Art Materials Retailer Q3 2019

For People Who Sell Art Supplies

Q3 2019

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Hyatt’s at

New Location

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For complete listings please contact your Royal Talens representative or: email: info.na@royaltalens.com call: (413) 300-1899 RoyalTalensNorthAmerica.com

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e r s p e c t i v e

Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind

e

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by Kevin Fahy

D

o you remember when retailers used to give away things in order to promote customer loyalty? If you filled up your tank at a particular brand of gas station you would get, say, a drinking glass with a cartoon character on it.

Consumers were encouraged to collect all eight glasses, so that they would have Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, or whatever.

The problem, from the customer’s standpoint, was that you didn’t get to choose which character you got, so you would end up with 10 Sleepys and no Sneezys. The cynical among us always suspected that the oil companies did that on purpose.

Although gas stations had the most visible and highly advertised loyalty programs, other retailers had programs of their own. The supermarket where my mother bought groceries, for example, had one that I particularly appreciated.

Whenever she bought a certain amount of food, she would get one volume in whatever set of books the store was featuring at the time.

The only problem was that she would only get a few volumes out of a 20-volume set before the store would move on to a new one.

So I got bits and pieces of several different sets, but my favorite by far was the American Heritage “New Illustrated History of the United States.” The three volumes I got were about the Revolution, World War II, and the Age of Steel. The first two were very

popular topics for me, but until I got the book I wasn’t really aware that there was an age of steel.

The title referred to the industrialization of America, which took place from roughly the end of the Civil War to the end of the 19th century. A lot of things were made out of steel, of course, but the book makes clear from the front cover onward that there was one vital steel structure upon which the history of the era was dependent: the railroad.

Railroads got their start in the early 1800s in England, and the idea was quickly transported to the rapidly expanding U.S. By the 1830s, a myriad of small railroad lines were taking over the transportation of people and products, putting canal boats and stagecoaches out of business. There were more than 30,000 miles of track in place by the time the war started, and Lincoln would greatly expand the network by passing the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862.

After the war, a self-made shipping magnate named Cornelius Vanderbilt started buying up the rail lines around his native New York, merging them all into a behemoth called the New York Central Railroad. He is generally considered the first of what we now refer to as the “robber barons,” with an estate valued in today’s dollars at $250 billion.

His son William expanded the business even further, bringing the Vanderbilts into conflict with continued on page 6

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Contact: Sue Henry shenry@streamlinepublishing.com 561.327.6032 Q3 2019 • ArtMaterialsRetailer.com

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For People Who Sell Art Supplies

Quarter 3 2019

3 Perspective

8

Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind

by Kevin Fahy

8

Out of the Blue

to a residential neighborhood with room

to grow.

Buffalo’s longtime art supply store moves

12

Artful Behavior

with handmade paper.

Kim Grummer shows us what artists are creating

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12

38

Endcap

Rachel Solomon discusses the diversity of today’s

portfolio users, and the ways Itoya ProFolia

meets their needs.

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Industry News

for felt supplier, 30 years of retail in North

Carolina, Bob Ross’s new “show,” Tombow’s

new sales director

Retailer Mike Hill discusses the industry’s

class-of-trade retail/wholesale structure

AMR Welcomes New Advertisers!

______________________________

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24 Feedback 25 26 36

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NAMTA sells office, ArtsVote 2020, new website

New & True Index of Advertisers

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“Perspective” from page 3

famous financiers such as Jay Gould and James Fisk, and later with railroad titans Edward Harriman and James J. Hill. Those battles were so large that they sometimes drew in the great tycoons from other industries, men whose names still resonate today.

One of those was Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate, and another was the banker J.P. Morgan. Still another was the wealthiest robber baron of them all, John D. Rockefeller.

At the dawn of the 20th century, Standard Oil controlled over 90 percent of the U.S. oil business, providing Rockefeller with a personal net worth approaching a half trillion dollars. The richest individual in modern history didn’t own the railroads, but he certainly depended upon them.

If all this is starting to ring a bell for you, it does for me as well. We are living through an era right now that

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is in many ways similar to that of the robber barons.

Once again, the boom was started by the construction of a network that connects most of the people on the planet, both socially and commercially.

In this case the pathways aren’t made of steel, or even wire anymore, but the flow of electrons through space. There seems little choice but to call it the Electronic Age.

So who are the new robber barons? The first two are generally thought to be Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, neither of whom relied upon the internet for his initial business model, but both created products that became an integral part of it. The more recent additions to that club are more clearly internet players, including Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

Like their spiritual forebears of the Gilded Age, all of these entrepreneurs have retained personal control of their companies, and all have sought to control their industry by acquiring or destroying their competitors.

Though none were the first to market in their segment, Amazon now has 38 percent of ecommerce, Facebook has 70 percent of social media, and Goggle has 92 percent of search.

On June third of this year, The New York Times published an article entitled “Antitrust Troubles Snowball for Tech Giants as Lawmakers Join In,” which reported that the federal government is investigating four of the most powerful new-age companies for violating antitrust laws. In order to manage such a monumental effort, two agencies have divided the task, with the Justice Department taking on Apple and Google while the Federal Trade Commission tackles Facebook and Amazon.

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Canvas Panels for Professionals and Students

The article indicates that some sort of prosecution, and even possibly a breakup, of the four companies is likely because the issue is one of the few things in which there is a general consensus among the public, the president, the Congress, and the 20-some Democrats running for the presidency in 2020. It seems that nobody likes a monopoly.

Any case against the tech giants would depend upon the Sherman Antitrust Act, which was passed by a nearly unanimous vote of Congress in 1890 in order to curb the power of the original robber barons. It prohibits “contracts, combinations or conspiracies … in the restraint of trade or commerce.”

The problem with that law is that it was rather vague, and failed to define terms such as “monopoly.” In its first decade it was used more against the labor unions than it was against corporations, but eventually it grew teeth, and by 1911 it was strong enough to break up Standard Oil.

Over the years, the rule of thumb became that size alone was not a sufficient reason to break up a company.

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The company had to be shown to have used its size to stifle competition, and ultimately to harm consumers.

That may be difficult in the case of Facebook and Google, which provide their service to consumers at no charge.

Nonetheless, there is momentum building, with even the cofounder of Facebook advocating a breakup of the company. Such an action would potentially have a major impact on small businesses such as yours and mine, and that would be in keeping with the courts’ attitude toward monopolies. In 1956, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Earl Warren, wrote that the priority in antitrust actions should be “the protection of viable, small, locally owned businesses.”

By the way, in leafing through my old book about the Age of Steel, I noticed that there were three dominant issues in the political discussions of the late 19th century. They were tariffs, immigration, and income inequality.

Hmmm.

You can e-mail Kevin at kfahy@fwpi.com.

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Out of the BLUE

by Tina Manzer

H

yatt’s – All Things Creative in Buffalo, New York, celebrated its 60th year in business by moving to a bigger building in a different neighborhood.

In January, the family-owned art supply company left its longtime home on Main Street, in the city’s Allentown Arts District, to set up shop on a busy commercial strip in North Buffalo. Its neighbors there include a Regal Cinema 16, a retail plaza, grocery stores, a fitness club, and new commercial development.

