Cassie Brehmer, MacPherson’s Account Manager In my time as a buyer and retail manager, before I came to MacPherson’s, a dedicated member of our retail team actively worked on building and maintaining kit business for at least five months out of every year. From reaching out to teachers and following-up, and following-up…and following-up, to picking brands and price points for professors unfamiliar with the options available, to ordering and finding appropriate replacement items, to assembling, spot checking and labeling kits, to distributing them to students and their parents unfamiliar with the uses or costs of materials…it’s tough work. With every kit success comes many (many) failed attempts at cultivating that…
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Ben Lapin Announced President of Speedball Art Products
Speedball Art Products Company Speedball is pleased to announce that Ben Lapin has been promoted to President of Speedball Art Products Company. Ben started with Speedball in 1997 as Chief Financial Officer and handled all financial matters during the start-up years. He later took on responsibility for Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service and proved that he was much more than a bean counter. In October 2006, Ben became Chief Operating Officer responsible for all day-to-day activities of Speedball. In the past 12 years Ben has led the integration of several acquisitions while strengthening Speedball’s core business. “Good is never good enough” with Ben; he pushes himself and all…
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Creative Holiday Traditions From MacPherson’s
Once you are a part of the MacPherson’s team, whether or not you’ve dabbled in the arts before working here, the creative spark rubs off on you. It’s inevitable, with so many art supplies around! In celebration of our creative endeavors on and off the clock, we wanted to share some of our creative holiday traditions with you. Gratitude Place Cards “Every year for as long as I can remember I’ve created place cards for every guest with the question “What are you thankful for?” written with a space to answer. When guests arrive or before dinner is served, everyone is given time to write. Before we eat, we go…
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Celebrations At The Atlanta Distribution Center
Our Distribution Center in Atlanta had a lot to celebrate this month. The AM shift and PM shift overlapped for a special Thanksgiving dinner: The team also threw a baby shower for Selam Mamo, a Shift Order Selector. She is due on December 27th!
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The Wet Paint Way: 4 Strategies for Successful Marketing
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s Wet Paint is an independently owned store in St. Paul, MN that is well known for their social media and marketing verve. They organize regular in-store events, classes, weekly newsletters, an interactive website, regular social media postings via Instagram, Facebook, a bit of Twitter and Google+ content as well as a blog on WordPress and videos via YouTube. They also maintain a steady flow of print materials. In short, they do a lot. This dynamic, multi-platform strategy is made possible by the dedicated Social Media and Marketing team: Kristina Fjellmen and Chris Nolt. Kristina and Chris are both working artists with years of experience on the…
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Venerable Vintages: The Compass
Catherine Monahon, MacPherson’s Copywriter Venerable Vintages is a chance to indulge in the art supply nerd in all of us. To submit a special item connect with us at artdogblog (@) macphersonart.com. This month’s Venerable Vintages is a collection of drawing instrument ephemera from MacPherson’s Emeryville office. The collection features a compass set beside various patented compass, divider and ruling pen designs from an Alteneder & Son’s pricing booklet published in 1871. The compass has a long interdisciplinary history, with science and art at the heart of its purpose. A tool for mathematics, architecture, engineering, geography and the arts, the compass (or “divider”) dates back to ancient civilizations3. We investigated…
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Products By Personality: Customer Gift Guide
Cassie Brehmer, MacPherson’s Account Manager & Catherine Monahon, MacPherson’s Copywriter The classic question this time of year: “My cousin/sister-in-law/friend/neighbor is an artist, what should I get them?” Gifters may not be familiar with the supplies and mediums their giftee prefers; providing an endcap or featured table in the form of a “Gift Guide” helps point customers in the right direction—without needing a staff member to walk them through the entire world of art supplies in three minutes. In an effort to encourage and inspire, we’ve created a selection of products for five creative personalities your customers might be shopping for: The Dedicated Artist, The DIY Crafter, The Young Creative, The…
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Riley Street San Rafael Celebrates 11 Years
Catherine Monahon, MacPherson’s Copywriter Riley Street Art Supply has locations in San Rafael and Santa Rosa, CA; this month they celebrated 50 years of being in business, with the San Rafael store turning 11 this past June. Both stores celebrated with a two day sale where everything was at least 30% off, and the San Rafael store partnered with vendors to set up outdoor booths with various Make-and-Take activities and demonstrations. Vendor partners included Daniel Smith, Golden, Strathmore, Jacquard, Savoir-Faire, Liquitex and Marabu. The event was a great opportunity to engage with repeat customers as well as passersby who had never even been in the store. Outdoor Booths + Downtown Foot…
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The Art Bar at Kittles Art Supply
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s Like most of us in the art supply business, John Kittle wears many hats. He is the owner, manager, lead art teacher, and lead framer at Kittles Art Supply in Show Low, Arizona, nestled in the White Mountains in a tightly knit rural community. Like many mom and pop shops, moms, pops and other family members help the business survive and thrive. Running a business in a sparsely populated area presents its own set of challenges; John points out his three core business strategies: selling art supplies, offering classes (including a summer camp) and running a custom frame shop. Catering to a small community means seizing…
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Artisan Expo: The Positive Impact of Workshops
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s In September, Account Manager Mia Fesmire and Brand Marketing Manager Ariana Faustini represented MacPherson’s exclusive brands at a three-day art supply extravaganza in Santa Fe known as Artisan Expo. The bi-yearly consumer show is sponsored by Artisan Santa Fe, a retailer with locations in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Artisan Santa Fe founded Artisan Expo in 2000, and the event has grown over the years to become the largest art materials and instructional event in the world! They host over 100 half-day and full-day workshops led by expert instructors, as well as a vendor trade show where over 80 vendors cater to artists who travel from…