To our customers, We want to thank you for your many years of support of The Scrapbook Shoppe. It has been a wonderful experience to share your lives with you through scrapbooking. We are also very grateful for the many personal relationships we have developed with you over the years. Some of you started out as customers and have turned into treasured friends.
However, it is time to begin a new chapter in our lives. It is with regret that we will be closing The Scrapbook Shoppe. Is it because of the economy? You bet! Is it because we have lots of other commitments in our lives that deserve more attention? Yes to that too. There are many reasons we have decided to close. It has not been an easy decision and it was a decision that was not made yesterday, last week, or last month.
I am sure you will be visiting us during our upcoming sales. However, to be honest, we would love to see you before we start our sale. You will get the best selection of product, be able to use your gift certificates or store credits and get to use your frequent shopper cards. There will come a point when these are no longer honored.
Unfortunately, we will not be hosting a Spring crop this year. We have been trying to figure out a way to have the quality crop that you expect within our operating budget. After working the numbers, we do not feel we have the resources or manpower to have both a closing sale and a big crop, and do both well. We will also not be having a store cruise. However, you will be happy to know that there are other cruises in our area, or you could try another Cruise and Crop cruise.
Here is our proposed timetable of events . Please keep in mind that some things may change. Please visit the blog or look for emails regarding any changes to this schedule. March 20- March 31- We will be open as usual. Regular business hours and normal store policies. We will be continuing to stamp and redeem Frequent Friends cards through the end of March, but not once our sale begins. Once our sale begins, all sales will be final. We will not be accepting returns or exchanges after March 31st. We will also not be accepting checks after March 31st as well.
March 27- Store Fixture and Sample sale and Customer Appreciation Day! A big thanks for being our customers with refreshments and a free make and take. We are going out with a party, come join us! See attached information.
April 1-2- The store will be closed to prepare for sale! We will be busy pricing all of the items in the store with new low prices! April 3-16- OUR SALE BEGINS! Product in the store will be priced on the front with new discounted pricing. (Fixtures and samples will also be priced as marked). We will no longer be marking or accepting frequent friends cards after March 31st.
April 17-30- BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MORE DISCOUNTS IN THE STORE! CHECK THE BLOG AND EMAILS FOR ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS ON CERTAIN ITEMS! We will no longer be marking or accepting frequent friends cards after March 31st.
May 1-7- BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MORE DISCOUNTS IN THE STORE! CHECK THE BLOG AND EMAILS FOR ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS ON CERTAIN ITEMS! We will no longer be honoring gift certificates or store credits after April 30th.
May 8-15- BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MORE DISCOUNTS IN THE STORE! CHECK THE BLOG AND EMAILS FOR ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS ON CERTAIN ITEMS! We will no longer be honoring gift certificates or store credits after April 30th.
Our last day will be May 15 or 16.
As a note, at some point in time we MAY be discontinuing our acceptance of debit and credit cards. We will try and hold off as long a possible and we will keep you informed via the blog- www.thescrapbookshoppe.typepad.com. Beginning on March 31st, we will no longer accept checks. Once again, thank you for being our customers over the years. We are sure you will find a new scrapbook “home”. Please do your best to support your local scrapbook and stamping stores whenever possible. Independent businesses rely on your support to stay strong in a any economy, especially now.
WE ARE GOING OUT WITH A PARTY!
March 27, 2010 10am-6pm Customer Appreciation Day at The Scrapbook Shoppe Join us as we throw a swinging shindig to celebrate with our customers and friends. Refreshments, make and take, sample sale, and fixture sale all in one! Be here early for best selection. Gifts with purchase too (on regular stock items- not samples and fixtures) Come and party with us!
CLASSES AND CROPS IN APRIL
We will still be having Donna's card class on April 11th. Call tomorrow morning to sign up. We will also be having Friday Night Crops and Saturday Day Crops in April. One last round at The Scrapbook Shoppe!
Please say it ain't so :(. The BEST scrapbook shop in the WHOLE world. Sob, sob, sob :(.
Posted by: Marilyn Johnson | March 19, 2010 at 06:45 PM
I am so sorry to hear this! Despite having moved away, you know I looked forward to my visits to Tampa and to the Scrapbook Shoppe! I wish you all nothing but the best! Your store was one of the best and I am sure that we will all miss you!
Posted by: M-C Graves | March 19, 2010 at 07:27 PM
YIKES! I'm sorry to hear about your closing. You all have the best stock of cardstock around. You will be greatly missed.:(
Posted by: Heather Thomas | March 19, 2010 at 08:09 PM
I'm blown away by this, but I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to make. I'm going to miss you guys.
Posted by: Jolene | March 19, 2010 at 08:59 PM
The Bradenton Crew is in tears. We love you both and will miss our Mondays. I am sure this was a heartwrenching decision. I will see you soon
Posted by: Karen | March 19, 2010 at 09:59 PM
I was so shocked when I received my e-mail!!! You have become like a part of my family and I will miss seeing you every week. I have enjoyed EVERY minute spent at The Scrapbook Shoppe and don't know how I am going to survive without you. Julie & Lexi you are the BEST and I sincerely hope that we can come up with a plan to continue to get together with you both from time to time to be creative together. Personally, I will miss you both and I will miss shopping at your store for long long time. Big hugs to you both!!
