Thursday, October 18, 2007

Local Scrapbook Store Review

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting one of my favorite scrapbook stores in Connecticut - The Scrapbook Clubhouse located in Westbrook, CT. It is located on the Westbrook Green, for those of you who are familiar with the shoreline area of Connecticut.

The shop is owned by a wonderful woman named Sharon, who offers her vast knowledge of the scrapbooking industry and also fantastic customer service. Now for those of you who know me, customer service is a HUGE issue when it comes to shopping. If I get bad service I will not shop in that store again. I also talk to hundreds of people each week, who will learn about my bad experience. So when I have an exceptional experience, I tend to send praise down the mountain to all the eager villagers. And yesterday was a great shopping experience :) So, villagers, listen up!

I drove the 50 miles to visit
The Scrapbook Clubhouse in order to spend a gift certificate I had received. It was a beautiful day to drive with the windows open and the music playing. I was in the mood to shop for a current project and my upcoming scrapbooking retreat weekend (more about that later). I was also trying to stay within a budget which lasts only for the first 2 minutes I walk into a scrapbooking store. Yesterday was no exception ;)

I needed refill pages for an 8x8 wedding album that somehow got into the hands of my 3 year old. So that was first on my list and was crossed off within 5 minutes. A smiling and very helpful store employee, Wendy, helped me find exactly what I was looking for.

**Hint: For anyone ever looking for scrapbook refill pages, be sure to bring your album itself or the divider inside the album in order to line up the holes properly. All refill pages do not work with all albums.

Next I floated throughout the store looking at the inspiring finished projects and pages that sit above each aisle. I tend to get initially overwhelmed by the vast amount of supplies but taking a walk-through first helps me figure out where things are located. The store is divided by occasion, which is extremely helpful when working on specific projects. I was wandering around with 4 color chips to find the perfect embellishments for a handmade card holder I am working on for my scrapbook room. Ok so the trip started as an embellishment search but turned into something more extravagant ;)

I tend to describe my love for paper as, well, love at first sight. When I saw THE perfect paper for my card holder from the new K & Co. lines, I knew I had to change what I had already started and use this line instead. The project is a 20 x 30" board that is/was covered in paper and pockets to hold cards for each occasion. (I found the inspiration for it in Paper Crafts November 2007 edition.) ~ It has to work with all the colors in my scrapbook room because it essentially takes up the entire wall space next to my desk area. I will definitely share some pictures once I am finished with it :)


I absolutely love this line by K & Co. - Classic K Margo. I also picked up some great chipboard stickers and paper mats from the K & Co. Wild Saffron line, the K & Co. Ancestry.com line & the K & Co. Brenda Walton Peppermint Kiss line. Can you see a pattern here? lol





While I was browsing, Wendy was also demonstrating to a customer how to use this very cool tool called The Enveloper by Crafter's Companion. This template holds any size paper and you score according to the directions to make various envelope sizes for your handmade cards (or maybe for cards you purchased and messed up the original envelope by writing the wrong address?) It actually was super easy to use but the price was a bit high for my budget yesterday (US $24.99). I added it to my wish list for the holidays ;) You may want to seek it out at your local scrapbook store or visit The Scrapbook Clubhouse to get one for yourself. It is easy to transport, slim and very simple to use.

I ended up purchasing some great vintage looking cardstock journaling pieces from Deja Views - Sharon Ann Timeless Collection line and various cardstock stickers from BoBunny too. I love the BoBunny Thankful Hearts line. Gorgeous, colorful and with a vintage feel as well.

My time there was well-spent (no pun intended). And my absolute favorite feature is that the product lines are not ones found in other local scrapbook stores in my area and craft stores such as Jo-Ann's. I have plenty of DCWV items, heavy scrapbooking arsenal aka tools and machinery and various inexpensive ribbons and papers.
The Scrapbook Clubhouse offers those niche items that give me that fuzzy-happy feeling that I truly need to be inspired. They have the best assortment of scrapbook and memory-making products that I have seen in Connecticut. And the best service by far!
Well I am off to check my calendar to see when my next trip to the shoreline is.....stay tuned for more reviews on Connecticut Scrapbooking stores.

♥ Your Memories, Lisa

3 comments:

verabear said...

It sure sounds like you had a great time shopping :)

Anonymous said...

This is great blog!!I love to shop online shopping through Coupons and plan to visit your blog often...!!

Anonymous said...

I visited the Scrapbook Clubhouse a couple of years ago while on vacation on the CT shore. I have never met a store owner more customer-oriented than Sharon! She is what other owners should strive to be! There was a glitch in my purchase, which I realized when I got home. I called her and she immediately reimbursed me for items in question, let me keep them...and sent me a coupon for the next time I visited the store. She not only offers beautiful products, helps you make the most of your creativity, but also makes you want to come back because you were treated so nicely! BRAVO to the Scrapbook Clubhouse....we all love you!

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