“This location is massive, or feels it anyway,” said one reviewer of the former building supply stoer space. Hyatt’s 15,000-square-foot selling space features industrial fixtures and an ultra-high ceiling.

There’s also classroom space, administrative offices, a customer service center, a true warehouse and four loading docks in a total of 40,000 square feet. Parking is ample.

The Buffalo News reported that Hyatt’s is now the largest independent art supply store in the country.

Serving Buffalo’s commercial printers

It’s a far cry from the 200-square-foot office in which Charles Hyatt set up shop in 1959.

After working for many years at his uncle’s printing supply business, he began Hyatt’s Graphic Supply Co Inc. to serve local commercial printing and graphic arts customers. “He sold presses and prepress supplies that were really not for retail display,” explained his son Greg Hyatt, who bought the business with his brother, Peter, in 1988. “The store was little more than a door and one office person who sat behind a glass window and got up to help customers who walked through the door.

“You could say that his original ideas set the culture of Hyatt’s,” continued Greg. “My father started the company strictly to serve commercial printers. Retail was sort of the stepsister to that, eventually becoming a main focus of the company.”

Charles moved Hyatt’s to larger digs on Main Street in 1961, and added fine art supplies to the mix for a growing number of artist, architect, signmaker, and designer customers.

Despite a devastating fouralarm fire in 1965, the building became Hyatt’s headquarters. Before its recent move, it occupied 30,000 square feet of it on four different levels.

Over the years, additional Hyatt’s brick-and-mortar-retail locations were opened and closed across western New York, and online sales grew. Two distribution

The interior and exterior colors of the new building closely match these Pantone colors, says Elizabeth Hyatt-Martin.

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Front row, left to right - Sara Hyatt, Beth Hyatt-Martin; Back row, left to right - Peter Hyatt, Greg Hyatt, Seth Martin. divisions – Pantone Products and sign making supplies and equipment – flourished.

Peter Hyatt spotted the opportunity with sign making in 1984 as the process was becoming computerized. “Everyone in the art materials industry suffered when design went digital,” explained Greg. “Peter saw it as a way our business could evolve.”

The Hyatt family loved their Main Street neighborhood, but parking was an issue, along with deliveries and package pickup. “Plus, it became important for us to have a building that’s on one floor and large enough to accommodate everyone efficiently,” says Elizabeth Hyatt-Martin, marketing director. She spoke to us recently about the benefits of the company’s move.

What about the space makes business more efficient?

Two areas were greatly improved: our office space and warehouse/shipping space. We’ve had a large staff operating in close quarters for many years, but now we all have plenty of workspace and multiple meeting areas. Members of our shipping staff have individual workstations and lots of room to maneuver pallets.

The biggest change is that we’re all on the same floor. We used to spend a lot of time going up and down stairs!

What do customers notice first about the store?

How expansive the space is. We have very tall ceilings, but most of our shelving is low. They can see across the whole store from the front door, giving them a great vision of all that is there to explore.

We’re closer to residential neighborhoods now so it seems like we gain new customers every day. Some people come in to explore just because the building is interesting. They’re surprised to find we have cool products for more than just artists.

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What are your bestsellers right now?

continued on page 10

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Our customers love everything to do with watercolors, so we maintain constant stock and a large breadth of watercolor supplies across multiple brands.

Many of our customers come to us because of our wide selection of specialty supplies, like Angelus Leather Paint, Jacquard products, and artist spray paint.

We’re an Iwata Gold Level Dealer, so we help multiple

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“Out of the Blue” from page 9

customers each day find the right airbrush part or product, both instore and on the phone.

What’s trending currently?

Pouring, lettering, and alcohol inks are still popular, but lately we have seen more customers interested in resin products and miniatures/modeling.

With so much space have you brought in new lines?

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You’ve grown up with the business – what do you like best about it?

I love seeing all the creativity in product design. I find it most

t h e b el o v e d Pig n to ma ®

interesting watching what people come out with year after year to inspire creativity in others. Not only are people always thinking of new products, they’re thinking of new ways to use existing products.

I also love that so many of the businesses are still family owned.

I’m part of the third generation here, and it’s fun to see peers I grew up with in the business now working and bringing their own ideas to the table.

What’s next?

We’re just chasing the next thing! We continue to develop efficiencies within the business so that we can keep growing. We want to be ready to when it’s time to jump on our next expansion opportunity.

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A good portion filled quickly with product we already carried for our online customers, but never had the space to display. It was all hiding in our former basement!

However, we did a large expansion of GOLDEN acrylic and brought in Raphael Brushes. We devoted more space to fine writing and journals.

Ideas for new products come from customers walking into our store. We also get ideas from attending NAMTA and the New York Stationery Show. Our purchasing department plays an active role in finding out what’s trending. If they see a creative trend on social media, for instance, they’ll explore what products consumers are using, and consider whether it’s a good fit for us. Right now they’re working on expanding our “kids” category and mixedmedia, including sculpting and jewelry-making.

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19_061

Introducing

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by Tina Manzer

M

aking paper by hand became a lost art, at least in the U.S., after machines took over production in the early 19th century. But just like other creative practices that have been lost and then found, and then lost and found again (encaustic, mosaic, calligraphy, etc.), making paper by hand has enjoyed cyclical revivals.

Right now it’s gaining traction in classrooms, maker spaces, community art centers and other workshop-based programs.

Probably the most gratifying application comes from the world of special education, says Kim Grummer, owner of Arnold Grummer’s LLC. Private and public schools around the country run papermaking ‘businesses,’ which offer meaningful participation for individuals with diverse abilities.

“It’s an activity that can involve many ages and abilities at once; that’s why families enjoy papermaking together,” explains Kim,

whose company has been supplying papermaking kits and accessories for 43 years. “In schools, it’s an engaging art lesson, but easily travels across curriculum to language arts, social studies and history. Today, the STEAM movement has teachers, educational centers and community programs looking for ways to explore STEM core subjects with a creative art application.”

(The company will launch a new set of paper-art lesson plans for STEAM in January.)

Adult artists have re-discovered the unique textures continued on page 14

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Artful Behavior “What are artists creating with your products?”

The paper bowl was created by artist Hannah Bennett using finely beaten unbleached abaca, a fiber available from Arnold Grummer’s. It was a prize winner in the company’s annual PAPERFEST juried art exhibit. This year’s event will open Friday, October 4, in Green Lake Wisconsin. It is open to all paper artists; submission deadline is August 20. photo by Aaron Paden

A little book with a stitched binding and signatures made from one piece of handmade paper answers the question, “What can I do with the paper I’ve made?”

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203x273m

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The Graphite Line has been specially designed for artists. This very complete collection allows all specialists to explore the shades of black in all its forms and offers immense freedom of applications and techniques: washes, water colours, shading, sketches, graduation, blurring and mixed techniques. The line includes graphite pencils, graphite cubes, leads of pure graphite and water-soluble graphite coloured pencils.

