some deflation in apparel category price points, and out-of-stocks in several key merchandise areas. "Gross margins were pressured all year by markdowns needed to clear seasonal goods, promotional efforts to stimulate sales, and the exit from certain underperforming categories," Aggers said.

"In the few weeks that I have been with the company, I am very impressed with the talent, expertise, and commitment of the Hancock Fabrics organization, both in the stores and in the Baldwyn, MS facilities. With the two major accomplishments completed in 2004, we can now focus on our customers and stores, giving them what they want and need. The short-term priority will be on operating improvement opportunities within the four walls of existing stores," Aggers concluded.

The current store count is 447. To read the complete report, visit www.hancockfabrics.com and click on Investor Relations.

CHA SHOW WRAP-UP

Final Numbers. 7,700+ attendees from 60+ countries... 400+ hours of seminars and workshops ... 3,000+ booths ... 200+ new exhibitors ... 62+ exhibitor-sponsored workshops sold-out, up 50% from last year. Overall, education attendance increased by 16.5% ... 100+ exhibitors participated in the SHOPA "Kids in Need" program; the retail value of the surplus product is $299,429, up almost 500%.

New. The CHA Theater, presented by the DIY Network, featured education, guest appearances, press functions, and a casting call that auditioned 150+ attendees to host a new craft TV show ... The Inspiration & Design Faire (for an in-depth report, click on Designing Perspectives) ... The New Product Spotlight program featured 150+ new products in three themed events ... Self check-in registration kiosks.

Awards, I. The winners of the Craftrends/Primedia Product Excellence awards are listed at www.craftrends.com/news.cfm ... Barbara McGuire won the Star for the Day contest and will make a guest appearance on the PBS series, For Your Home, produced by Cutter Productions ... As reported in the previous issue, JudiKins won Innovations awards for best new product and best new scrapbook product – the Trio adhesive system. To learn more, visit www.triotape.com.

Awards, II. At the Scrapbook Retailer magazine event Retailer Choice awards were given to K & Co.; Notions Marketing (2); EK Success (4); Quickutz; Making Memories (2); Fred Hill Inc.; and Creating Keepsakes ... Retailer awards went to Picture Preserves, Morehead City, NC; Heart to Heart Scrapbooking, Farmington, NM; Luv2Scrapbook, Ft. Wayne, IN; New Zealand Scrapbook, Auckland, NZ; Paper Moon, Nashville, TN; Someplace to Remember, Bowling Green, KY; The Scrapbook Shoppe, Tampa, FL; Behind the Times/Scrap 'N' Times, Bardstown, KY; Scrapbooks Limited & Too, Eagan, MN; and Memento Scrapbooking, Oak Park, IL.

Quote. "We were more than pleased with the outcome of this year’s show. From the outset, it was our intent not to concentrate solely on the numbers, but rather the value we were offering those who were attending the show. Specifically, we tailored more programs to specific groups, as opposed to trying to make one size fit all. Our feedback was extremely encouraging and, as a result, will set the tone for all future shows." – Steve Berger, CEO of CHA.

Quote. "Looks to me like scrapbooking is doing to crafts and the association what crafts did to hobbies years ago." – Veteran Industry Manufacturer

Tip. Save your CHA show book. Until the trade magazines produce new editions of their directories/buyers' guides, the book will be your most up to date industry directory.

Next. The CHA Summer Show will be held in Chicago, July 15 – 17, 2005. Visit www.chasummershow.com. (The site also includes a wide variety of articles with helpful advice on operating a retail store, how exhibitors can boost traffic and orders at a show, etc.)

Recently the chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission made comments regarding the way retailers account for lease expenses, so a number of public retail chains have delayed announcing their fiscal year earnings reports while they double-check their numbers. Among those delaying their reports are J.C. Penney, Starbucks, Target, Sears, Abercrombie & Fitch, Toys R Us, and A.C. Moore.

