MEMORIAL FOR RICK ROUSSEAU This just received from Rick Comerford: It is with great sadness that we share this news with you. On Friday May 31, 2013 Richard Rousseau died of a sudden heart attack. Rick was a loving husband, son, brother, and a most trusted friend. He was a force of creative energy in the Art Materials industry as a retail buyer, manager and ultimately the owner and founder of the design and development firm Artist Hardware in Skokie IL. The void left in Rick’s passing will be felt in the hearts of everyone that has ever had the pleasure of knowing him. Rick is survived by his mother, Kathleen, father…

Help! We at MacPherson’s have begun the search for a replacement for Steve Iantosca in our New England sales territory. This is a great opportunity for the right person who possesses both sales and art materials industry experience. We offer full benefits including the ability to join the ESOP program and be an employee-owner of MacPherson’s. Interested candidates should contact Neil McIntyre (neilm@macphersonart.com) or our Human Resources department in Emeryville (natashan@macphersonart.com). Congratulations to the NAMTA Art Materials World 2013 award winners! • Best Small Booth – BLUM formerly Milan USA (Blüm’s website) (Canson took over Milan’s distribution in the United States) • Best Medium Booth – Masterpiece Artist Canvas • Best…

GOLDEN participation at NAMTA was a great success! For those of you who were able to attend the show in Minneapolis, GOLDEN appreciates you stopping by their booth. The folks at GOLDEN enjoyed catching up with each of you and walking you through the various new product launches and marketing initiatives they’ll be focusing on for the remainder of the year. If you weren’t able to attend the show, these photos give you a glimpse of GOLDEN’s unique booth design this year. It focused on applications using the new High Flow Acrylics, which you can learn more about by going to Golden Highflow Acrylics Website. If you have questions, please contact your GOLDEN or MacPherson’s sales representative. GOLDEN will also be…

With great sadness we report the tragic passing of one of our industry’s best. Debbie Hart, owner of the Artworks Art & Frame in Excelsior, MN was killed in a car crash on Tuesday April 9th. We send our most sincere condolences and prayers to her family. For a news account visit the Lake Minnetonka Patch’s web site or see here tribute page on Facebook. Here is a tribute to Debbie in the latest issue of the Art Material Retailer Magazine as she celebrated 40 years in business. Art Materials Retailer Artist & Craftsman Supply, headquartered in Portland, Maine, announced its 19th store location in the Harlem area of New York city. The 8,000 square foot…

In celebration of its 75th Anniversary, Prismacolor will offer a limited edition set of the 50 most popular Premier colored pencil colors. Each pencil will feature a “75 Years” imprint and the set will also include an instructional DVD, two bonus blender markers, and various other informational brochures with tips and techniques. Perfect for the Prismacolor enthusiast and a wonderful gift idea, this set will be available in October.  Please contact your MacPherson’s sales representative for more information. Prismacolor expert, Diana Garrett demonstrates an interesting technique using Prismacolor Soft Core Colored Pencils and Plexiglass: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXAcrEqpwC8

Here is a tribute to Beth Bergman from The Grand Avenue web site, in celebration of her induction into the Art Materials Hall of fame at the NAMTA Convention next week in Minneapolis:   Beth Bergman will be recognized for her leadership in business, arts advocacy, and the art materials industry when the International Art Materials Association inducts her into its Hall of Fame. The honor takes place at the association’s annual conference and trade show, Art Materials World, which is held this year in Minneapolis, May 1–3. Bergman owns and operates Wet Paint artists’ supplies on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. She has grown the business over 29 years to become one of the most known and…

At this year’s NAMTA show, Howard Kaufman will be presented with the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.  He is the founder and President of Princeton Brush Company.  With over forty years of industry experience, Howard’s career began as a sales rep for Chartpak in NYC, LI and Northern NJ.  A native New Yorker, he is still referred to as Howie Chartpak by old time customers.  After working his way up the corporate ladder for the first twenty years, Howard left his job as General Manager of Grumbacher to begin Princeton Brush in the basement of his home in 1992. Though nobody needed or wanted another brush line, Princeton was very competitive from the outset…

MacPherson’s will be closing its Elgin Facility in June 2014 following the expiration of our lease. By our conversion to two DCs, in Reno and Atlanta, we can achieve substantial facilities savings while simplifying and reducing our large inventory investment. We have carefully planned this change so that our Midwest and North Eastern customers will not be disadvantaged. We have made this decision with strong reservations given the effective and experienced team we have in Elgin. Our Elgin employees will be encouraged to relocate to a larger facility in Atlanta that we expect to occupy next Spring. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to write or call, franks@macphersonart.com  (510) 761-5690   Frank Stapleton  

Blick Art Materials has acquired Utrecht Art Supplies, the 45-store art supply retailer from Topspin Partners LBO. Bob Buchsbaum, Chief Executive Officer of Blick, said of the transaction: “The acquisition of Utrecht gives us a tremendous, well-established brand and greater geographic reach for our brick and mortar channel. We are very excited to welcome Utrecht employees and customers to the Blick team.”  Topspin Partners LBO Managing Director Steve Lebowitz was equally pleased with the transaction, stating, “We are glad to have achieved a successful exit for our investors and are proud of the business that Utrecht’s employees have helped to build.  We are confident that Utrecht will be in good hands as part of the Blick family.”   Check out this fun promo video from Forstall’s in Birmingham:…

The Alliance for Main Street Fairness (AMSF) who represents small brick and mortar business is celebrating a recent US Senate vote on the Marketplace Fairness Act. A bipartisan group of 75 Senators came together to take an important step towards closing the online sales tax loophole. “This vote marks an enormous victory for America’s small businesses, which have been forced to compete on an unlevel playing field for far too long.” according to AMSF. Former Michaels CEO Michael Rouleau has been named interim CEO for Tuesday Morning, the 830-store chain that sells closeout home and gift merchandise. Rouleau will manage the company’s day-to-day operations through the hiring of a new CEO and will…

Michaels Stores has named Chuck Rubin as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors. He currently is President/CEO of Ulta Beauty, a publicly-held chain of 550 cosmetic stores. He will assume his new roles after a brief period of transition. Chuck Sonsteby, who acted as co-CEO, will continue as the Company’s Chief Administrative Officer and CFO. Previous employers of Chuck Rubin include Office Depot, Sportmart, and Federated Department Stores.  “Michaels is an iconic brand and a category leader in the large and fragmented arts and crafts industry, with considerable potential moving forward,” said Mr. Rubin. “With its diverse product offering of industry defining brands and unique customer engagement strategy, Michaels has built…