If I Don’t Open the E-Mail, It Won’t Be Real
I had a feeling the news was coming so when I saw the headline “A Message to Our Valued Customers & Fans” from Basic Grey in my morning e-mail yesterday, I knew what it said even before I opened it :(
The email is linked above and here’s the text:
Twelve years ago, BasicGrey made its mark in the scrapbook industry with the release of Sublime and Motifica. Since then, we have brought more than 120 collections to market, along with hundreds of embellishments, stickers, tools, kits and so much more.
It is with mixed emotions that we announce that BasicGrey has decided to leave the papercrafting space. We have considered every possible option before making the difficult decision to stop producing the products that brought us together.
Our final ship date will be Thursday, February 18, 2016. Consumers have until February 15 to order our newest collections (Hillside, Urban Luxe and Saturday Morning), any other products in inventory, and the amazing, fully loaded boxes from the Winter Warehouse Box Sale.
While it is very hard to say good bye to the scrapbook industry, we are eager and excited to put our creative energy into expanding our innovative sister company, Modify Ink. We will also continue to produce and release fabric with Moda, as well as other surface design opportunities.
Thank you for supporting BasicGrey and creating so many wonderful, unique papercrafting projects using our products. We could not have succeeded all these years without you!
Our best,
Rachel & Greg Brenchley
BasicGrey, LLCFor questions please call (801) 544-1116 or email info@basicgrey.com
Contrary to how many are phrasing it, Basic Grey isn’t “closing” per se, they’re just ceasing to make papercrafting products. And that’s the part WE of course really care about. They’ll continue with Moda fabric licensing and with their sister company, Modify Ink, which allows you to personalize art, cards, party supplies, and monograms. {I made a quick mention of them in a Round-Up post back here}.
Stupid frickin’ frackin’ quilt makers and art lovers. THEY still get their Basic Grey but we don’t. *kicks dirt*
Why Did I Have an Inkling They’d Be Closing?
There were 3 reasons. One was that, when I spoke to owner Rachel Brenchley at CHA 2014, she said something (between us two) that made me wonder, hmmm? Reason two was that they started Modify Ink, which is an amazingly artistic endeavor. It just made me think, “Ya’ know, that must be fun! I wonder if they’ll let go of BG to concentrate on this new adventure?”. And reason three was when I didn’t see them at CHA this year.
Trust me, I’m not an “insider” in the industry. I wasn’t hearing anything official – or even gossip for that matter, lol. I was just putting things together in my own mind. {Don’t go in there alone! It’s like walking down a dark alley}.
Reaction: Numbness
Because I “saw it coming,” I think I’m reacting a little differently than other scrappers might be. There wasn’t that initial shock of “OMG, Basic Grey!! Basic Grey???” It’s been more like slowly letting my breath out and trying to let it sink in, that it’s real. Which is not working so far.
I’m reading all the comments on scrapbook message boards and Facebook. It’s sad to see the impact this is having on our community :( Many of us have been scrapbooking for the entire 12 years Basic Grey has been in business; not just in business but an industry leader. It’s just hard to wrap our minds around the fact that this stalwart of scrapbooking won’t be, like, HERE anymore.
There’ve been lots of wonderful reminiscing about Basic Grey, how we discovered it, what our favorite lines were, and how their designs impacted our scrapbooking. That’s made me feel better. I hope BG owners and staff are reading all the same comments. I’m going to write my own love letter in a future blog post.
Basic Grey Warehouse Box Sale
As I posted HERE and the Scrapbook Obsession Facebook Page (come Like me!), Basic Grey also recently announced their Winter Warehouse Box Sale. Unfortunately, if you were still hoping to get one of those boxes, I’m told they sold the last one this morning :(
I heard from another scrapper who called in her order today and got one of the last boxes. She was told all of the boxes are the same and they include new product just announced. She was also told they have someone zeroing out out all of the products on their site except for the Dear Heart collection.
Speaking of new collections, here are the other 3 that were just announced at CHA time:
Just Don’t Delete the Website!
I hate to be selfish (no I don’t, who am I kidding?) but I really, really, really hope that the Basic Grey website doesn’t just close down and disappear in February! I often reference it when I talk to other scrappers, organize my BG stash, etc. Plus, it’s like a curated collection of AWESOMENESS!! Please, Basic Grey, hear my plea!!
So I’m trying to joke around and make you laugh but this really isn’t funny, is it? Basic Grey is leaving us. It doesn’t seem possible. It doesn’t seem real.
What are your thoughts as Basic Grey leaves scrapbooking? How did you first discover BG? What were your favorite lines? How does this impact our industry?
