Current Issue
July 2009

Back to School with Crafts

The Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Summer Convention and Trade Show, to be held July 28 to 30 in Orlando, may be the best place for teacher store retailers to see the leading manufacturers in the craft industry all in one place. And why would teacher store retailers want to do that during their busiest time of the year? Because crafting is a $30-billion industry, and the education market makes up a large part of it. According to CHA data, 54 percent of educators spend more than $250 on craft supplies each year. Twenty-two percent spend more than $500. From kindergarten finger painters to science fair participants, children in all grades use crafts materials on projects that span the curriculum.

The educational benefits of crafts

Student learning improves when classroom lessons incorporate hands-on craft activities, and teachers regularly use craft projects to teach core subjects, linking the projects to state and national curriculum standards. According to a CHA study, “The Academic Value of Hands-On Projects in Elementary Schools,” students who spent a greater proportion of learning time engaged in hands-on projects scored significantly higher on writing and knowledge application tasks designed specifically for the study, compared to students who spent less learning time with hands-on projects. Read More

In the last issue, we asked readers about their experiences with social networking sites. We discovered that while most readers report belonging to one or more of these sites, only a minority of them actually use their accounts. Only occasionally did readers express doubt about their technological prowess. Rather, it seems they are uncertain about the value of social networking to their businesses or just haven’t had time. Whether the explosive growth sites like Twitter have seen in the past year is a fad or a long-term trend remains to be seen, but given that most readers reported plans to expand their online social networking activities, we’re betting it’s here to stay. To learn more, read on. Read More

Beauty and Substance

Classroom decoratives are a long-standing staple of the back-to-school season. There’s something to appeal to just about anyone in this broad category. We contacted décor manufacturers for their insights into what will be hot this year, and what factors add value to make the decoratives you carry a sure sell with your customers this fall. To learn what they had to say, read on.
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Retailers Change Strategies

“We’re doing something new this year,” said Jean Boylan of Beyond the Blackboard in Arvada, Colorado. “We’re opening a new store. We’ll have a grand opening sale in June – it’s the best way to see what sells.”

Jean’s busiest season runs from July 15 to September 1 each year, and she starts placing orders for it as early as January. “Last year, we ordered in smaller quantities,” she told us. “This year we did the same. All our orders are completed as of now, but we expect we’ll have to continue ordering and restocking throughout the entire back-to-school season.”

Jean puts the products out on the shelves right away for sale, and staff training starts in July.

Product ideas come from the NSSEA’s Ed Expo, ASTRA and “working heavily with reps.”

When we spoke to Jean in May, she was thinking about increasing her back-to-school advertising, along with extending her stores’ hours and hiring more staff.
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