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Penny Wise Art Supplies
Suzanne GlazierAhoy there, Mateys!
Permission to come aboard, Cap’n Dawn!
Creative expression in mixed media art has been the wind in my sails on a steady course for as long as I can remember. Little did I know that when I married my ‘Captain Brian’ we would embark on an adventure that would take us beyond the horizon as we charted our new course together! I'd love to share the story of "Once Upon A Shoebox", the beginnings of Penny Wise Art Supplies. Looking back, it began innocently enough...
For all the family and friends who had offered their creative talents to make our 2002 wedding so beautiful, we decided to hold a thank you luncheon. I thought it would be fun to bring out shoe boxes for everyone filled with projects to craft after lunch. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the legend of the shoe box was taking shape.
I wanted the projects to be very special and a friend of mine happened to stop by as I was preparing the shoe boxes. She brought with her a pen that she had stamped on and covered with clear glass micro beads. It was beautiful and just what I was needing for that "something special" that my luncheon guests could treasure. I set out in search of the pieces the project called for, including glass micro beads, the latter producing an instant state of sticker shock! I found a 4 ounce jar for ten dollars and the weight included the jar itself! I nearly inflated a lifeboat! To make the luncheon projects, I would need at least two of these jars. My rational side allowed me to purchase only one jar.
I took it home and sat down with Captain Brian to discuss this iceberg obstacle and get his opinion. Of course, as newlyweds, my Brian was inclined to listen to every word. But he didn’t just listen! A few days later he came home with a 50 POUND bag of clear glass beads and said, “Will this be enough for the party, Honey?” WAS IT EVER!
The luncheon was smooth sailing and everyone went home with their own little bags of micro beads. But I still had 48 pounds left! Knowing I would never be able to use that many beads myself and thinking that others out there must be looking for affordable micro beads, I posted them on eBay. They sold like hotcakes! I still had some left for teaching an online internet class, and offered the beads for sale to the students there. The response was overwhelming. Brian and I saw the potential of this ‘bead mine’ we were sitting on and realized we were about to “Bead The World!” ~ our Penny Wise Art Supplies motto today!
We set up a website (www.PennyWiseArts.com) and began figuring out the details of running an internet based business. Our customers kept telling us how impressed they were with our reasonable prices and quick service. They were also requesting colored beads and the double sided tape to use with them. So we swabbed the deck to make room and signaled ahead to begin importing the colored beads and tape!
I started my own Yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PennyWiseArts/) and instant friendships were made. On Memorial Day weekend of 2003, I was having my first “official” Shoe Box Party. But this time, I had each guest bring their own shoe box, filled with whatever was needed to create the project they chose to share. Seventeen of my new friends traveled from far and wide to my home in North Bend, Washington and the Shoe Box Legend was born! Since that party, the group has grown into a large and lively community of worldwide stampers that also love to use micro beads! We have weekly online classes, card swaps, chats and extensive photo albums packed with beadie inspiration.
In November 2003, we added our O’So Sticky Tape line. “O’So” as we lovingly refer to it, is a very strong double sided adhesive craft tape. It works great on wood, glass, metal, plastic and of course, paper! It is non-toxic, acid free, transparent and heat resistant. We have found it to be the one thing that will really keep micro beads and other embellishments right where we want them to stay.
It is amazing to us how fast this company has come together and grown. We have a great customer base and a rapport with each one that goes beyond a business relationship. Brian and I love our customers and listen to their needs and suggestions. They are the ones that keep this vessel not only afloat but on an even keel. In response to our customers who wanted a tape that was *punchable* and easy to cut, we just added a sibling to our O’So Sticky Tape family. Our new Paperback Tape has white kraft paper liners on both sides for improved cutting and punching!
Currently we carry 21 colors of micro beads in the .5 mm size. In the near future, we expect to start making our own *custom* colored beads, expanding the horizon as far as the eye can see! I’ve been collecting all my beadie projects and hope to be able to write a book in the coming year. It is also a goal of ours to get out among our customers more so we will be participating in a number of local stamp and trade shows.
Brian and I hope to reclaim our home and move Penny Wise Arts and all these micro glass glitter beads to their own home by the end of the year. It is our dream to have a large class room for our local retail customers as well as a warehouse to take care of our long distance and wholesale customers.
Penny Wise Arts just celebrated our one year business anniversary with “The World’s Largest Shoebox Party.” Twenty three guests from all over the country attended our weekend long event! It’s been a thrilling adventure for a business that set sail because of a luncheon. And yes, we will “Bead the World”!
By Suzanne Glazier
