March is National Craft Month- and it's not too late to get involved! 2010 marks the 16th year that National Craft Month has been celebrated by craft retailers as well as consumers. And with 63 million households crafting each year, there's a lot to celebrate! National Craft Month is a great opportunity to host in-store events, hold contests and special promotions, and to simply celebrate the joy that crafting brings to so many people's lives. Don't let this opportunity pass you by.

CHA has put together some National Craft Month ideas and inspiration for retailers.

Click here to:

• Learn how to maximize your public relations efforts
• Get tips on holding in-store classes and demonstrations
• Discover new ideas on how to increase traffic to your store during the month of March

In addition to many of the initiatives that retailers can undertake, National Craft Month is also a great time for manufacturers to get involved. Provide your retail customers with project sheets and patterns to inspire their customers. You can also reach consumers directly by posting craft projects to the CHA consumer website, www.craftplace.org. There are so many ways that craftplace.org can be utilized to connect with consumers. Download the CHA Member’s Guide to Craftplace to find out how!

Have a fun and successful National Craft Month.

The Anaheim CHA Craft SuperShow brought over 8,000 crafters from across California, from 36 states and from 22 countries to the Anaheim Convention on January 22-23, 2010. Crafters were stimulated and awed by the seemingly endless show floor activities sponsored by CHA and its members. With over 150 exhibitors, 70% of which featured Make-n-Takes, attendees left not only with great tools and products, but also with product sheets and the know-how and confidence to craft in new ways when they got home. All of which translates to more industry sales!

After the show, CHA conducted a survey asking CHA Craft SuperShow attendees about their experiences, what they liked, what they disliked and what they want to see more of. Download the presentation below to view the results.

Craft Night- enjoy the benefits of crafting all year long

Starting this March the Craft & Hobby Association is challenging individuals, families and craft retailers to take the Craft Night Pledge of crafting one night a week with your friends and family. By participating in just one craft per week, people can enjoy the financial, social as well as the emotional and extrinsic benefits of crafting - including sense of accomplishment, memory keeping, relaxation, and spending time with friends and family.

CHA developed the Craft Night PR and Media Handbook to support retailers in this regard, as well as to help secure publicity for your business by promoting Craft Night. The handbook includes an overview of public relations, media tips, a template Craft Night press release, as well as suggestions on how to implement the Craft Night initiative at point-of-sale to build your business. With your creativity and determination Craft Night will be a huge success for months and years to come.

Click here to download the Craft Night PR and Media Handbook.
Click here to download the Craft Night Logo.

Crafting is currently an over $30 billion industry and the education market makes up a large part of it. Why? Because teachers know the educational value of teaching with crafts! The education industry spends $1.3 billion annually on craft supplies and teachers spend on average $250 a year of their own money on craft supplies. They know that hands-on assignments stimulate the imagination of their students and reinforce learning. As such, making your store “teacher-friendly” is an excellent way to build your customer base as well as develop positive community relations.

In 2002, the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) released the groundbreaking study, The Academic Value of Hands-On Crafts Projects in Elementary Schools. It was one of the first studies ever to investigate the impact of hands-on projects and learning. The findings confirmed what teachers have known for years, that through crafts, students retain more information and learning is made easier. It was then that it became quite clear that educators are important promoters of crafting and they need to be targeted and catered to.

In response to the study results, CHA began outreach to the teacher community. The first step was implementing www.teacherplace.org, a special online resource site developed just for educators. The site is chock-full of information including creative project lesson plans, craft tips, educational research, testimonials and information about how teachers can work with local craft retailers. The site is an invaluable resource in giving practical ways educators can incorporate crafts into the classroom.

CHA has published the Making the Connection to the Educational Marketplace booklet that outlines how retailers can effectively market to their local teachers and leverage the power of hands-on learning. This step-by-step guide offers CHA members a range of suggestions and practical advice to reach the education arena and increase sales. The booklet is complete with ideas for setting up a store environment, staff training for educator's needs, sample letters that illustrate ways to reach out to teachers, and promotions that help build teacher and administrator support. The Making the Connection to the Educational Marketplace is a wonderful guide for retailers who would like to tap into this specific market. CLICK HERE to download the booklet.

You may also use the step by step guides and "fill in the blanks" media aids provided below to effectively plan and promote your in-store promotions and cater to the education market. Leverage the power of CHA's "Teacher-Friendly" branding campaign by incorporating the "teacher-friendly" logoin your promotional material. Most importantly, as you get ready to head back to school, keep an ear open for your customers" needs; this will help drive teachers to your store and keep them coming back all throughout the school year!

Guides and Media Aids

• Promotion Idea Sheet
  (ideas for organizing in-store events)
• Making the Connection to the Education Marketplace
  (tips for planning your in-store promotion)
• Sample Press Release
• Sample Media Alert
• Sample 60 Second PSA
• Sample 30 Second PSA