The issue appears to be accounting for the period when retailers make renovations to a property before opening a store and paying rent. "If we got a rent holiday that said you didn't pay rent for the first six months the store is operating, we charged ourselves expense from the time the store opened," said A.C. Moore CFO Leslie Gordon told Dow Jones News. "But now they're moving it back to when we got the keys."

A.C. Moore will now present its earnings report this Wednesday, Mar. 9.

Jo-Ann's stated it will revise its pending and previous earnings announcements.

The Spring FiberArts Market, Apr. 1-3 in King of Prussia, PA, will feature 50+ booths of retailers and 70+ classes. The show, sponsored by The Knitting Guild Assn. and the Crochet Guild of America, will also offer 70+ classes which will be held Mar. 31-Apr. 3. TKGA will hold its national convention and CGOA will hold its Spring Regional Conference in conjunction with the show.

Another Market will be in Oakland, CA, July 22-24 (classes start July 21) and will be held in conjunction with the CGOA annual Chain Link conference and TKGA's regional conference. Depending on the Market, features include a celebrity auction, selling oversized crochet hooks and knitting needles autographed by Donald Trump, Jay Leno, Barbra Streisand, etc.; free "Teach Me to Knit" classes sponsored by TKGA and Coats & Clark; time trials for the Craft Yarn Council of America's fastest knitter and crocheter competitions; an awards banquet; and a fashion show.

For more info, visit www.fiberartsmarket.com/spring/attendee.sht, www.tkga.com, and www.crochet.org; call 740-452-4541; or email fiberarts@offinger.com.

1. The news that Big Lots is selling scrapbook paper at the rate of $1 million per month is an illustration of the growing importance of the "dollar" stores. Chains such as Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Fred's, and 99-Cent Only are becoming potential customers for vendors – and competition for retailers. As evidence, CLN heard that representatives from many of the dollar chains attended the CHA show and placed orders.

This really shouldn't be a surprise, considering some of the top execs at these chains have extensive craft industry experience. For example, ex-Michaels execs Bob Sasser is CEO/President and Bob Rudman is Chief Merchandising Officer for Dollar Tree.

As an example of the dollar store's influence, there's a message thread on the Two Peas in a Bucket site about an independent retailer buying papers at nearby Big Lots and Dollar Tree stores, repackaging them, marking up the price, and selling them in her store.

2. To see two interesting, unique "craft" stores, visit the Spark Crafts Cafι (suburban Boston) at www.sparkcrafts.com and Urban Arts + Crafts (Kansas City) at http://urbanartsandcrafts.com.

3. Last week I was interviewed by a reporter for Time who was trying to convince his editor he should write an article about David Green and his company, Hobby Lobby. He had read the letters that vendors had written to CLN about HL's success, and wondered if I had any details he could use to convince his editor. We talked for about a half hour; I haven't heard if he was successful with his editor. (Those letters are still online. Click on Business-Wise, then on scroll down the right-hand column and click "Vendors Discuss Hobby Lobby's Success.")

TOY FAIR. Trains and radio-controlled cars, which once filled the HIA (now CHA) show, were hot, Playthings reported. Also, "creativity" toys are particularly popular with girls.

SHOWS. A number of major scrapbook/craft companies exhibited at the Photo Marketing Assn. Int. show. Vendors reported interest from a variety of retailers normally considered "outside" our industry – drug stores, mass merchants, camera stores, etc. Next year the show is Feb. 26-Mar. 1 in Orlando. Visit www.pmai.org.

PROMOS. As part of National Craft Month, CHA spokesperson Terri O. appeared on the ABC Morning Show this past Saturday, as well as on a number of local tv stations across the country earlier in the week.

GAS. USA Today quoted oil industry analysts as predicting the price of gasoline will jump as much as 24 cents a gallon because of the recent increase in oil prices – recently as high as $55.20/barrel. That translates to $90 million a day less consumers will have to spend.

