As an avid scrapbooker, I'm always on the prowl for places I can get my craft on. I found this place on yelp after doing some scouring for places to go to mix things up. It's a bit out of the way for me, but worth every penny in gas and time.
This place has a great selection of products with a large crafting room so you can work on your stuff while you shop. They carry a little bit of everything, which makes it worthwhile to come here. Not only do they sell the usual supplies of paper stickers and dye cuts, but everything else as well. Albums of varying shapes, sizes and brands, tools and a whole bunch of other stuff as well. It's one stop shopping here my friend!
They also have regular crop nights on Friday and Saturday nights for a fee. I believe they provide dinner on Friday nights, but no food on Saturdays. If you don't want to do the crop nights for a fee, you can swing on on Sunday afternoons (along with the rest of the week) to crop at no charge. It's just the Friday/Saturday nights that they charge. I used to do these crop nights in Arizona all the time, but haven't lately since I've been back in Michigan.
Also, they have all the supplies you need in the crop room for your needs. Dye cut machines, a computer if you want to journal (which is what I do for my stuff) along with paper cutters and other nice stuff as well. Personally, I would rather have the computer in the lab then a photo printing kiosk because I like to do everything all at once. Not all scrapbook stores have the computer option, and even though it's not a deal breaker for where I go, it's a definite added bonus!
I will say the staff here is good, but not a fan all the time, depending on who's working. It's not that their rude, because they aren't. BUT, sometimes it's a series of failures that I can't get past. For starters, sometimes the wait at the counter is forever. They may only have one staff member working, and you have to wait forever to ring your stuff up. Secondly, sometimes I have layout questions, and I feel pressured to "hurry up" and not get the assistance that I need. Really it comes down to a few extra minutes of "can you help me get this page started, I'm stumped and need some ideas." Inspiration, I guess. HELP ME. Your a custom store! If I wanted to be ignored and just pick up product (which I do) then I would go to Micheal's or Joanne's. I'm here because A) your a small business, and I'm trying to support you, but most importantly B) Can I have 3-5 minutes of your time to get the inspiration that I need and purchase a few dollars worth of paper and die cuts to get my project done?
I guess I feel like maybe the staff is stretched a bit thin at times, and getting consistent service just isn't there. Some of the gals are more willing to help then others. Some staff seem to be more involved then others. Sometimes, its not so bad and I get where I need to go with more difficult layouts or projects. BUT, it's happened enough times that I get the "hurry up" feeling then the rest, enough to note it in a review. I'm not docking a star over it because this place is just to awesome and fun to do so. But, it's a much needed notation and something that I feel needs room for improvement. Maybe you need to hire one more person so the rest of the staff can dedicate a few extra minutes to helping with layouts, showing me more product, and not acting like I'm taking them away from some other back of the house job (like manning the register, restocking, etc) then taking the time to help me. I've been to stores where one staff member patrols the floor to help in the lab, assist with layouts, answer questions, give instruction on the machines, and just pay attention to the customers versus the "will that be on your tab today maam??" while ringing me up in the register.
I'm so glad this place is here. Totally out of the way for me, but only one of two places that I frequent for scrapping. Worth every penny!!! read more
