Celebrating 2010 and 5 Years in Business

So, I've been in the scrapbooking business now for almost 5 years (June 22 will mark the exact date) and I'm celebrating in 2010!

I first thought about starting my own business a few years prior to actually starting, after attending a scrapbooking workshop at a friend's house and having a great time. I flirted with joining that company (to be unnamed) for quite a while, but something just didn't feel right about it. I learned about I Remember When in 2004 when I attended the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Manchester, NH. I met Jennifer Grant, former Founder of I Remember When, and automatically drawn to her and her creative vision.

It took me a year and a half before I finally signed the paperwork and became a consultant with I Remember When (June 2005). One month later in July, Xyron took over ownership of the company.

In my first year, I struggled to find what would work for me, and tried a little of everything from having open houses, doing home shows, teaching classes, having monthly crops at home, to vendoring at crops and I even tried vendor fairs. I experienced the full spectrum of highs and lows emotionally, as I began to fill my calendar slowly with events. Some events would be full, while others would have no one. I expected every one of my scrapbooking friends to join my events, and was disappointed when my friends didn't participate. I was grateful to my I Remember When sisters for their support and loved the IRW leadership team of Jennifer Grant, Beth Kingston, and Amie Morgan who allowed us to run our businesses as we wanted to and were always there to provide support when we needed it the most.

Over the years that followed, slowly, but surely, over time, I came to find what I enjoyed most and seemed to be good at, and that was vendoring at crops and holding classes.

I came across another challenge in March 2009 when Xyron closed I Remember When's doors. It was a bit of a shock, but with the economy as it was, it was understandable. I was at a crossroads and needed to make a decision: do I close too?

After much deliberation, I decided to honor my commitments for 2009 and decided to have courage an continue on with my scrapbooking business, this time, as an independent retailer. And that's how The Crop Shop came to be and here we are!

So, to celebrate my 5 years of being in business, throughout 2010, anyone who spends $50 or more will receive a 5% discount off of their total purchase! Whoo hoo!

So that's my story and I thank you for reading about my history!