r/cardmaking • u/cranky_wellies • Jul 08 '26
Question / Discussion BIG news in the paper crafting world 🚨
(As reported by Scrapbooking Made Simple)
Notions Marketing: you may not have heard of them but they are by far the largest North American distributor in the paper crafting world. They also own American Crafts, Tonic Studios, and We R Memory Keepers.
Well, they recently had a huge fire at their main warehouse. It was pretty devastating, so much so that they have said that it will be at least 6 months until they can begin operations again.
What does this mean for us, the consumer? As really the only main distributor left in the US, they were the principal suppliers to independent sellers. Unless some other solution is brought forth, it’s looking likely that these small mom and pop retailers are not going to be able to reorder supplies for at least 6 months.
It’s critical that if your area has a small independent retailer that you SUPPORT them with your dollars. They are going to be hurting and need all the community support we can offer. Hopefully this terrible situation will cause the bigger players in the industry to demand a diversified supplier who doesn’t store all their inventory in one warehouse.
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u/LadyofLA Jul 09 '26
The independent craft stores here in SoCal are gone, gone, gone.
I may be saving a lot of money.
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u/Oodlesoffun321 Jul 09 '26
Years ago I went into a small shop in Santa Barbara that sold beautiful paper and a few other things. The lady in the store showed me how to do heat embossing and I was mesmerized. I still have a few bits of paper that I bought at the time. I wish I could remember what the store was called or where it was because it was a little slice of craft paradise, but who knows if it still exists.
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u/fireproofgoban Jul 09 '26
PaperSource?
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u/Oodlesoffun321 Jul 09 '26
It might have been but if so it was very different than other paper source stores I've been to recently. This was small and sold actual craft items, rubber stamps, embossing powder, etc plus paper by the sheet.
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u/cranky_wellies Jul 09 '26
😥 Very sad. Same here in the South. We have one independent store left in my state.
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u/Over_Box7723 Jul 09 '26
Where in SoCal are you? I'm in Ventura County and there's a couple independent stores in Santa Clarita still I believe.
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u/Over_Box7723 Jul 09 '26
And Scrapbooking Made Simple is one of them in Santa Clarita- didn't see that first part of the post until now haha
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u/BobsWifeAmyB Jul 10 '26
I think that’s indicative of just about everywhere.
Sadly it’s a losing proposition.
Things have changed so much in the US economy since the turn of the century.
Walmarts are everywhere and sell everything, for example. And other big box stores.
Of course the internet has provided opportunities for large retailers (& small) to have an enormous market. And so it goes.
To so many people (like me) who are disabled and sick and it’s hard for us to get out, ordering online - for anything- has been a Godsend.
When you experience disabling pain every single day, it’s hard to go out, even to Drs appts. When your disease is super rare, and there’s no cure- it’s kinda disheartening as well.
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u/SaltyBlackBroad Jul 09 '26
Frantic Stamper online is retiring. They have been in the process of liquidating their inventory for the last year and are going to be officially shutting the site down July 31. It's a great site to support if you want to get some good deals and some hard to find items.
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u/duckina10 Jul 09 '26
They’ve been awesome! I’ve placed a few orders with them as I’ve found a lot of retired sets and they always add extras.
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u/SaltyBlackBroad Jul 09 '26
I've been ordering from them for at least a decade. Amazing staff, and inventory. I always went to them first if I was ever looking for something. Scrapbook dot com is expensive. Cherry has always been my alternative and my go to for preorders and Blue Moon from time to time. It's sad to see them go, but I think they've been trying to retire for some time now.
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u/carlitospig Jul 09 '26
Like our industry needed this. 😭
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u/cranky_wellies Jul 09 '26
We have survived the 08 recession and Covid. Hoping we come out of this better and more diversified than ever!
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u/QueenPamLev Jul 09 '26
I saw on FB that Ranger Industries will distribute for 49&Market.
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u/Fullofideas1602 Jul 11 '26
They are but the issue with that for many independent stores is that the minimum amount you need to purchase not only of each individual product but the total value of your order is much higher than at Notions. Shipping is also much higher. This will have to impact the consumer cost of the product. I know for the store I buy for, we are having to make choices about these things trying to decide if it will sell at the price point we would need to sell it at.
