Hobby Lobby, the arts & crafts retail chain, filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma challenging aspects of the healthcare law known as Obamacare. Chain founder David Green says his Christian-based company should not have to pay for emergency contraceptives like the so called morning-after pill. Tony Goldman, visionary urban developer and creator of the annual Art Basel event in Miami passed away recently of a heart attack. He was known mostly for his development work in New York’s SoHo area and Miami’s South Beach. At Michaels, Bill Long, VP of Category Management, has announced his retirement after three years with Michaels. Sue…

We are very excited and pleased to announce that we have finalized an agreement with Kolo for Kolo products to become a brand exclusive to MacPherson’s! Kolo is a 14-year-old, US-based company that offers top quality albums and accessories for photos and presentation.  Kolo has built a strong brand name with consumers through its attention to every detail in the quality and function of its products.  Kolo needed a strong partner for the distribution and sales side of the business and MacPherson’s was its logical choice. Their goal and ours will be improvements in customer service levels at the retail level with a special emphasis on providing consistently high fill rates. By outsourcing its customer…

Jim Tierney, sales manager for Activa passed away Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012 after a valiant battle with Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He was 74 and was a resident of Aurora, IL. Pat Brennan, ColArt America’s VP sales, has left to pursue other opportunities. ColArt should have an announcement soon about the replacement for the head of their sales department. Howard Krinsky of Binders in Atlanta, GA reports that Creative Director Cobi Edelson is moving on to a new opportunity as Digital Marketing Director for Atlanta Jewish Family Services. Binders‘ new Creative Director is Ray Chang. The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the 2013 slate of Board of Director…

We are sad to report that one of our Merchandise Analysts, Annalee Mehling left MacPherson’s at the end of July. Annalee will enter the world of the restauranteur, and is preparing to enter school to further her gastronomic education. Annalee has been with the company for two years – we will miss her and we wish her the best. We are searching for a  qualified and motivated individual to take on the role of Category Manager for several Art Material areas. Art Materials and industry knowledge would be a big plus. Those interested in learning more about the job or our company should email a resume to either Bill Kaplan (billk@maphersonart.com) or…

We are sad to report that our stellar southern California Sales Representative Dawn McKay will be leaving MacPherson’s at the end of July. Dawn is planning to become an independent rep working for Mooney Sales and Marketing. Dawn has been with the company for thirteen years and we shall miss her but we wish her the best, and we look forward to working with her in her new role! We are searching for a  qualified and motivated individual to take on Dawn’s territory. Those interested in learning more about the job or our company should email a resume to either Marc Jalbert (marcj@maphersonart.com) or Steve Robinson (stever@macphersonart.com). Good news for Ballard,…

Dick Blick announced it is acquiring Primary Art Supply, an art materials icon located in Savannah, GA. Primary Art was opened in 1996 by two Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) students, Amy Spurlock and Robyn Reeder. Blick‘s new Savannah superstore is near the SCAD library at318 E. Broughton St. Amy and Robyn will join Blick and will work in sales and marketing roles. Read about in an article from the Savannah Morning News:  Savannah Blick-Primary Art Dallas-based account manager Bud Mundt has left Sanford. Sanford‘s West coast sales representative, Pete Ridge, has been promoted to National Account Manager and will continue to have responsibility for the MacPherson’s account. Congratulations to Pete, who will…

“Dear Valued Customer, On July 2, 2012, Canson North America will be changing our computer system from J.D. Edwards to SAP.  The move to SAP is a Groupe Hamelin initiative designed to provide Canson and its customers with the most comprehensive business technology solution.  This technology base will establish a state of the art solution to carry the growth and advancement of the entire group into the future.  Our team in South Hadley has been working towards the implementation for nearly one year in order to make the transition as seamless as possible. As we head into the implementation I want to clearly outline the process and provide you with an overview…

“To our valued ColArt customers, As a leading manufacturer of top fine art brands we have had to make choices concerning the production of some of our products which contain raw materials that are not environmentally friendly.  With a vision to being more environmentally responsible, we have decided to reduce our production of colors which contain these specific raw materials; heavy metal pigments. There are obvious benefits of Cadmium Colors to fine artist and for that reason we are being very selective on where these reductions will be taken, i.e. not across every brand and every range we manufacture.  Therefore, we will continue to make Cadmium Colors for the most important fine art ranges in our portfolio on a daily basis.  By…

We learned this morning that Letraset has been acquired by the ColArt Group.  Please see the attached announcement. Details will follow as we learn more, but for now it is business as usual.  As ColArt has advised in their announcement to the trade, “simply continue to order your Letraset products from MacPherson’s just as before.”  