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“Artful Behavior” continued from page 12

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and natural inclusions that handmade paper can add to their art. Some artists are “paper casting” with cotton linter fiber.

“Fine details of a mold are not only replicated, but ‘pop’ with light and shadow falling across the fiber’s surface,” Kim says.

To add strength to flat and dimensional structures, artists use the leaf-fiber abaca. Letterpress and print artists prefer cotton rag paper. “Arnold Grummer’s fibers are packaged and sold by weight with directions and scannable barcodes. A press, along with the fibers, is essential for artists. Our bookand-paper presses can be drop shipped for dealers to their customers,” she notes.

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Kim’s parents, Arnold and Mabel, began the company in the middle of a papermaking renaissance triggered a few years earlier by Katherine and Howard Clark. An artist and engineer, respectively, the Clarks started a handmade paper mill, Twinrocker, in 1971 in Brookston, Indiana. “Every hand papermaking center and university program can trace its roots to Twinrocker and the Clarks,” says Kim. Arnold Grummer became hooked on making paper as a teacher at the Institute of Paper Chemistry in Wisconsin.

“He was a camera-ready showman who thoroughly loved his papermaking process. His appearances on national TV inspired At Pike Place Market in Seattle, Ethan Lind prints original etchings on paper he makes while passersby watch.

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Artist Valerie MacFadden of Coldbrook, Nova Scotia, sculpts images for her cast paper artwork.

millions of viewers to make paper, which drove strong sales.

Independent and multi-location art stores became solid partners, and the company rode the paper-crafts wave into the 2000s.”

But after the economic collapse of 2008, retail sales of papermaking supplies declined, says Kim. “Thankfully, school markets held strong.”

The 2019 holiday season marks Arnold Grummer’s re-entry into retail. She says dealer partners are returning to become a growing sector of her business. “We appreciate the work they do to build relationships and raise quality of life in their communities through art. It’s meaningful to play even a small part in that.”

A RETURN TO RETAIL

Artist & Craftsman Supply stores carry a full POG of Arnold Grummer’s papermaking kits and supplies, and Kim has been touring the country re-introducing the process and products to store employees and customers. “In the ’70s, people got a kick out of recycling wastepaper and enjoyed the ‘experience’ of making paper. People still appreciate the recycling aspect, and the fun of the process. Surprisingly, ‘What can I do with my paper?’ is a frequent question,” Kim says.

“Before starting a demo we always ask, ‘How many of you have made paper before?’ Until the mid-00s, lots of hands would go up. Today, often no one has any papermaking experiences. That’s a shocker. It shows how much work we have to do.”

Feedback post-demo is consistently positive. I never knew it was this easy to make paper, I always thought papermaking was messier than this, and I can use wastepaper? are just some of the comments Kim hears.

Her kits include everything but the wastepaper, so users must collect their own. “New papermakers find Bush’s Baked Beans labels with their golden-copper metallic hues irresistible. Deserted paper wasp nests are also popular this year. When you put it them in a blender with water, you can whip up amazing results.”

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Retailers Recommend

1

Fabulous Products

by Tina Manzer

Scott Farres from Wet Paint in St. Paul, Minnesota

“We’ve been carrying Retro 1951 Pens for years. They are the core to our fine-writing department.

They’re reasonably priced and come in rollerball, fountain pen, ballpoint or with lead. Anything in the Tornado line (1) themed editions is very stylish.

“The Hex-o-matic (2) is a favorite with our customers. During the holidays and at the end of the academic year, school administrators come in and buy them by the handful as teacher gifts. Professors will buy them for their whole department!”

“At NAMTA we saw the 100 Years of Bauhaus journals (3) from Leuchtturm1917. We knew we had to have them – pads of paper and notebooks are our biggest growth category. They were on our shelves less than 10 days and sold out. All their products are beautiful; very German. They have a blue dot grid so they’re perfect for bullet journaling.

“They also make a journal accessory, an elastic Pen Loop (4). It holds a pen or pencil and is self

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jacquardproducts.com

5

adhesive. Customers attach it to the back cover so they always have a writing instrument at the ready.

“We love Jacquard’s Screen Printing Ink (5). We call it “the good stuff.” It’s more opaque, durable, and has better working qualities. We printed a sample on a Lycra cloth to show customers that even when you stretch it out, it doesn’t crack.

“Our number-one-selling watercolor brushes are the Black Velvets (6) from Silver Brush. The oval sells itself. All we have to do is wet it.”

“For World Watercolor Month, and with Inktober coming soon, we broke up a 10-pound bag of Ampersand’s Assorted Sizes of Claybord (7) to sell the 2-by 2-inch boards individually for 50 cents each. People who participant in ‘create every day’ challenges love them for making ‘twinchies,’ as opposed to 1-inch-square art or ‘inchie.’ People can paint, draw and stamp on them.

“The small-size art concept would also work with canvas, wood and Scratchboard (8).”

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n d u s t r y

N

e w s

NAMTA has sold its headquarters office building and has moved to a new address in the same suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. The address of the new location is – 9606 Baily Road, Suite 240 Cornelius, North Carolina 28031

The move to more costeffective leased space will help NAMTA staff transition to a more “virtual/work remotely” situation, explains Tony Mines, association president. It’s a goal they have been working toward since last fall.

“This change is not a reflection of any internal financial issues

at NAMTA, but more of a good business decision by the board of directors,” said a June 14 letter from Mines.

The NAMTA office was located in a 100-year-old house that had been converted to office space. Five years ago, the Board of Directors refinanced the mortgage so that it would be paid off in August 2019.

NAMTA staff has already met with the staff of another small North Carolina association that made a similar transition, explained the letter. Today, that association is operating without office space and computer servers, and has instead

Ben Folds (right) with Robert Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.

Photo courtesy Americans for the Arts

Renowned musician and arts advocate Ben Folds will chair ArtsVote 2020 on behalf of the Arts Action Fund. In addition, Ben is donating his time and

energy to spearhead a podcast series on arts and politics, available at artsactionfund.org/podcast.

In the series, Ben and former U.S. Senator Mark Begich of Alaska

placed everything on the Cloud.

It also outsourced nearly all of its accounting functions to a thirdparty firm. “NAMTA is going to explore these options and more,” notes Mines.

“The office sale gives NAMTA greater flexibility to respond to a changing industry environment, the potential to react to any opportunities that may occur with other organizations, jettison an old office building that will continue to need repairs, and add significantly to NAMTA’s reserve fund,” the letter concluded.

interview the 2020 presidential candidates. Each candidate’s personal background in the arts and arts education, previous policy efforts to transform their communities through the arts, and their vision for advancing support for the arts and the charitable sector if they were to become president, will be discussed during the 30-minute format,

The goal is to interview every single declared presidential candidate on behalf of Arts Action Fund members. Ben has already interviewed Mayor Pete Buttigieg, continued on page 20

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Nicholson’s Peerless Watercolors are the original, ultra portable, dry watercolor sheets. They are made of a special paper fabric coated with a heavy layer of highly concentrated color that becomes liquefied when touched with a damp brush! Because of this it is exceedingly easy to take our paints with you anywhere you want to go! They have been hand-made in the USA since 1885 and we are proud to be keeping the tradition alive!

