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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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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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…
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Ready, Set, Go: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday & Giving Tuesday
Cassie Brehmer, Midwest Account Manager & Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s Mark your calendars! While you’re focusing on sales and promotions for the winter holidays, keep these three retail-related holidays on your radar. We’ve put together key links, hashtags and merchandising ideas so that you can easily integrate Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday into your promotions next month. Black Friday, November 23rd Black Friday is the informal name for the day following Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November. Traditionally recognized as the beginning of the holiday shopping season in the United States, Black Friday is an opportunity to reach a wide audience with deep discounts. While this “holiday”…
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Innovative Collaboration: Calligraphy With POSCA
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s The beauty of our industry is in the connections we make. Oftentimes shop owners and staff are uniquely situated to connect with niche communities and play a part in sustaining local art scenes. Annette Wichmann of Kensington Art Supply & Instruction in Calgary, AB Canada has done just that. Her close ties with a local calligraphy guild and her rapport with customers, instructors and staff strengthens the tightly knit and growing calligraphy community in Calgary – and her fearless exploration of POSCA paint markers and Art Alternatives Creative Surfaces has given us serious food for thought! Inspired by Assistant Brand Manager Tucker Russell’s POSCA demo at…
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Paperwork People Actually Want
Cassie Brehmer, Midwest Account Manager, MacPherson’s This holiday season gift your customers with basic instructions for simple activities and projects for all ages. These Activity Sheets are especially helpful for aunts, uncles and grandparents who may be seeing their young family members for the only time this year. Plenty of easy DIY projects can be found online; all you have to do is assemble the desired items in-store in an easily shoppable layout, highlight that you have a FREE activity sheet, and provide an example of a finished project for reference. For the Holiday Season, going a little crafty is ok! Make sure to include your social media handles, website,…
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Retailer’s Choice: Next “Demo Days” Feature
Cassie Brehmer, Midwest Account Manager, MacPherson’s Last month we introduced a new feature called Demo Days, which outlines instructions and materials needed to create an in store demonstration or workshop. Regular in-store activities help to foster a sense of community and make your store a destination spot for artists and hobbyists alike. Allowing your customers to participate in a hands-on activity that educates them on products and lets them leave your store with an item they are confident they can recreate. We’ve put together a list of demo ideas for 4th Quarter. Let us know which activity inspires you and we’ll outline how to do the most requested one in…
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Wicked Halloween Assortments
Halloween is just around the corner, so don’t forget to check out this assortment of key Halloween items and seasonal goodies, perfect for a prominent display or end cap. Thumb Through Your Fall Buyer’s Guide The Fall 2018 Buyer’s Guide is full of inspirational resources for the coming fall (check MacPhersonArt.com for a link to the current Buyer’s Guide and promotions). Try a fun fall demo so customers can see how easy it is to use some of these products, like the marbled pumpkin featured on page 61. Click here for a refresher of how to transform a pumpkin into festive decor – no carving required!
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MacPherson’s YouTube: Hands-On Demos, Resources & Shareable Content
We are excited to announce the launching of a MacPherson’s YouTube account! It is currently populated with videos from each of our vendors’ hands-on experiences at this year’s Dealer Workshop. In collaboration with our vendor partners and the Artist’s Network, we produced a series of instructive and inspiring videos showcasing this season’s new products. Most importantly, you can learn about the products and discover ways to replicate the experience for in-store demos, events and creative displays. Create in-store connections with your customers and inspire your employees. Check out the videos and remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can stay current when we post videos in the…
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Fun and Easy DIY Card-Making From Strathmore
Sara Prentice, Social Media Marketing Manager, Strathmore Artist Papers DIY Cards Greeting card season is just around the corner and these card-making techniques are a great way to inspire customers to buy all the materials needed to make their own personalized greetings well before the holidays hit! A seasoned artist or a beginner can enjoy these approachable cards. Perfect for the upcoming holidays, they can be easily customized for any occasion. Trend Trifecta: Watercolor, Mixed Media and the Handmade Movement Watercolor and Mixed Media remain hot topics. More people than ever are trying to learn about these mediums and show their creations on Instagram, Pinterest and other social channels. Anything…
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In-Store Paint Pouring Demo
by Mia Fesmire, MacPherson’s Account Manager in Southern California Summer is a great time to showcase the pouring trend – unstructured time lends itself to spontaneous art, and it is a project that works indoors or outdoors for kids and adults alike. We recommend merchandising several options of acrylics and pouring mediums to fit every budget in one location in your store. Check out videos on YouTube, which are easily shareable on your social media accounts, and don’t forget to provide finished examples next to the merchandise so interested customers can easily identify what they need. Paint Pouring Demo Materials you need: Surface: Primed Wood Panels, Canvas Panels, 3D objects…