Earthquakes are simply a part of life for Alaskans; tremors and quakes are commonplace when your home is on the edge of what is known as the Ring of Fire. But that doesn’t make the 7.0 quake on November 30th of 2018 any less intense – it just means that communities who brave the tectonic activity become more prepared and more resilient every year. Blaine’s Art Supply was one of the many businesses impacted by the recent earthquake; despite about $10,000 worth of damage (and mess to clean up) owner Dave Haag and his store crew had the 9,000 sq.…
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Engage Community Via Instagram Live: Flax Art’s Maybe Mondays
Flax Art & Design is a Bay Area institution and a local art supply staple for over 80 years. Flax Art has two stores, one in Oakland, California and the other San Francisco. In addition to a broad selection of art supplies and a framing station, they also specialize in fine art papers, pens and gifts, with a comprehensive e-commerce site as well. Their San Francisco store recently relocated to a space in historic Fort Mason, right on the water between the city’s famous Fisherman’s Wharf and a neighborhood known as “The Marina.” Social media can grow business, foster relationships…
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Distribution and Shipping FAQs
We are proud to be an industry leader in distribution excellence and we are striving to get better at what we do every day. We thought it would be helpful to share answers to some frequently asked questions regarding our process, especially during the busy winter months, when unpredictable weather brings many of these questions to the forefront of our community’s minds. Below are a list of commonly asked questions surrounding our Picking, Packing and Shipping strategies collected by our Account Managers and Customer Service team. The answers relate to our NEW Warehouse Management System (WMS), currently live in Reno and…
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Art & Soul Grand Opening
Art & Soul, an art supply store in Sebastopol, CA recently moved to a spacious new location complete with ample parking and plenty of floor space. Co-owners Margaret Conner and Sabina Fried closed up shop for a break during relocation and re-opened a few weeks ago for a ribbon-cutting ceremony complete with interactive activities and a sale. The new space is airy and light, with plenty of room for the wide range of supplies they carry. With the smoke from the disastrous Camp Fire about 150 miles northeast impacting the town, one would expect a spotty turnout; however families and…
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Building Your Kits Program, Step By Step
In my time as a buyer and retail manager, before I came to MacPherson’s, a dedicated member of our retail team actively worked on building and maintaining kit business for at least five months out of every year. From reaching out to teachers and following-up, and following-up…and following-up, to picking brands and price points for professors unfamiliar with the options available, to ordering and finding appropriate replacement items, to assembling, spot checking and labeling kits, to distributing them to students and their parents unfamiliar with the uses or costs of materials…it’s tough work. With every kit success came many (many)…
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iAMart Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Last month the buying group iAMart celebrated their 20th anniversary with a gathering in Chicago, IL. iAMart prides itself on being a diverse group, containing stores of varying sizes that represent all corners of the market and the map, including Alaska and Hawaii. In their annual meetings they share ideas, support and have a little fun. The initial concept of the iAmArt organization came from Larry O’Connell. In 1998 Larry brought together Steve Aufhauser of Continental Art Supplies and Claudia Myers of Spokane Art Supply. Over months of meetings, input from Jeff Morrow, Beth Bergman of Wet Paint and George…
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Art Dog of the Month: Zeus
The God of Thunder is a little camera shy… Zeus is the chief pup of Forstall Art Center in Birmingham, Alabama. He was rescued about 13 years ago when he was around two years old. He has modeled for the store’s PR materials with great success (see the handsome snapshot of a 4th of July advertisement). He used to work full time in the store but has now gone to part time work, greeting customers in the afternoon and patrolling the store. Zeus has made a lot of friends with customers over the years, artsy locals who bring him treats,…
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Who’s Who: Preston Arts Center
Who’s Who celebrates a member of our industry community. If you would like to nominate someone, please email us at artdogblog (@) macphersonart.com with their name, position, company and a short description. Kathy Brennan and Don Preston, the owners of Preston Arts Center in Louisville, KY, celebrate owning their family business for 40 years this month. They are major players in the independent world, and they have been able to thrive in a city with major competition. This month, Andrew Preston, Kathy and Don’s son, will be hosting a two hour reception for vendors and their best customers, some of…