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“Industry News” continued from page 18

Congressman John Delaney, Governor John Hickenlooper, Secretary Julián Castro and Rep. Eric Swalwell.

This is the only podcast series of its kind engaging presidential candidates to talk about their vision for the arts in America.

“The podcasts are conversations about public policy and the arts, and are not an endorsement for or against a candidate,” said Nina Ozlu Tunceli, executive director of Americans for the Arts Action Fund. “They do not include any solicitations on behalf of a candidate.”

The Arts Action Fund is asking art supporters to make the podcasts go viral, and put arts policy issues on the presidential platform stage.

Here’s how.

• Listen to the ArtsVote 2020 with BenFolds podcast.

• Subscribe for free to the podcast series to get notified first of the latest episodes.

• Rate and review the series.

• Share and recommend it to your social media network and include a link to artsactionfund.org/ podcast.

The Booth Felt Co. Inc. in Dover, New Hampshire, has launched its first-ever e-commerce website, boothfelt.com. The storied felt maker has supplied felt strips, discs, dots, sheets, and other custom products to major manufacturers, innovators, and craftspeople around the world since 1905.

The site features the company’s

catalog of hundreds of industrialgrade felt materials including die-cut parts, engineered nonwovens, adhesive-backed materials, wool felts, SAE wool felts and decorative and craft felt supplies.

It also boasts regular blog posts, a monthly newsletter, news about products, and special discounts and promotions.

EXTRA 10% OFF SETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Get an Extra 10% Discount on 2019 Holiday Sets! A gift of paint is the perfect holiday present for artists. Now, GOLDEN is offering a discount on select GOLDEN, Williamsburg and QoR sets for the 2019 Holiday Season. No minimum order.

Extra 10% discount on orders until November 29, 2019. Contact your GOLDEN Distributor or Representative for details.

©2019 Golden Artist Colors, Inc. ▪ 800-959-6543 ▪ goldenpaints.com AMR_HldySets_hlfpg_070919.indd 1

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The addition of the e-comm site is the company’s latest move to bring its highly durable goods to an even broader market of felt users.

A long-standing pioneer in the felt industry, the company has always championed feltfabricating technology. Today, as part of the Spectex LLC portfolio, it is equipped to meet customers’ needs through a combination of specialized knowledge, access to powerful manufacturing technology, and the finest raw materials. Customers across industries like aviation, automotive, engineering, casket manufacturing, framing, cabinetry, and art supply continue to rely on Booth Felt’s diverse line of products for projects big and small.

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On July 1 Purveyors of Art & Design Materials in Foscoe, North Carolina, celebrated its 30th anniversary. The business was launched by owner Mike Hill as an art supply house primarily serving Appalachian State University students, but over the years the company morphed into a true soup-to-nuts art business.

In 1990, full-service and affordable custom framing was added to the mix and has grown over the years to include a “ridiculously expansive” selection of moulding choices, plus the highest level of conservation standards. Then in 2004, Mike acquired Wildflowers Publishing, a producer of digital art reproductions. Publication design, fine art photography, commission art and pop-art illustration projects and imaging were soon added to the company’s service list.

In 2008 Mike consolidated the various enterprises into one location “that boasts a killer view of Grandfather Mountain,” he says.

Manufacturer of private label and national brand artist brushes Request our new catalog

check out more online

SINCE 1998

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“Industry News” continued from page 21

The Bob Ross Company recently loaned four of the TV painter’s oil landscapes to the DePaul Art Museum for a group show. “New Age, New Age: Strategies for Survival” is Bob’s first-ever exhibit in an art museum, reports The Art Newspaper.

The company runs a painting school in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, in addition to overseeing the painter’s licensing brand. It keeps 50 original paintings by the artist, which it displays in its offices and school. To date, the company has received just one other loan request – from the LBJ Presidential Library. “Of course, Ross’s main goal was to get people to paint their own paintings; he was a great teacher,” company spokeswoman Sarah Strohl said in the article.

“Put aside your prejudices of Bob Ross and think of him as a true artist,” says Julie Rodrigues Widholm, the museum’s director and curator of the exhibit. She chose to focus on the “cultural, intellectual and aesthetic value” of his work rather than the profusion of it, telling The Art Newspaper, “I’ve been interested in his [cultural] ubiquity yet distance from the art world.”

Bob, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, was prolific. He could finish an oil painting in a half-hour or less, “often painting the exact same scene at least three times for the TV tapings,” notes the article. He readily gave his artwork as gifts, sold it to tourists in Alaska where he lived, or donated it to public TV charities.

Bob also taught millions of viewers to paint exactly like him, down to each tiny wisp of his happy little clouds.

“Why has it taken art museums so long to show the work of Bob Ross, the late, legendary 1980s TV painter beloved by

millions?” asked art critic Jason Foumberg, the article’s author. He believes the show is destined to move Ross’s evaluation from “king of kitsch” to “conceptual artist.”

“Ross represents a shift in post-war art away from suffering and trauma, away from irony and academicism, toward optimism, fantasy, community healing and teaching,” he concludes. “It turns out Ross is right in line with contemporary art movements.”

On July 1, Preston Arts Center in Louisville, Kentucky, opened a second location in Jeffersonville, Indiana, just across the Ohio River. The art materials

store is the latest addition to the city’s NoCo Arts & Cultural District, a neighborhood dedicated last September. Located north (“No”) of Court (“Co”) Avenue, the district features a maker space, the Clark County Museum, and the Vintage Fire Museum. Future plans include building artist studios and restaurants.

Seventy years ago, Preston Arts Center was founded in New Albany, Indiana, a 12-minute ride from Jeffersonville. “Originally focused on paint and wallpaper, the store – and the paint thinner it sold – suffered a disastrous fire in the late 1970s,” reports the Louisville Courier Journal. Its mix shifted to fine art supplies and art classes, and the Louisville store was opened in 1994.

Preston’s Louisville features a famous colorful cashwrap.

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Tombow has appointed Steve Robinson director of sales for

North and South America. He brings more than 35 years of art and craft industry experience to the position. “His extensive knowledge of retail, including ecommerce and broad channel distribution, will be a tremendous asset to our company as we continue to grow,” said Jeffery Hinn, American Tombow’s president and CEO.

A graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg Management

Development Program, Robinson lives in Chamblee, Georgia, with his wife.

Tombow was established in Japan in 1913 as the wood-case pencil provider for Japanese students. Since then, it has grown its portfolio to include art markers, liquid glue and adhesive tape, fine writing pens, correction tape, drawing pencils, colored pencils and erasers manufactured in Japan, Vietnam and Thailand.

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In 2011, the business consolidated there and the New Albany location closed.

Preston Arts Center is family owned. Company President Andrew Preston represents the third generation to run it.

In addition to a selling floor showcasing a wide variety of art materials, the store features two classrooms for teaching drawing, painting, fabric dyeing and more.

Plans include making room for a gallery to display student artwork.

