Top Ten Scrapbook News Stories Of 2012
The new year makes us look back on the events of the past year as well as looking forward to the new one. In case you missed any of them, here's a look back at the top news stories of 2012 on Scrapbook Update:
American Crafts, Becky Higgins to Partner on Project Life Production, Distribution: This blockbuster announcement will bring Project Life to store shelves everywhere, with the support of the American Crafts operation behind it.
Hobby Lobby Sues Obama Administration over ACA Mandate: Hobby Lobby made national news outside the crafts industry when it decided to become the first non-religious business to take the Obama administration to court over the birth control coverage mandate in the ACA bill. The company was recently denied a stay in court that would have allowed them to avoid the mandate while their legal fight runs its course.
Meredith Corp Announces Scrapbooks Etc to Cease Publication: Perhaps the most shocking story of 2012 was when publisher Meredith Corp. announced that it was pulling the plug on Scrapbooks Etc. magazine despite it being the most-read magazine in the industry.
Spellbinders Lawsuit Against QuicKutz Dismissed: After a long nasty legal fight, QuicKutz won a summary judgement in the lawsuit that Spellbinders had been pursuing against them for patent infringement. Due to similar legal issues, Lifestyle Crafts was also granted summary judgement shortly afterward in the case filed against them by Spellbinders over the same patent. That didn't end the matter, however - Spellbinders has filed appeals in both cases in U.S. appellate court.
Could WalMart Bribery Scandal Derail Michaels' IPO? & Michaels Store CEO on Leave After Stroke & John Menzer Resigns As Michaels' CEO: The saga of Michaels' IPO plans and its CEO's subsequent troubles created a lot of uncertainty around the big box crafts retailer in 2012. The IPO is currently on hold indefinitely.
Hambly Screen Prints Closing: The trendy company's legions of fans were crushed when owner Harry Hambly decided to close the company and retire after failing to sell the enterprise. Popular company designer Allison Kreft is now debuting collections at CHA Winter 2013 with Webster's Pages, after designing a collection for Echo Park that debuted at CHA Summer 2012.
Pink Paislee to Partner with Heidi Swapp & Christy Tomlinson: Pink Paislee continued the trend toward licensing lines that it hard started with House of 3 by adding some big signatures to its line-up: Heidi Swapp and Christy Tomlinson. The new additions also significantly broadened the style range of the company's products and brought it in line with the industry's increasing presence of graphic and mixed media-inspired designs.
Colorbok Buys ANW/Creativity Works, Making Memories: ANW/Creativity Works had been on a buying spree of its own the past few years, buying several distressed brands like Making Memories. So it was a bit of surprise when they became the subject of a buyout from Colorbok, which largely services the industry's big box stores.
Silhouette Announces New Portrait Machine: Silhouette finally introduced a partner for its blockbuster Cameo machine. They followed up the 12" Cameo with the slightly smaller Portrait machine that has a maximum width of 8" for cutting. It also has a lower price point: $199 MSRP compared to $299.
CHA Summer 2013 to Move to Las Vegas, Change Format: After decades in Chicago (with the exception of one experimental move to Orlando), CHA announced that the Summer show is moving in 2013 to Las Vegas. The show will also have a slight change in format to accommodate more private appointment time for buyers.
What will be the big stories of 2013? Maybe we will start making some of them in Anaheim in a few days....