CHINA. Guo Shuqing, director of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, said China planned to gradually make the exchange rate for its currency more flexible, but "Sharp appreciation of the yuan is unlikely," Reuters reported. U.S. vendors have long felt they were at a disadvantage because China would not allow the yuan to float vis a vi other currencies.

LEGAL. A federal jury ordered Wal-Mart to pay $7.5 million after ruling the retailer discriminated against an employee because he has cerebral palsy, the Associated Press reported. Wal-Mart plans to appeal ... Clifford Pruitt Jr., 47, a former Wal-Mart regional vp, was sentenced to serve eight months in prison, eight months of home detention, and was ordered to pay $56,500 restitution for accepting kickbacks, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. The scheme involved awarding contracts to clean some Wal-Mart stores.

CONSUMERS. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey, retail stores last year saw the biggest drop, 3.2%, in customer satisfaction since 1994. However, specialty retailers rose 1.4%, the Billings (MT) Gazette reported. Wal-Mart scored near the bottom in ratings for supermarkets and discount stores, its lowest rating since 1999, the Gazette reported. (Comment: Retailers can't win; consumers demand lower prices so stores cut payrolls, but then consumers complain about poor customer service.)

FRANK'S. Its reorganization plan filed Thursday calls for the company to emerge from bankruptcy as a real estate developer, not a retailer – and promises to pay its creditors, even the non-secured creditors 100%, reported the Detroit News.

PEOPLE. If you want to see stamping maven Dee Gruenig (Posh Impressions) like you've never seen her before, visit www.poshimpressions.com/index.asp?pgid=112.

CREDIT. Wal-Mart launched its own Discover card, which features a three-cent/gallon discount on gas purchases at Wal-Mart stores and interest rates as low as 9.87%.

MARTHA. Was photographed leaving prison wearing a crochet or knit poncho. The day she was released, the stock dropped $3.20. Previously her company reported revenues for the year fell 24% to $187.4 million and operating income was a loss of $60 million compared to a loss of $6.4 million a year ago. The publishing, television, and Internet/direct commerce divisions all reported losses. Only the merchandising division increased sales and profits.

BOOKS. The Chicken Soup franchise is getting into scrapbooking. There's a call for appropriate stories to be included in Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker's Soul. To submit stories or, gulp, poetry, visit www.chickensoupforthesoul.com.

GARDEN RIDGE. Reported a 6.8% increase in same-store sales in January, and a 5.3% rise in gross margin. The 35-store chain filed its reorganization plan last month and hopes to emerge from bankruptcy later this year.

TOYS. The Wall Street Journal reported that Toys R Us narrowed the field of potential buyers of its toy-retailing division to four groups, including Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, major stockholders in Primedia, publisher of various industry-related magazines. The bids are in the $3 - $3.5 billion range, the Journal reported.

INTERNET. Friday was the premier of the weekly radio show, Diva Craft Lounge, broadcast live every Friday 3-4 pm PST on www.worldtalkradio.com.

CREDIT CARDS. Visa introduced a new "contactless" that enables consumers to pay with a credit or debit card by waving it within a few inches of a reader. And no signature is required for purchases of less than $25. It will require retailers to purchase new card readers, however, because the cards emit a radio signal rather than having a magnetic strip. (Comment: Sounds like a credit card version of the RFID [Radio Frequency Identification tag] technology.)

DEPARTMENT STORES. Federated bought May for $11 billion in a deal that combines Bloomingdale's, Macy's, and Marshall Field's to create the largest U.S. department store chain.

TV. Jim Miller, The Savvy Senior columnist and host of Cutter Productions' Savvy Senior PBS pledge special, appeared on NBC's The Today Show last week and recommended a reading lamp from Daylight Company.

NEEDS REPS. Gerson Int. is looking for independent sales reps for its seasonal import line. Regions needed are upper New York state, and all of Tennessee and California. Contact Casey Casebolt, ccasebolt@gersoncompany.com or call 913-262-7400.