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Your Tox Services

Expert

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From retailer Mike Hill, Purveyors of Art & Design Materials, Foscoe, North Carolina

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w w w.envmed.com Extra Fine Oil Primed Linen Panels™

Available in 9 sizes Extra fine weave blend 0.5 oz 55% linen 45% cotton Traditional glue sizing Triple priming with titanium dioxide ground in linseed oil Bonded with MDF hardboard core with hide glue

GuerrillaPainter.com Phone: 970-493-0217

150 Products Designed for Plein Air

manufacturers and wholesalers no less – is the real underlying cause of the decline of this industry. Manufacturers began cutting inequitable deals; selling directly to mail houses and large chains at distributor level price points. Distributors began selling to end product consumers at prices they also were offering to independent retailers.

Today, retailers are further degraded by the current practice of

manufacturers who are also selling direct to end product consumers, either through company portals or via Amazon. We have seen this spill over into the entire retail sector, where brick-and-mortar stores are, at best, a showroom where a customer can go to look at a product in real time before purchasing at a better price somewhere online.

If you think about it, these deals cut by art materials supply chains across class-of-trade lines were the original model that is bringing down the entire retail sector. The art materials industry was simply ahead of its time.

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Hands-on Solutions for a Colorful World

have been fortunate and lucky enough to adapt and change my operation with the times in order to survive for more than 30 years. Many AM retailers have not been so fortunate or so lucky.

As I thumbed through the last issue of Art Materials Retailer [Q2 with a post-Art Materials World cover], I had to laugh at page 41.

Whoever wrote this article [called ‘The Devil in the Retail is Debt”] has some good points, yet managed to get it about half right. So far as reasons for the closure of art material retail chains and independent dealers across the country go, I believe the truth is a little bit more embarrassing for the industry.

The “potential debt burden” faced by the few indie retailers who remain is very real. It takes capital and buying power to compete with big chains and mail-order warehouses. In our industry, this problem was actually initiated by the art materials industry manufacturers and distributors, in conjunction with large warehouse operations.

Distributors, historically, are notorious for loading up retailers with too much inventory during back-to-school semiannual buy-in periods through in-house credit terms known as “dating.” These easy credit terms were fantastic up until the mid ’90s when class-of-trade wholesale pricing structures were still upheld.

However, by the end of the millennium, class-of-trade discount policies were tossed out the window, and retailers began to find the merchandise purchased through in-house financing deals to be too expensive on the cost side. That’s because art materials manufacturers began to allow mail-order companies to effectively sell these same products near or below the prices at which the retail dealer was forced to purchase the products. The retailer then was forced to either drop prices in order to compete, or sit on excess inventory levels that wouldn’t turn. Either approach totally compromises profitability.

This flagrant violation of the class-of-trade retail/wholesale structure the industry was founded on – by art materials

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AMR Welcomes Seven New Advertisers

The 2019 holiday season marks Arnold Grummer’s re-entry into retail. Select products from the 43-yearold supplier of papermaking kits and accessories have been updated and are supported by the highly-ranked YouTube channel and social media.

See the ad on page 3 and the article on page 12 Itoya ProFolio’s Oasis Notebook features 80 pages of soft Japanese paper, which is both thin and fountain-pen friendly. The unique proprietary pattern

combines grids, lines and dots to make each page perfect for handwriting and bullet journaling.

See the ad on page 5 and the article on page 38 Kolibri brushes are handmade in Germany by Feurer & Sohn, founded in 1898. The company makes a wide range of products for painters, ceramists, students, makeup artists and restorers. Its specialty is artist brushes with natural hair – red sable, ox and squirrel – but it recently launched a synthetic brush for detail work.

See the ad on page 15 Artists love tools that make creating art easier. The Easel Brush Clip with two cups is a good example. When it’s attached to the side of an easel (or panel, board, or tripod or easel leg), brushes and palette knives remain in view and within reach. Some artists use

one cup for dirty brushes and the other for clean ones. Others separate coolcolor brushes from warm-color ones.

See the ad on page 3 Toss Products offers Paint Plates – paint palettes made from 100-percent recycled paper. Because they’re biodegradable, they help artists, teachers, and paint-party organizers reduce cleanup time and save the planet. Paint Plates come in packs of 10, 25, 50 and 100.

See the ad on page 15 Since 1885, each color of Nicholson’s Peerless Transparent Watercolors has been created by hand. They are 100-percent nontoxic, suitable for all ages, and are available as a bottled liquid and as a dry sheet travel palette.

The vibrant colors have a myriad of uses and applications.

See the ad on page 18

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The Art Factory in Midlothian, Virginia, supplies body art materials, tools, and accessories – from brushes and stencils to glitter tattoos, face paint and body ink. The family-owned company was founded for artists by artists who sell only the products they carry in their own professional kits.

See the ad on page 25

Face art by Ashley Pickin

Distributed in the USA by the Art Factory. Visit us at: www.artfactorystore.com

PAINT LIKE A PRO WITH Superstar Aqua Face and Body paints

Superstar face paints are water activated make-up with more than 60 beautifully bright metallic & glittery colors. They are sold in a variety of pallet sizes and single-color jars.

Superstar face and body paints are used by professional face painters around the world.

Made in the Netherlands, Superstar Aqua Paints are manufactured following the highest European standards for safe cosmetics. It is paraben free, perfume free, and never tested on animals.

For wholesale information, email us at: info@artfactorystore.com Distributed in the USA by the Art Factory. Visit us at: www.artfactorystore.com

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new true

Saunders Waterford is an exquisite professional watercolor paper made on a cylinder mould machine using 100-percent cotton. It’s a world recognized traditional watercolor paper and comes with the endorsement of the Royal Watercolor Society. cansonamerica.com

Flexcut Tools’

2-Blade Craft Carver Set features two

beginner

blade profiles: a V-tool plus a gouge.

The set includes a basswood blank for the leaf carving project, a DVD with step-by-step visual instructions, and a 24-page owner’s manual. Palm tools offer great control while making cuts, so they are perfect for lino printing, relief carving and close detail work. flexcut.com, 800-524-9077

Pro Framers from Pro Tapes is At 2.25 pounds, the 8- by 10-inch Cigar Box V3.0 from Guerrilla Painter (shown here with optional accessories) is for artists who like to travel light.

Features include a sliding palette, storage for supplies, and a lid that can hold two 8- by 10-inch wet panels.

It can be locked in any position over a full 180°.

Made of basswood laminate with stainless steel and aluminum hardware. For tripod, laptop, or desktop.

Lacquer finish.

970-221-9044, guerrillapainter.com

a premium polyethylene-coated cloth tape for mounting, matting and framing artwork and prints.

It’s highly conformable and hand tear-able. The pH-neutral adhesive is compatible with alkaline papers.

It’s easy to use: simply unwind and apply. It leaves no stains on prints or mats, and has no deteriorating affect on artwork.

1-800-345-0234, protapes.com

Toss Products LLC introduces Paint Plates recycled paper palettes for painters. An Earth-friendly alternative to plastic palettes, Paint Plates are water resistant, safely disposable and help artists save time on cleanup, waste less paint, and contribute to a cleaner planet. For acrylic, oil, or watercolor.

