The biggest trade show in the crafts industry begins today in Anaheim, CA. If you are a regular to any of the scrapbook or stamping message boards you have undoubtably seen lots of "sneek peeks" of some of the new products coming down the line.
This is always a very exciting time as manufacturers show off the designs they have had in the works for months. On thing that consumers do not always realize is that just because a manufacturer is showing the new designs, that does not mean the merchandise is available for sale - YET.
In many cases, what is being shown is still in the prototype stage. Often times, manufacturers put out a sample at the show to judge the interest in that product - before they invest in production. If a product is well-received, they order a lot; if not, sometimes they do not produce it at all. It is actually a very wise business decision from a financial standpoint. The problem is that the internet, being what it is, has pictures of these "products" up as new releases long before they are ready to go to market. People get very excited when they see something new and immediately start calling the stores asking, "Do you have the new ABC from company XYZ?"; not realizing that the product they want, in many cases, has not even been made and may not be available for purchase for several months. So they turn to the internet to pre-order. By the time the actual product shows up in the stores, they have lost interest and moved on to somethng else or they are finally receiving their order from the internet vendor and paying more because of shipping. In some cases, the internet store do receive the product faster than the LSS because of the volume they order, however, it is usually only a matter of days or at the most a week or two earlier.
So as you are enjoying all of these sneek peeks and planning your wish list, please keep these things in mind. We do our best to get the products you want in as quickly as possible so you can enjoy them. If there is a product you are crazy for and know that you must have it - ask us if we have ordered it! We'll tell you when it is expected to ship and even give you a call when it comes in if you ask us to. That way you can really see the product in person to be sure it is exactly what you want before you buy it and don't have to go through the hassle of returning something that looked "different" in person.
With all that said - what can you look forward to seeing at The Inspiration Station in the coming weeks and months? One thing for sure - LOTS of Basic Grey!
BG is releasing 5 new collections at CHA. They are scheduled to ship in March. I have ordered all of the papers from "Sugared" and "Boxer" and several styles from "Archaic" and "Cupcake". I did not order anything from the Sultry line; we felt it was too similar to other lines they already have. In addition to the papers, I have also ordered the matching buttons, brads and glazed brads. BG has also introduced a number of gorgeous clear stamp sets - I have ordered them all except the dinosaurs and the clowns (the clown were just too scary looking!).
I have also ordered 7 complete them collections from Reminisce: Jungle Safari, Coastal, Tropical, Dance (as in jazz & hip hop), Prom, Graduation and Family. These are expected to arrive in the next week or so. We have samples of the entire line in the store is you would like to preview it.
Other orders already in place are Prima Flowers, Reminisce Easter, Creative Imaginations Easter, Imaginisce Shore Thing, Memory Box Stamps, Hot of the Press Page Kits, and Kaisercraft rub-ons, pearls and rhinestones.
Don't worry, there will be more! I am meeting with all the reps from the major manufacturer when they return from the show next week. If you see something that you are interested in send me a comment or email. I can't promise I will order everything, but I will tell you if I plan to bring it in or not. Now, go out and enjoy all of the previews!
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