Posted by: Karyl Lee | March 20, 2010 at 05:47 AM
I am just so glad we are friends. Merchandise comes and goes but friends are forever!! Love you! xoxoxoxox
Posted by: Shari Missman Miller | March 20, 2010 at 09:10 AM
OMG we are sooooo sad to here this! We have looked up to you two so much as great business friends,always able to feed ideas off of each other. We will greatly miss you! Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you. Love you guys!
Janet & Coleen
Scrapbooks Etc.
Posted by: Janet Dachuk | March 20, 2010 at 09:52 AM
I am so sorry to hear about this! You are (and have been) the best shop in the Tampa Bay area. I have loved your blog and all of the creative and incredible ideas that you have posted. Selfishly, I hope that you'll continue a personal blog. I wish you the best on your next journey! Thank you for everything!
Posted by: Jennifer | March 20, 2010 at 07:50 PM
This is terrible news! The Shoppe was my daughter's and my favorite scrapbook store! You have the best selection. I wish you luck in your future endeavors.
Posted by: Loyal Customer | March 20, 2010 at 08:02 PM
How tragic!I remember my first days with you at the old store and how I was so excited to see you grow over the years. You have defined what it means to be great small business owners. I do hope that this begins a nice new chapter in your lives. You will be missed more than you know!
Posted by: pam D | March 20, 2010 at 10:43 PM
OMG! I am so blow away by this news! I was just there the other day! I always buy but not very good @ doing til recently! You all have been such a joy to visit & learn so much from in the past like 11 years! I can't believe it & I am so very sorry for your difficult decision you had to make! Please let me know if you need anything! I will miss you terribly!
Posted by: Sandy Beck | March 20, 2010 at 11:40 PM
Love you guys! You are always welcome to take a road trip to see me here in northeast AL! HUGS all around!
Posted by: Gloria L. | March 21, 2010 at 09:03 AM
Ok, I am in shock and so sorry to hear this, I have been there from the beginning when you were a little baby store and you grew and grew, it's kinda like watching the kids sore to bigger and better things. I wish only the best for you, love you guys and will miss you alot! Darla Flynn
Posted by: Darla | March 21, 2010 at 09:42 AM
I am still in shock after reading this on Friday. I will be in on Friday to pick up my Basic Grey stuff and to visit. I am so sad that you are closing...
Posted by: Jeannie | March 21, 2010 at 12:34 PM
You will be sooooo missed! I agree with a previous commenter - hope you can keep the blog going with your great projects, funny anecdotes, and news of the family. I always enjoyed visits to your store - just know you did a fantastic job - and good luck on future endeavors!
Posted by: Denise M. | March 21, 2010 at 02:42 PM
I will always think of you two when I scrap. Your shop and classes is where I learned how to create beautiful pages. Thanks for all the memories and sharing your life with us. You will be greatly missed.
Posted by: Cookie | March 21, 2010 at 06:28 PM
OMG, is an understatement! I had tears in my eyes reading your email on Friday. I instantly went back to the first time I walked through your doors almost six years ago with my little Lauren (and Lexi, your little Michael and Julie, your little Kimmie & Jessie :) Mindy and I would scrapbook with the infants in their strollers, when Lauren got older she would scrapbook right there next to me, and then that one summer, pregnant with Tyler I was there almost everyday :) Thank you for always making me and Lauren feel so welcome EVERYTIME we walked through your doors. I have beautiful albums that I will cherish forever thanks to your store and all of your creative minds! I wish nothing but the best for all of you, Julie, Lexi and Tammie!!! xoxo, Lisa T. and Lauren (we will be by soon)!
Posted by: Lisa T. and Lauren | March 21, 2010 at 10:25 PM
So sad to hear this news. You have a beautiful shop and always had what I needed - whether it was cardstock or a cheery hello. Wishing you both the very best where ever you land. Hope to get by before you close the doors. We'll miss you ~~Mary Lib
Posted by: Mary Lib Stine | March 23, 2010 at 12:20 PM
I will really miss the staff at the store. My first experience with scrapbooking was with pat at the spring crop. I then became addicted and did most of my scrapping with the shoppe.
You not only treated your customers with the utmost respect but also like long time friends. I will truly miss all of you and hope to see sometime in the future.
a loyal customer and friend
Carol Fagnan
Posted by: Carol Fagnan | March 26, 2010 at 06:03 PM
Now that days have passed and the shock of the announcement has faded away (only to be replaced by a sadness, which will also pass to be replaced with fantastic memories) I can coherently and rationally give voice to my feelings.
Julie I met you as a little girl and had the absolute pleasure of meeting you again as a grown woman with two beautiful daughters. You, Brad and the girls are as much of my past, present and future as my own children. I echo Sherrie’s sentiments; I can buy merchandise other places friendship goes on forever!
Lexi, over the years I have had the privilege of getting to know you and of watching Michael grow from a baby boy to a young man. I cherish our time together whether it was writing letters to Santa or just listening to his grown up observances on life. Keep us abreast of your family for I know someday I will read about Michael in the newspaper and proudly say, “I know him.”
Thank you for inspiring us, for giving us a friendly, warm, nurturing environment to explore our creative side, a place where we could laugh, cry and just hang with each other for the camaraderie of scrapbooking is just as important as the final product!
Love you guys!!
Posted by: Ruby | March 30, 2010 at 12:51 PM