Winners, winners . . .

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions about upcoming classes for 2013. Before I announce the TWO winners of a surprise package, I thought I'd address some things on your WISH LIST.

• Home decor: I do love home decor pieces and am always on the lookout for something we can get in the store quickly, alter it AND (most importantly) make it affordable. The altered swivel desk accessory you may have seen at For Keeps Sake was not affordable (IMO). The base price of that piece was $50 unassembled. It had to be assembled (which wasn't easy) and then decorated. My guess is that when the project was completed, it probably cost somewhere in the vicinity of $75. Having said that, Mary has two adorable home decor pieces on the calendar right now that are very reasonably priced.  I'll be on the lookout for more that we can introduce as workshops at an affordable price point.
• Love the ideas you submitted re: new techniques with older products. I'll try to do more of that in 2013. 
• Encaustics (check - if you're talking about using wax. REAL encaustic requires lots of tools and special materials.), UTEE (check), metal - not so much.  We went through a HUGE metal phase at For Keeps Sake and it didn't work very well.  
• Canvas and Art Journals: Just sayin' - I had classes in both art journals and canvas work a year or so ago.  No one signed up for the canvas class and only one person for the art journal class. I'm a little leary of offering it again. Maybe we can work it in some how again - maybe.
• We did have a design team at For Keeps Sake. It didn't work out. The designers were uber-talented however it was hard to get everyone together at the same time for our gatherings to choose product etc. So probably won't do that again.
• Re: the comment about the *same old classes*. For Keeps Sake is one of the most innovative stores I have ever been in. When I travel from city to city, I always visit locally owned scrapbook stores and there have only been 2 in the hundred or so I've visited that compares to For Keeps Sake. One is in Massachusets and the other in California. For Keeps Sake gets new product in daily to keep the store fresh and up to date. Our classes are top notch, especially when compared to other classes I've seen in other scrapbook stores. We have tried so many different types of classes at For Keeps Sake, but frankly, the ones that sell the best are Sue's Preserving the Past (with 20 people each class), Missy's Month To Remember (same numbers most months) and Mary's Northwoods classes.  The numbers speak for themselves, especially from a business sense.
• Guest instructors: When the economy bottomed out, For Keeps Sake made a conscious decision not to bring in the most popular guest instructors. 99.9% of the guest instructors require that the store pay for their air flight, hotel and meals + the cost of the class (which is usually $45 - $75 and up per class). Adding that all together, the classes would have to be somewhere around $60 - $90 per class. When a guest instructor comes to For Keeps Sake, they want to teach anywhere from 2 - 3 classes @ $75 each + the other costs we have to incur, we are looking at a participant spending over $200 to attend a couple of classes.  That's pricey for most people. Thankfully, companies like Bazzill and Spellbinders are uber-generous with their instructors, so we were able to bring in Joey Otlo, Margie Romney Aslett and Ken Oliver (who has recently joined Spellbinders). . .  And I haven't even mentioned the thousands of dollars in additional product that FKS has to order for a guest instructor and may be *stuck with* if it doesn't sell.

Now that I've been this long winded and my coffee is cold . . . 

TA DA

the winners are:

Janis S & Vicki M

Congratulations girls.

I'll have your prize package available at For Keeps Sake

after 5 pm on Wednesday October 24.

 

One last thought . . .

It makes me sad that For Keeps Sake has disappointed anyone. I can't even begin to tell you how hard we all work to make this the best paper art store EVER - anywhere.  We work extremely hard on all the classes we offer and go to extremes to bring in new ideas and keep things fresh. While the *big name designers* are able to design maybe 3 things to teach in a quarter or for a half a year, each instructor at For Keeps Sake is thinking up 3 - 5 ideas each MONTH.  New product is coming in the store to keep everything up to date. We eat, sleep and think this business to make it a success. I do know that most of you love For Keeps Sake. We've been teasing for years that this is the CHEERS of the scrapbook stores (and I'm Norm). We're helpful and friendly and we know our products and how they work - again, something you can't get in all stores.

Thank you to those of you who do take my classes and workshops. I appreciate each of you and hope to see you again in the very near future.

Comments

[Cim Allen]

For Keeps Sakes ROCKS !!! Whatever Ninny said it didn't just doesn't belong there .. if they think they can find a better scrapbook store within 100 miles that has more product, newer product and THE BEST STAFF EVER .. then that is where they belong. My heart and wallet belong to For Keeps Sake and always will :)

[Janis Shrable]

Thank you, thank you I can't wait to see what goodies I get. I love your classes and I love For Keeps Sakes it is a one in a million store and I don't know what I would do without it, except have a lot more money in my pocket. The staff is the greatest and I appreciate all your efforts in keeping the store top notch and number one in my eyes. Keep up the great work, I really appreciate it. As Cim said my heart and my wallet also belong to For Keeps Sake.

[Jennifer]

I agree..the store and staff are awesome!! I've been to stores all over and none of them compare to For Keep Sakes, in size, product, staff or even the other customers. The group of woman that take classes there are the most amazingly talented sweetest group of people around! Just sayin...