Made in the USA. 509-314-3040, sales@tossproducts.com

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When your customer needs just one yard of cotton muslin

from a large roll, the cost and inconvenience to you skyrockets.

Convenient 1-yard packages (1 yard by 45 inches) are available from Jack Richeson in Bleached (6714501) and Unbleached (6704501).

800-233-2404, richesonart.com Van Gogh Watercolor 12-Pan Pocketboxes – a wonderful gift item – introduces five new variations on our best-selling watercolor pocketbox. The color themes were selected by artists, professors and influencers. New sets include Vibrant Colors, Pinks & Violets, Metallic & Interference, Shades of Nature, and Muted Colors. royaltalens.com Each blade of the Titanium-Fused Trimming Tool Series from Xiem

Tools is handcrafted from high-carbon tempered stainless steel fused with a thin layer of titanium nitride. They resist rust, reduce friction, and have increased strength and hardness. Ergonomically shaped beech hardwood handles feature a flat bottom to prevent rolling. Available in small, medium, and large and in a variety of shapes. xiemtoolsusa.com

The new

Easel Brush Clip

is a must for every artist.

It’s lightweight and easy to pack into a painting kit, and the non-reflective matte black surface keeps glare away. It was invented by a painter who was tired of searching for his favorite brushes and watching valuable brushes fall to the ground.

Sue Henry: 561-327-6032, shenry@streamlinepublishing.com

Ranger’s QuickCure Clay cures in minutes with a heat tool – no kiln or oven necessary. It’s five times stronger than other polymer clays, supports 6,000 lbs per square inch, and has a tolerance up to 350º C (more than 600º F). The finished product is very strong and durable for making sculptures, jewelry, and other mixed-media projects.

It accepts a wide range of colorants and mediums. rangerink.com

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new true Grafix has expanded its Craft Plastic Film line to include a larger variety of Crystal Clear Film and NEW Opaque White, Laser Cuttable and Food Safe Films. The variety provides additional creative options for making 3-D elements, embellishments and stencils, as well as mixed media surfaces that will coordinate with any artistic project! grafixarts.com

The Flyer by Sparmax revolutionizes the airbrushing experience.

Swap paints instantly with its proprietary pop-and-plug system.

The ergonomic handle helps artists work longer and introduces airbrushing to beginners in an all-new way. Solvent resistant. Adjustable 0.4mm nozzle. Standard fitting. Additional bottle sets sold separately. info@sparmax.com.tw store.sparmaxair.com

The

Peerless Complete Edition was the first Peerless Watercolor set created. It remains unchanged to this day. It’s packaged in a paperbound booklet that contains old-English color descriptions and painting tips – as originally printed in 1902 – and contains 15 colors on our dry color-sheets. peerlesscolorlabs.com peerlesscolorlabs@gmail.com

Trimar Enterprises introduces the newest option in custom canvas stretchers. Become a partner with Trimar in your marketplace, and let us show you how our aluminum stretcher can substantially improve your profits. Contact Marvin or Jonathan.

1-800-874-6271 trimarstretcher.com

OPEN Acrylics from GOLDEN are innovative,

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The ProFolio Midtown Pouch from Itoya was designed to hold everything from art supplies to A6 journals. Its multiple compartments and soft felt construction make it water-resistant, lightweight, and perfect for organization. It comes in two sizes: 4 by 7 inches and 5 by 9 inches.

slow-drying acrylic paints that deliver increased working time. OPEN is ideal for techniques once only possible with oils, such as portraiture and landscape painting that rely on softening, shading, glazing, and creating fine detail. The colors in the Modern Introductory Set include clean organic pigments for bright mixes that won’t muddy or gray.

310-527-4170, itoya.com

goldenpaints.com

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Add some sparkle this holiday season with

Art Factory Festival Glitters. Our chunky cosmetic-grade glitter gels come in stunning color combinations that will add rainbow highlights to face art, hairstyles, or makeup. Apply with a brush or applicator. U.S.-made; safe for the skin. info@artfactorystore.com, 804-716-5220, artfactorystore.com

A new brush line from Kolibri is perfect for detail work, from the smallest size 20-0 diameter (just 0.016 inches) up to size 2.

Made of Kolibri Martisan Kolinsky, the brushes are characterized by a high elasticity, stability and the finest tips. The newly developed handles allow precise control of the brush. Manufactured by professionals for professionals. https://www.kolibri-pinsel.de/en/news/, info@kolibri-brushes.com

Jacquard lists five new reasons to love Piñata Color: Golden Yellow, Pink, Coral, Blue-Violet, and Teal! Artists have requested these colors, and Jacquard is proud to add them to the palette. A rack add-on for accommodating the new colors, along with Pearl, Brass, Copper, Shadow Grey and Burrow Brown, is now available.

707-433-9577, jacquardproducts.com

Arnold Grummer’s Papermill Kit anchors a line of updated papermaking kits and supplies for brick-and-mortar stores. Arnold Grummer’s delivers easy and successful papermaking for home, classroom and studio artists. Contact us for fourth-quarter pricing on sets for your holiday display and flier. Choose from basic kits and supplies to a full POG. Demo/workshop sets are available at cost. Register today! Dealer application online. arnoldgrummer.com

Created with plein air painters and urban sketchers in mind, the Travel Series from Strathmore is designed to meet the needs of on-location artwork. With 100-percent cotton watercolor paper, it is perfect for artists looking for a tough, resilient surface. Available in pads: 3 by 9, 6 by 8 and 8 by 10 inches; and journals: 5.5 by 8 and 7 by 10 inches. https://www.strathmoreartist.com/paintwatercolor/strathmore-travel-series.html

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new true In the studio, classroom or on the road, Sculpture House’s Artists’ Choice Clay Modeling and Atelier Clay Modeling Tool Kits provide the primary sculpting implements for working across multiple mediums, ranging from Plastilina, wax, and plaster to self-hardening and moist clay. Use them to perform a wide variety of sculpting techniques, including cutting, scraping, shaping and texturing.

772-210-6124, sculpturehouse.com, customerrelations@sculpturehouse.com

The NEW Bob Ross Basic Paint Set offers the same high quality products as before, but with a much nicer painting project inside. There are more details in the mountain, crisper trees and sky, plus a snappy new carry case, too! It’s an excellent introduction to the famous Bob Ross Wet on Wet Technique.

1-800-262-7677 info@bobross.com

Staedtler’s new Mars Lumograph water-soluble graphite, charcoal and pastel pencils are perfect for all drawing and watercolor enthusiasts. Use them with traditional graphite to add depth and interesting effects to drawings. Made in Germany with wood from certified-sustainable managed forests. Available in boxes of 12 and assorted carded packs. staedtler.com

Quickie Glue from Sakura of America offers the ease of a pen with glue in a ball-point barrel.

Shake-free and squeeze-free, it lays down a smooth line without uncontrolled spreading. Place it precisely where it’s needed to hold the smallest embellishments. Can’t decide? Create a temporary bond by allowing a few minutes of drying time before securing items.

