I got the new issue of CREATING KEEPSAKES at Target last Friday. I’ve flipped through it and like it a lot. It is pretty thin and I’m getting so worried that even CK will go the way of the dodo bird….extinct. All of these magazines shutting down is just depressing me to no end (read my past posts about HERE, HERE, and HERE).
Speaking of shutting down, I got this sad e-mail from the only LSS left in my area (I will quote part of it directly from their newsletter):
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As many of you know, (store name) has been severely impacted by the poor economy in the past year. We have always relied heavily on the year round tourism … and with the high gas prices beginning late last spring followed by the economic crash in the fall we haven’t had that support for over a year now. While we have strived not only to keep our doors open, but have continued to bring in new product during this difficult time, sales continue to drop. Things have gone from bad to worse.
We have always been hopeful that we could survive this tough economic time, but we realize that we cannot keep going at the current pace. If sales do not pick up over the summer, we will be forced to close our doors in the fall. We promised our customers we would not just close our doors quietly so we feel we must be honest with you about our situation.
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I feel so sorry, well, for myself of course, but mostly for these 2 sweet ladies who’ve done nothing but run a wonderful store for several years, only to have their dream possibly crushed by this awful economy. They did include a coupon for $5 off any $25 purchase that you can print and use as many times as you like (one per visit) between now and the end of August. I hope that will motivate shoppers to come to their rescue, although I know scrapbooking typically slows down in the summer as we all get busy with outdoor activities and kids being out of school. I will pray (and shop) and hope they can pull it out. This is our last “local” store…we used to have 7 within an hour of me. If this store closes, my closest store will be about 2 hours away. I wish I had millions of dollars and could help these stores stay afloat until better times.
I know many of you have lost most or all of your LSSs in recent times and it’s crushing, isn’t it?
5 Comments
I got my CK in the mail yesterday (yes, i’m a sucker who still subscribes….) and also noticed it was quite little and honestly, i wasn’t really impressed with anything in it! okay, besides the 2nd page BG ad!!
I hope your LSS can manage a comeback and I wish them all the luck in the world during this time. Columbus is fortunate to have several local stores that go head-to-head with the big-box ones and I will continue to support them when I can (the LSS…hehe). They are the sweetest people with true passion!
PS: what are you going to use your coupon on?
That is sad. Our lss store closed in November. It was so depressing. I tried to support them as much as I could but SAHM’s don’t make much money. lol… I hope that they are able to stay open.
I know…it’s so sad what’s happening to the scrap mags and LSS’s. I sure hope some can hang on!!
I sure hope that’s not the one in PB….every time my friends and I are over there, we spend at least an hour or two there! I love that place and have never been able to figure out HOW they manage to cram so many awesome products into such a small space!
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a busy and productive summer for them.
If i win the lottery I plan on starting my own scrapbook magazine. This is ridiculos. (however you spell it) I’m sorry abput your LSS. When times get tough the expendable income goes away.