With the cost of fuel and other essentials soaring, consumers are not only minding their budgets, they are making fewer trips and visiting fewer retailers to purchase their necessities. While consumer visits may be fewer, that same consumer is purchasing more items per retail visit to avoid the costs associated with additional trips or visits to other retail locations. So how do you get consumers to shop your store? Make sure core items are on sale and prominently featured along with eye-catching signage in the high traffic areas of your store. Cross merchandise accompanying accessories with these items to make the shopping experience easier and increase your items and dollars…

Check out our great deals in MacPherson’s Back to School promotion for 2008. Open Stock Grumbacher Pre-tested Oils, Academy Watercolors and Academy Acrylics at 60/5% Grumbacher Brushes at 50/35% Grumbacher “New” Brush Sets at 50/35% Ad Markers 60/5% Pickett and Rapidesign Templates at 50/10% Clearprint at 60% Pelikan Watercolor Sets at 50/15% Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph Technical Pens at 50/10% Koh-I-Noor Seven Pen Set at 60/10% Koh-I-Noor Triocolor, Gioconda Pastel and Progresso Woodless Colored Pencil sets at 50/15% Drop Ship Grumbacher Color Assortments at 50/35% Grumbacher Brush Assortments at 70/25% Koh-I-Noor Graphite Pencil Assortment at 50/15% Koh-I-Noor Triocolor and Progresso Woodless Colored Pencil Assortments at 60% All Grumbacher Color and Brush, and…

If you have a display of children’s drawing products with markers, crayons, colored pencils etc., consider adding the new children’s drawing books from Walter Foster. Disney•Pixar promotes their brands and characters through movies, consumer products, and fast food tie-ins, making them highly recognizable with widespread exposure. Walter Foster has developed books on drawing the characters in their movies, DVDs, and TV events to take advantage of the Disney character recognition. The undisputed leader of our licensed titles is Learn to Draw Mickey Mouse and His Friends, item # FODS01. The number two licensed title year-to-date is our new Learn to Draw WALL-E, item # FODC27M, which features the characters from…

There is a design genius working at MABEF and his name is Luciano. Every year he dazzles us with a new innovative creation that solve artist’s challenges without sacrificing his signature Italian aesthetics. Luciano’s latest invention is finely crafted, oiled, stain-resistant beechwood tabletop easel that features a height adjustable canvas holder that can go below the table level to accommodate a wide range of canvas sizes. The canvas holder can be angled from a vertical position for oil and acrylic painting to a horizontal position for watercolors. The easel clamps to the table for stability and to easily allow the canvas holder to accommodate canvases up to 39-3/8″. The easel…

How do you grow demand and sales in the world of painting knives? It’s not easy, but it helps if your Italian supplier listens carefully to artists and is willing to take big chances. RGM has done just that in creating a new series of knives that will allow artists a range of new possibilities. 12 new palette knife styles feature new unique shapes and a special water-resistant mirror blade. They are great for use with all relief pastes such as mortar, gels (matte gel, heavy gel), modeling pastes, and gesso. These specially shaped knives can also be used when painting with acrylics and oils to obtain “relief” effects with…

Everything about Montana Cans seems to be hot and the new Hardcore Markers are no exception. These are high-quality, water-based ink markers that can write on flat, dry surfaces such as paper, plastic, glass, canvas, metal and concrete. The ink is water-resistant to water washing over the painted surface, but will come off with water and hard scrubbing. The clear barrel design allows the artist to see how much ink is left in the marker. Both the Large and Short Large size come in a variety of colors and have a 1/2″ wide chisel nib with different barrel sizes to suit artists needs. The XL size has a 1″ wide…

The STABILO Point 88 and Pen 68 are the hottest colored writing markers we offer. Why? Because they’re unique, colorful and affordable. In the art supply market they present an amazing opportunity for impulse sales because the target market is the young of art. The key to jump starting sales is offering these gorgeous new complete displays and employing a creative merchandising strategy that aims at these products youthful appeal. To encourage this approach, we have teamed with STABILO to sponsor a nation-wide retailer contest focusing on the spirit of STABILO. Here’s what you need to know: Purchase both the new Point 88 360-pen & Pen 68 360-pen displays, and…