1-800-776-6257, sakuraofamerica.com

Daler-Rowney’s Aquafine watercolors, a complete solution for modern watercolorists, have been re-engineered to bring to market the best and most comprehensive Premium range of watercolors. The improved formula offers artists superior lightfastness, wetting agent and fineness of grind. To complement the 48 brilliant colors in tubes, open stock half pans have been added, as well as a short range of fluid watercolor inks and gouache.

800-628-9283, orders@canson.com

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Sara Prentice, Aquafine watercolors on a Strathmore® Travel Journal

PREMIUM WATERCOLORS, GOUACHE AND FLUID WATERCOLORS • Featuring a broad range of 48 fully intermixable colors • Reformulated with high quality pigments for superior lightfastness • 8ml watercolor tubes, half pans, 29.5ml fluid watercolors, 15ml gouache tubes and a variety of sets • Colors are designed to match tone for tone, allowing all products to be used together seamlessly • A complete solution for modern watercolorists • Contact your representative for more information on the full Aquafine suite Daler-Rowney.com

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our diverse product lines. For ProFolio alone, we target three or four different markets. The obvious one is art students who need a slick way to store and present their work. We also have the ProFolio Professional that we market to working professional artists and businesspeople who present work or documents at meetings or interviews. A photo album within the same line is marketed primarily to photographers.

Our PaperSkater line is filled with pens and pencils for elementary school kids all the way through fine pen collectors.

Our distribution brands have their own markets. The well-known Sailor Pen brand is marketed to fine

pen collectors and users. Both Sailor and Taccia, another fine pen brand we distribute, are based in Japan, but we have significant influence in the design and color of several of the pens.

Kolo is geared toward scrapbookers, photographers, crafters, and more, but the products can also be used as interview portfolios.

Skutr is our in-house brand designed to target the camera and photography marketplace. We are in the process of merging it with the ProFolio line.

Has the fountain-pen-and-ink trend impacted your sales?

We have seen tremendous

growth in that market. Portfolios will always be our bread and butter, but sales of Sailor, Taccia, and some of our in-house brands have been substantial. We have plans to expand this area of our business in the future.

In what ways is Itoya ProFolio an innovator?

Since day one, Itoya ProFolio has been an innovator of quality at an affordable price.

The ProFolio line was among the first we created, and was the first of its kind – an affordable, quality way to store art and photos long-term without concern of yellowing. The product was developed as a “Folio for

Join the Trimar Team Make your own Aluminum stretchers and make a 200% - 300% profit with your chop saw.

We can also drop ship to your customer.

Simple assembly/Bars that will not warp.

Visit youtube.com/watch?v=P2uu58pguDM for a video demonstration.

Trimar Enterprises inc.

Contact Marvin or Jonathan at 1-800-874-6271

Trimarstretchers.com

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How many employees are there?

Currently, we are a lean, mean team of 18, but we utilize the services of more than 20

and Canada all comes from our warehouse in Carson.

independent sales representatives.

A large portion of the Itoya ProFolio employees work at our headquarters in Carson, California.

A few others are scattered across the country. We don’t have a factory in Carson, but our warehouse is there, and an incredible team that assembles packaging for our products. Distribution in the U.S.

What tips would you offer independent retailers for selling Itoya products?

Put the product in your customers’ hands. Let them feel the quality. Explain to them how it’s used, and show them the price.

Almost every time someone tries an Itoya ProFolio product for the first time, they come back to buy a second or third! Your customers can use our products for everything from presentations at interviews to storing their documents once they get the job.

Itoya ProFolio products aren’t just a brand, but a lifestyle.

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Professionals” – thus “ProFolio.”

Our pens have always had unique quirks, ranging from our PaperSkater Galaxy pen-in-pen concept to our Doubleheader Calligraphy markers, which still sell well today.

Recently, we were among the first companies to produce a notebook with some of the best Japanese paper at an affordable price, and storage boxes made of acid-free, durable materials at half the cost of what’s been available in the past.

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Pro®Artist Tape White Artist Daniel Finaldi uses our Pro® Artist Tape in White to mask sharp lines and edges in his representational paintings. www.danielfinaldi.com

White Pro® Artist Tape is the premiere product for razor-sharp edges and clean removal that won’t tear or stain your work.

With over 40 years of experience in the adhesive industry, our products can be relied on for quality and performance.

We offer a line of tapes specially designed for artists.

Non-toxic (ASTM D6123/D6123M-O7, Type II) pH Neutral Made in the USA

To find a distributor near you or to become a distributor, please email Steve Espinal, Graphic Arts Market Manager,

See website for spec sheet.

at sespinal@protapes.com. To learn more about our full line of products that can be used in the fine arts industry, please visit www.protapes.com/markets/graphic-arts

www.protapes.com •

732-743-4183

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manufacturer and distributor of art supplies, office supplies, stationery, and photo albums.

Itoya ProFolio has also become a large player in the presentation and transportation categories.

We developed our core line of portfolios called the Original Art ProFolio years ago, which has now become a staple for artists and businessmen alike who have presentation needs.

The transportation part of our business is also booming.

Products like our Midtown Bags and Magnet Closure Portfolio Cases are changing the way people transport their documents and masterpieces.

We have manufacturing facilities all over the world. A good number of our in-house products are produced entirely in Japan, but some are made in Vietnam, China, and Taiwan. Some have parts made in Italy. Our Original Art ProFolio line is produced using materials from three different countries to create the highest quality portfolios at affordable prices.

What are your bestsellers?

The Original Art ProFolio line of presentation books have been our best sellers for 40 years. They were originally created for artists but are widely used in professional environments for interviews, business meetings, and permanent document collections.

Our Oasis Notebook line and Midtown Pouches have been selling so well lately that we almost can’t get them in fast enough!

Clay Modeling Products

Since 1892, the finest name in modeling clay

Chavant, Inc. manufactures a wide variety of professional grade, oil / wax based, sculpting plastelines, industrial styling clays and high quality modeling tools.

Please order our sample kit and evaluate these distinctive products.

CHAVANT, Inc. • 5043 Industrial Road • Farmingdale, NJ 07727

732-751-0003 • 800-CHAVANT • FAX: 732-751-1982 Visit our web site at: www.chavant.com

Who are your end users, and what needs do Itoya products meet?

Itoya ProFolio offers lifestyle products for anyone who needs storage, presentation, transportation or stationery/office supplies. We don’t have a single target market, but many across

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Watercolor graphite? yes please!

Mars® Lumograph® aquarell – water soluble graphite.

• Highly break-resistant lead formulation and super-bonded lead • Use alone or with other Mars Lumograph products for amazing artistic effects • 3 degrees: 4B, 6B, 8B

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A brand of Fahy-Williams Publishing Inc.