JOB OPENING. Marcus Brothers, a New York City-based source of OTC cottons and novelty fabrics for quilting & crafts is seeking an experienced National Sales Manager. Call retail division president Stephanie Dell'Olio at 212-354-8700 or email stephd@marcusbrothers.com.

 BUSINESS PROFILE: THE HELPING HANDS FOUNDATION

The Helping Hands Foundation is a non-profit organization that coordinates programs to teach children various needle arts through its Needle Arts Mentoring Program. The program involves adult volunteer mentors who are connected with several children each in grades 1-12 to teach them knitting, crochet, embroidery, cross stitch, or needlepoint.

HHF was started by a sales rep, Bonnie Lively, in Oregon in 1999 and has grown to 38 active programs in 15 states, representing more than 500 children. Local programs are usually operated in conjunction with school systems, after- school programs, scout troops, church youth groups, and library programs. TNNA now underwrites the day-to-day operations.

Generally, mentors meet with the children one hour/week for 6-9 weeks session. Each program has a Volunteer Coordinator, and HHF provides the Coordinator with training materials to help guide mentors as they teach students. Each student is given enough supplies for a project or two. For example, a knitting student will receive knitting needles, an ounce of yarn and a How To Knit book.

HHF's success depends on the generosity of the industry suppliers. Manufacturers donate yarn, thread, needles, canvases, patterns, etc. But like any program, there are expenses beyond the basic supplies – staff time, postage, website costs, etc. HHF's goal is to eventually be self-sustaining through grants. To that end, an independent grant writer has been retained to seek new grant opportunities.

Board: President Linda Pratt, Great Yarns ... Sec./Treas. Linda Carter, Yarn Garden ... Bill Brinkley, Anne Brinkley Designs ... Carol Gantz, Associated Talents ... Jan Kahn, Caron ... Founder Bonnie Lively, B. Lively Ent. ... and consumers Nancy Sells and Judith Symonds.

Sponsors: TNNA and its Yarn Group, Berroco, Boye Needle/Wrights, Brown Sheep, Bryson Distributing, Caron Int., Clover, Coats & Clark, Design Source, Interweave Press, Leisure Arts, Plymouth Yarn, Skacel Collection, and Unique Kolours

For more info, visit www.needleartsmentoring.org, email helpinghands@offinger.com, or call 740-452-4541.

Note: CLN will profile one company per issue, which will remain online for at least a year. A Profile is a perfect way for a new company to let itself be known to the industry, or for an established company to enhance its reputation by showing the industry its history, diversity of products, personnel, etc. For more information on how your company can be profiled, call Mike Hartnett at 309-925-5593 or email mike@clnonline.com.

To see a partial listing of the jobs currently available, click on Jobs in the left-hand column or click HERE.

A. C. Moore (ACMR). Last*: 26.60 ... Change**: +0.13
Hancock Fabrics (HKF). Last*: 8.90 ... Change**: UNC
Jo-Ann Stores (JAS). Last*: 30.08 ... Change**: -0.25
Michaels (MIK). Last*: 34.83 ... Change**: +3.74
Wal-Mart (WMT). Last*: 53.10 ... Change**: +0.38
CLN Retail Index. Last*: 162.46 ... Change**: +2.1%
Dow Jones Index. Last*: 10,940.55 ... Change**: +1.4%

Emailed from a subscriber: I am passing this on because it definitely worked for me and we all could use more peace in our lives. By following the simple advice I heard on a Dr. Phil show, I have finally found inner peace.

Dr. Phil proclaimed the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see things I started and hadn't finished; and, before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Chardonnay, a bottle of Baileys, a bottle of Kahlua, a package of Oreo's, a pot of coffee, the rest of the cheesecake, some Saltines, and a box of Godiva chocolates. You have no idea how good I feel. Please pass this on to those you feel are in need of inner peace.

1. For more information on how your business can be the subject of a "Business Profile" call Mike Hartnett at 309-925-5593 or email mike@clnonline.com.

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5. Creative Leisure News is published the first and third Mondays of each month. Your next issue will be Monday, March 21.

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