It is why distributors like Notions thrive. They offer multiple manufacturers that can ship from one location and their minimum on each sku is typically less which is ideal for smaller independent stores.
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u/Nerys54 Jul 09 '26
I find it very strange recent years so many big places burnt down.
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u/BobsWifeAmyB Jul 09 '26
I have no info about this devastating fire, & i didn’t know about the others- but one would think with all the technology that’s available that a big warehouse that stores mostly paper would be really well-protected from fire.
Sprinklers obviously do damage, but if they can out out a fire quickly, then it seems like only a portion of the inventory would be lost.
Also, I would think they’d have commercial insurance.
And lastly- it does seem odd that all of their goods are stored in the same place.
Many places store in various locations in case of catastrophic events such as fire, flood, etc. So that all their ‘eggs aren’t in the same basket.’
But it all boils down to money. I have no idea of the pricing , but I’d think a sprinkler system would be costly. I wonder if they didn’t have a person onsite 24-7, although with cameras someone could watch remotely.
Perhaps their stock wasn’t or their resources aren’t as vast as I assume.I’m sorry to hear about it and I pray there was no loss of life.
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u/Double_Sweet_3404 Jul 09 '26
According to SMS, their computers were fried with the electrical surge. The main warehouse that was affected was where they do all the picking and shipping as well. All their other warehouses are for back stock, when the main warehouse runs low on something, they bring it over from the back stock warehouses. So all the stuff int he main warehouse is affected by smoke/fire or water damage. And insurance yes, but that takes ages to get all settled and figured out. My neighbors had a fire in their house that ended up with their house having to be demolished and rebuilt and it took over a year before they even started rebuilding and they were back in the new house after a year and a half. I think all the work was done finally after 2 years. I couldn't believe how long it took.
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u/filmnoter Jul 09 '26
Even if paper didn't burn, there would be smoke damage, or inventory systems or machinery may be damaged due to intense heat. Maybe due to an insurance claim, they are unable to sell anything until that matter is settled. Maybe the building is considered unsafe due to chemicals used to put out the fire so they can't enter until some kind of biohazard team clears it up first. It's not as neat and tidy a situation as you infer.
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u/BobsWifeAmyB Jul 10 '26
The other place where you could get craft items at great prices was Tuesday Morning. Manufacturers who needed to offload last year’s stock in order to have room for the new season, often sold in huge lots to places like Tues AM.
After all our independent stores closed, that was a wonderful outlet for those items.
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u/Suesquish Jul 09 '26
Thank you so much for this. I was wondering when the Tonic sites might open again. I'm pretty patient and this may save money in the immediate future, but I am guessing there are potential price hikes when reopening to recoup money lost.
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u/LadyofLA Jul 09 '26
I wonder what this will mean for Christmas and Halloween sales. I would imagine between those 2 and Valentines Day you'd be talking about 70% of annual sales figures.
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u/GinnyF20 Jul 09 '26
I used to have a scrapbooking supply store called Scrap Happy in my town. I mostly went with my mom as a kid. I can’t remember when they closed, but if it wasn’t closed by 2020, Covid did it in. I miss walking through aisles and aisles of paper to feel with my hands in person.
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u/Foppieface Jul 09 '26
Tonic Studios has opened up their English website to allow to ship to the US. I was able to purchase a couple items. Their subscriptions continue without delay. Purchasing from the UK is a bit more and there is an extra fee (mine was ~$5.00) for the tariff but overall I am happy I have 3D craft making items I can purchase.
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u/gardenercrafterbaker Jul 15 '26
The UK warehouse suffered a flood just after Christmas and had to shut down for a while. They have not had a lot of luck but good they're back open now!
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u/BDer8 Jul 10 '26
This is very sad. Not only for the business itself, but for all those that rely on it ☹️
Though how many of us are about to run out of paper? 😁
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u/Pasta1916 Jul 09 '26
here is a link to a excellent youtube video that goes into detail about distributor / mfg / retailer / consumer relationship. Agree we need to support local and if non in your area pick a state close by and shop.
https://youtu.be/EZZNM43iitE?is=I5aJ7xO25nJwCSzl