Craft interests needle magazine sales

Discount Store News, May 3, 1993 by Frank M. Viollis

The American craft enthusiast understands the value, intrinsic and otherwise, of things created by hand.

It is also a passion which causes millions of them to turn to crafts publications for how-to advice and product information.

The craft enthusiast has created a major American industry, one with overall sales bordering the $11 billion mark. They draw upon resources that abound in the well-stocked isles of most mass merchants.

Within that component product mix fall not only the buttons, ribbons and yarns so common to the industry profile, but also the magazines that fuel the enthusiast's passion.

"Our research tells us that there are anywhere from 30 to 40 million people out there engaged in some kind of crafting activity," said Art Setterlund, associate publisher/advertising Dirictor, PJS Publications. "Of course, they're not all on the level of a true enthusiast. Many crafters enjoy dabbling. They'll purchase an occasional kit from a vendor, and try their hand at that."

PJS Publications publishes such craft journals as Crafts, McCall's Needlework & Crafts, Sew News, Craft Merchandising.

As a group, these publications influence the buying decisions of more than 6 million craft consumers.

The average crafts publications subscriber spends more than $900 a year on craft products, with projections indicating a marked increase in that sending over the next year. That comes to nearly $400 million being spent on product by this market segment alone, said Setterlund.

While, these women primarily shop specialty craft supply stores, discount stores, with fabric and craft chain stores, are gaining market share.

"The craft shopper is a great source of a continuing revenue for the conscientious mass merchant," explained Phyllis Hoffman, publisher, Symbol of Excellence Publishers, Inc. "We've noticed that, though the interest in crafts is pretty much universal, the interest in certain topics and styles varies from region to region."

The Alabama publisher's titles include Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly and Just Cross-Stitch, which provide a wide variety of topics, at different levels of competency, to appeal to the broadest possible audience.

"The way we see it," she added, "the craft consumer offers the mass merchant tremendous potential in cross merchandised sales."

Crafts readers actually go shopping with their magazine in hand, she said, and "use it as a kind of buyer's guide. They may see something that appeals to them in our issues," she explained, "It may be a particular look, or setting [we concentrate a lot of our artistic and design efforts on presenting the |total look' of the finished project.] They like it, and they try to duplicate it."

Discount stores are already ready garnering a larger percentage of crafts industry dollars. Crafts consumers say that their highest purchase priority is the widest selection of product followed closely by the lowest prices.

The addition of crafts magazines not only adds a new dimension to the department, but also spurs sales of core crafts merchandise.

"The '90s is the |Decade of the Home," concluded Hoffman of Symbol of Excellence. "Everything is leading us back to traditional values and value systems. Crafting is a natural part of that national trend.

"The home is important to a woman, whether she lives alone or has a family; whether she's a homemaker or a full time business woman; whether she does crafts or not--many of our subscribers are too busy to actually do needle work, but they love to read about it anyway."

Craft magazines are an integral part of the craft enthusiast's world. They fulfill a need that might otherwise go unattended.

The mass merchant that carries the component products demanded by the craft enthusiast, shouldn't forget the publication that incited the demand.