Since the launch of OPEN Acrylics at NAMTA, the support and response from retailers has been incredible. Our commitment to retailers was to begin shipping orders by July 1. We are pleased to announce that even with the overwhelmingly strong demand, we were able to ship the product out not only on time, but early. This was a tremendous achievement for the entire GOLDEN staff, in part due to the early order writing completed by our trade partners! OPEN Acrylics are already creating buzz and excitement in the artist community and artists who have begun experimenting with it have been sharing their experiences with others. Here are some links to…

Here is a real opportunity. Stores who buy bulk canvas and sell it to students and artists by the yard compete with the big city discounters who have huge buying power. It’s never been a fair fight. For the brave stores who do take on this fight, awning supply distributors such as CR Daniels have generally been the source of choice, but dealing with a non-art supply distributor requires a bit more hassle than most retailers want to go through. Plus, the price is still not quite there. We worked hard to overcome the challenges and we think you are going to see a big opportunity with MacPherson’s new Art…

Introducing the long-awaited Art Alternatives Premium Collection Canvas line…a high-quality canvas you must see and feel! Triple-primed with acid-free titanium acrylic gesso, this beautiful new canvas features 10 oz. cotton duck canvas wrapped around heavy duty stretcher bars made of super-strong, kiln-dried pine. Staple-free edges allow for painting on all our edges and the deep spline provides generous canvas wrap-around for easy re-stretching. Available in two styles, the Gallery profile canvas features a 2-1/4″ wide stretcher bar with a 1-5/8″ profile, and the Studio profile canvas features a 1-7/8″ wide stretcher bar with a 7/8″ profile. Both are suitable for acrylics, oils and other painting media. Hang with or without…

Airtight Stainless Steel Brush Washer in a New Jumbo Size (24 oz.) A new edition to compliment our existing 8 oz. Stainless Steel Brush Washer, the larger 24 oz. size is specially designed for use with mineral spirits, turpentine and other solvents. The brush washer features a double latching lid that locks securely, forming an airtight seal so there is no spilling, evaporation or odors. A removable strainer cup lets sediment collect in the bottom. Convenient for travel, the bucket style handle makes it easy to carry or hang. It quickly disassembles for easy cleaning and will not rust! (Item #AA15622) Retails at $39.99. Dragon Manikin (11″) in Time for…

There’s still plenty of time to save on all these top-selling ColArt product ranges for BTS: W&N Artist Oils (37ml and new 200ml), all Winton Oils, 200ml Galeria Acrylics, all W&N Canvas, new Liquitex Acrylic Inks, all Derwent Pencil Tins and Coloursoft pencil assortments. Ask your MacPherson’s contact for detailed savings on each range. Don’t forget the new Liquitex BASICS GESSO: reformulated to be richer and thicker for greater coverage, it features improved eye-catching labeling and a convenient, new 250ml Squeeze Tube size. New No-Mess-Pumps are available separately for the 1/2 gallon and gallon easy pour jugs. Derwent’s New Tinted Charcoal Pencils combine the dramatic beauty of charcoal with a…

• Many of you have asked about the new Sharpie Pen. Sanford will begin shipping that item to MacPherson’s on August 1st. You will see TV advertising featuring world famous soccer star David Beckham during the weeks of July 7th, 14th, 21st, August 4th and August 11th. Print ads run from July 8th through August 29th. • Make sure to contact your MacPherson’s representative to get your Prismacolor Consumer Rebate materials. The rebate applies to any Prismacolor product such as open stock pencils, markers and NuPastels versus a specific set or sets. • Be sure to order a back up Prismacolor BTS corrugate floor display. The quantities are modest and…

Ever wonder what key differences drive the core spray artists’ buying decisions? Here’s a chart that boils down the bullet points. (Click on the chart to enlarge.)

This Summer’s hot new item, our Itty Bitty canvases and easels, are making a big splash with retailers and artists alike. Using mini canvases, artists create tiny art to accent home décor, artwork and craft projects. With even an itty bitty amount of imagination, the possibilities are endless! Once completed, itty art can be displayed on itty easels, traded as artist trading cards and more. Each 7 oz. cotton duck canvas is triple-primed with acrylic gesso. Measuring just 5″ tall and made of pine, the Itty Easels are perfect for displaying mini canvases, cards or any other small, flat memorabilia. There are 100 individually shrink-wrapped canvases in a display and 75…

We have several Huge Canvas Sale banners to lend out to retailers hosting big canvas sales. These banners are free for the asking and are a great way for you to shout your SALE message to passersby. Contact your MacPherson’s sales person for all the details. Get more Art Alternatives sales promotional materials here