SPREAD THE WORD! PUBLISHER J. Kevin Fahy kfahy@fwpi.com

EDITORIAL Tina Manzer, Director tmanzer@fwpi.com

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Tim Braden tbraden@fwpi.com

ART Mark Stash Production Manager mstash@fwpi.com

ADVERTISING SALES Ashley Cavanagh ashley@fwpi.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Yesenia Rangel accounts@fwpi.com E-NEWLETTER & ONLINE ADVERTISING Rick Kauder rkauder@fwpi.com MARKETING DIRECTOR Amy Colburn amy@fwpi.com

Maia VanOrman Designer maia@fwpi.com Christopher Cornett Designer christopher@fwpi.com EDITORIAL OFFICES PO Box 1080, 171 Reed St Geneva, NY 14456 800-344-0559, 315-789-0458 FAX: 315-789-4263

Copyright © 2018

Tell our advertisers you saw their products in Art Materials Retailer magazine!

Company Anest Iwata SPARMAX CO., Ltd

Page Website 6

Sparmaxair.com

Arnold Grummer

3

Arnoldgrummer.com

Art Factory Body Art

25

Artfactorystore.com

Bob Ross Inc

6

Bobross.com

Chavant Inc.

34

Chavant.com

Creative Art Materials Ltd

13

Creativeartmaterials.com

Crescent Cardboard

19

Crescentcardboard.com

Dixon Ticonderoga Company

31

Dixonusa.com

Dixon Ticonderoga Company

37

Dixonusa.com

Easel Brush Clip

3

Easelbrushclip.com

Edward C. Lyons Co

7

Eclyons.com

Environmental Medicine

24

Envmed.com

Fairgate Rule Co. Inc.

18

Fairgate.com

Flexcut Tool

38

Flexcut.com

FM Brush Company

21

Fmbrush.com

General Pencil Co.

14

Generalpencil.com

Golden Artist Colors Inc

20

Goldenpaints.com

Grafix

14 Grafixarts.com

Guerrilla Painter

24

Itoya of America

5

Itoya.com

Jack Richeson & Co.

7

Richesonart.com

GuerrillaPainter.com

Reserve an Ad

Jacquard Products

9

Jacquardproducts.com

Issue Deadline

Kolibri Brushes

15

Kolibri-brushes.com

NAMTA

39 Namta.org

Nicholson’s Peerless Watercolors

18

Q4: 21st Annual Buyers’ Guide Directory ...........September 13 Q1 2020: Art Materials World Show Review..............January 31 Q2 2020: Post Show Recap.................................................. May 15 Q3 2020: Holiday Orders.................................................... August 7

Fahy-Williams also publishes edplay edplay.com Toy Times the magazine of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association Life in the Finger Lakes lifeinthefingerlakes.com Educational Dealer educationaldealermagazine.com

36

ROBEX for the Rochester Builders Exchange Gradient the magazine of the Association For Creative Industries craftandhobby.org

Peerlesscolorlabs.com

Pro Tapes & Specialties Inc.

34

Protapes.com

Ranger Industries

33

Rangerink.com

Royal Brush Mfg

40

Royalbrush.com

Royal Talens North America

2 RoyalTalensNorthAmerica.com

Sakura of America

10

Sakuraofamerica.com

Sculpture House

23

Sculpturehouse.com

STAEDTLER-Mars Limited

35

Staedtler.com

Strathmore Artist Papers

11

Strathmoreartist.com

The Brush Guys

38

Thebrushguys.com

Toss Products LLC

15

Tossproducts.com

Tri-Mar Enterprises

32

Trimarstretchers.com

Xiem Tools USA

9

Xiemtoolsusa.com

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ArtMaterialsRetailer.com • Q3 2019

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E

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Enhance your work of art with

Saunders Waterford Saunders WaterfordÂŽ is an exquisite professional watercolor paper, made on a cylinder mould machine using 100% cotton.

Manufactured to high archival standards, Waterford comes with the endorsement of the Royal Watercolor Society.

Available now where fine art materials are sold.

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n d c a p

Create, Organize, Store,

PRESENT!

by Tina Manzer

D

uring job interviews, it’s not enough anymore for applicants to simply slide a paper resume to the potential employer across the desk. Instead, they should present an “interview portfolio” to significantly increase the odds of getting hired. “In today’s competitive marketplace, everyone can benefit from having an interview portfolio – even those who work outside of art and design fields,” says recruiter.com.

Those of us inside the art and design fields may wonder what an accountant, for instance, would put in her portfolio. Online career platform The Muse suggests these six items: an introduction, summary of professional experience, examples that demonstrate problem-solving skills, recommendations and awards, sample work, and a concluding page.

While it may seem over the top, the practice certainly benefits stores that sell portfolios.

Here, Rachel Solomon from art supplies and portfolio manufacturer Itoya ProFolio outlines the diversity of today’s users. She explains how Itoya ProFolio reflects that diversity – not only in its presentation and storage products, but also in its products for anybody who loves to create.

Tell us about the roots of Itoya ProFolio.

In 1976, ITO-YA (“Ito’s Store”) in Japan sent Shun Takemura to the U.S. The chain of retail stationery stores was interested in exploring the American market for Japanese goods. Itoya of America – now Itoya ProFolio – was founded then, and is currently run by Mr. Takemura’s son, Don Takemura.

Itoya ProFolio has branched out since then to become quite a different company. Rather than bringing in goods only from our Japanese parent store, it now produces its own products. It is a

t

Lino & Relief Carving Tool Set

Includes: 4-blade profiles, high-impact handle, 11-pocket tool roll, sharpening strop, polishing compound, and manual.

Made In

USA

FREE full-line catalog: Flexcut.com ArtMaterialsRetailer.com • Q3 2019 3.5” wide by 2.375”

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FOR SALE! Online Retail Brush Store.

Cost-saving set great for students.

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continued on page 34

This E-Commerce business has clean books and records, is easy to run and can be relocated just about anywhere.

They specialize in art brushes. This is a perfect opportunity as a web store add-on to your existing business or as a stand-alone business. For more information contact Christina Lazuric @ 949-257-7823 or email christina@californiabusinessbrokers.biz

F

tall 7/15/19 4:08 PM

2020 Ad

International Art Materials Association is excited to announce that ART MATERIALS WORLD is coming back to Chicago in 2020 at the popular Hyatt Regency Hotel

IALS WO ER R AT

LD

CHICAGO

A

P

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L 26-2

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ART M

and Navy Pier!

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“For several years, NAMTA members have told us they want to see ART MATERIALS WORLD

For more information: Visit namta.org or contact us at info@namta.org

2020 Ad.indd 1 AMR_Q3_2019.indd 39

return to Chicago and we’ve finally been able to negotiate a two-year package that makes financial sense for attendees, vendors and NAMTA.” – Reggie Hall, NAMTA’s Executive Director

20200 Zion Avenue Cornelius, NC 28031

704.892.6244

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Brushes that leave an impression.

Zen is a diverse brush collection that will equip your customers with the right brush for the medium of their choice. Whether it be oil, acrylic, watercolor, or mixed media, this collection of durable, easy to clean brushes is sure to impress.

For more information, please contact your local Royal & Langnickel sales representative, your favorite distributor or contact us at: Email customerservice@royalbrush.com 800.247.2211

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Now Available in an Endcap Footprint

royalbrush.com

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