The Golden online color mixing was very cool…Visit the beta version of the online color mixer here: Color Mixer Princeton Catalyst is a “Big Wow”! Catalyst was one of the big hits of the show and most stated they see lots of applications for the colorful paddle tools and innovative brushes; especially for painting large or thick. The tools are made of a special dishwasher safe rubberized material and the brushes are the first of synthetic hair with flag ends for holding and controlling paints.  Princeton’s Catalyst display looks amazing and NAMTA customers ordered like crazy. Some retailers with growing cake supply business, will likely bring in the Catalyst as it is perfectly suited to…

Michaels Stores, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has established an interim Office of the Chief Executive Officer to provide ongoing leadership and continuity for the business in the absence of CEO John Menzer who suffered a stroke in April. The Office of the CEO will be filled by Lew Klessel, Managing Director with Bain Capital Partners, LLC, and Charles “Chuck” Sonsteby, Michaels’ Chief Financial Officer. Klessel and Sonsteby will temporarily assume the responsibilities of the CEO and will report directly to the Board of Directors. Michael Miller of the Eastman’s rep group in Southern California is happy to announce that his wife Julianne gave birth to a baby boy on May 7th.  His name…

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is pleased to announce that Rene Haag, owner of Blaine’s Art Supply in Anchorage, AK will be honored as one of the nation’s top state small business winners in Washington D.C. May 20-25, 2012 for the National Small Business Week Awards. Congratulations Rene! Read the entire press release here: Blaines Small Biz award 2012 Congratulations to Nick Gallo (Blue Rooster Art Supplies in Los Angeles), his wife Sheryl and their son Seiji on the birth of twin girls April 11th. Naomi Marie and Keiko Rose are both healthy; Seiji loves his 2 new sisters and has been a very good boy!  Nick reported “The days are bleeding one…

You heard it here first, ColArt will be pre-launching (pre-book) the LIQUITEX SPRAYS at NAMTA! Stop by ColArt  booth #631 to see this amazing innovation in artist color and pre-book your order for this unique new (water-based) spray color! Liquitex Professional Level Spray Paint Spectrum: 100 Colors Properties: Highly Pigmented, Water-based Technology Finish: Matte Caps: Standard cap ideal for detail work or filling in; skinny caps and fat caps also available Size: 400ml Low Odor Uniquely low odor, Liquitex Professional Spray Paint is formulated using revolutionary water-based technology. Durable and Permanent Durable, permanent and lightfast, Liquitex Professional Spray Paint is ideal for interior and exterior use. Brilliance 100 vibrant colors matched to the Liquitex color spectrum.…

Gamblin is pleased to announce the expansion of its award-winning FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors from 8 to 24 colors. With this expansion, all FastMatte colors will be available in both 37ml and 150ml sizes and a new display will house the full range in a compact, 16″-wide footprint. Developed in collaboration with oil painters and introduced in 2010, FastMatte has become America’s leading fast-drying oil. Take your painting further. Inspiration shouldn’t have to wait. With FastMatte, artists can stay in the flow and take their paintings further, faster than ever before. The fast drying rate means artists can use color and texture freely, and add layers without stopping, waiting or…

Fashion illustrator and artist Steven Broadway showcases how to get the most out Prismacolor’s brand new product, the Brush|Fine Art Markers in his fashion illustrations. Steven takes you through his illustration focusing on the flow and technique of the new tool! Find out more information on Brush|Fine at www.prismacolor.com and be sure to check out all of Prismacolor’s videos by subscribing to our channel! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvdsPa6melA&feature=relmfu

Michaels Stores has filed with regulators to raise up to $500 million in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) that could be one of the year’s largest IPOs in the retail sector, writes Reuters. The offering comes six years after private equity owners Blackstone and Bain purchased the Texas-based arts and crafts company for more than $6 billion. Michaels operates 1,066 retail stores in 49 U.S. states and in Canada. It posted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $661 million in 2011 and had total debt of $3.5 billion as of Jan. 28, 2012. With sadness we report the passing of Ainslie Smith Quick, mother of Jack Quick the head of Rhino Art in Encinitas, CA. She…

To our valued customers, I’d like to provide an update regarding our supply issues.   As most of you know, we consolidated our UK factory into our France operation, along with a considerable expansion of our France factory,  in 2011.  Art material factories consist of many different production lines, many of them with different technologies and skillsets.  While we were able to successfully transition in over 80% of our items that we offer for sales, there were transition issues on some of our lines and items, most notably in Mediums, Sets, and some of the series colors in some of the ranges. Our factory and staff have been working around the clock to…

NAMTA Art Materials World 2012 is Right Around the Corner! We’re looking forward to seeing all of you at the upcoming trade show! Please take a moment while at the event to stop by our Booth (#110) to say hello and see some new and exciting items from GOLDEN. In addition to what you’ll see in the booth, we will also be holding two specific events for show attendees (detailed below), so be sure to check them out too!! • GOLDEN Booth Panel Giveaway – The GOLDEN booth is again a creative collection of handmade panels sharing the story of GOLDEN colors and textures. To extend the message of these panels beyond the show, GOLDEN would like to share them with…

Click here for the full details : MacPhersonsAtNamta2012