Due to the abundant availability and rapid growth period of Bamboo, this wood has fast become popular in home decor, furniture, and hardwood floors. Appealing not only to the eco-friendly artist, Bamboo is aesthetically attractive, smooth to the touch with gorgeous lines and a smooth silky finish. This beautiful wood has now been adapted for art materials use as our clever wood easel producer across the Pacific has created three signature items made of Bamboo. We polled retailers at our NAMTA open house and the response was stunning. The result? We’ve added all three to our Art Alternatives lineup! Due in in early October, your MacPherson’s sales contact can get…

Our ace Southern California sales representative Dawn McKay reported recently that a customer promoted a store-wide sale through the social networking website called Facebook and saw a 30% sales lift. This got me thinking about how independent retailers can market their stores through cheap or free avenues in these very challenging times. I keep tabs on trends in small business by subscribing to various free news services available on the web. One recent article that I read was “Why Word-of-Mouth Should Be Core to Your Business”. In brief, the author lays out the case for why word of mouth or viral marketing is so much easier for small business to…

With all of the current ColArt BTS savings, it’s easy to overlook the new products released at this year’s NAMTA: The amazing new Liquitex Acrylic Inks can be cross-merchandised in both the paint and ink retail sections of thestore yielding extended POS opportunities. These new acrylic inks are offered in 30 intense bold colors in 30ml glass dropper bottles along with the 10 best-selling colors in large 150ml PET bottles. All are extremely fluid and do not require dilution for air brushing or calligraphy. These super fine pigments are fast drying, water resistant, non-clogging, permanent and are inter-mixable with all other Liquitex Acrylics and Mediums. Fine Artists can buy big…

It’s no secret the the economy has slowed and that increasing gasoline prices are having a negative effect on consumers’ shopping habits. We’ve heard from some of you that your business is down compared to last year, and that you’re worried Back-to-School might not be as strong as you had hoped. MacPherson’s can’t change the direction the economy is going, but we can help you weather the slowdown by extending our Back-to-School dating terms. Retroactive to May 9th, ALL BTS DATING ORDERS will now receive an ADDITIONAL MONTH OF DATING. Instead of 1% October 20, net October 31, 2008 terms, all BTS Dating orders will earn extended terms of 1%…

• Prismacolor is offering a great consumer rebate for 2008! Your customer will get a $10 rebate from Prismacolor if they purchase at least $50 worth of Prismacolor products. The rebate tear pad will be attached to the Prismacolor BTS Corrugate Floorstand and is also available from your MacPherson’s representative. This is a change from previous years because the rebate applies to any Prismacolor product such as open stock pencils, markers and NuPastels versus a specific set or sets. • Prismacolor is offering two Pencil Set Bonus Packs for BTS 2008. The 24-Color Prismacolor Pencil Set features the 12-Color Prismacolor NuPastel Set attached to it at no additional charge. This…

OPEN Acrylics feel like no other paint, representing a significant advancement to the most comprehensive suite of professional acrylics available. Since the launch of this product line at NAMTA, the demand for OPEN Acrylics has increased with each passing day, bringing great excitement to the artists eagerly awaiting its availability in their local store. OPEN Acrylics will generate incremental sales as existing customers reach to extend their range of techniques and will attract new painters to acrylics because of their remarkable working range. Recognizing the opportunity, more than 200 stores have submitted orders for the product. For a listing of current order commitments, go to Golden Open Store List.Great introductory…

Strathmore previewed its new 400 Series Hemp Charcoal pads in four sizes at NAMTA and expects to start shipping around July 11th. The paper contains 25% hemp, a readily renewable fiber, and 75% post consumer fiber; a truly tree friendly product. To help you launch the Hemp pads we are offering a 60/10% off SMIAB promo through the end of August. By now you must have heard about Strathmore’s Artist Trading Cards (ATC). Several hundred of the assortments have already been placed! A couple of SKUs have been sold out but recovered very quickly and all are in stock and are shipping. Jeanette Gile, Strathmore’s Marketing Manager, has put together…

The foamboard category continues to show steady growth, especially where effort is made to effectively merchandise the newer value-added varieties of product, utilizing both a permanent display as well as temporary floor displays of the most popular sizes. To best assist in such endeavors, MacPherson’s will be promoting the Full Line Foamboard Display starting July 1. This permanent metal fixture (a $200 value) is FREE when you order 16 SKUs of Elmer’s 20″ x 30″ foamboard. For a limited time, you will also receive a FREE metal power panel which can be positioned on either side of the foamboard unit, along with two each of a variety of foamboard accessories,…