Scrapbook Peddler

*Please note that this location has moved to:
4658 State Street Saginaw, MI 48 603
Now on to the review…
Before I buy anything from an online scrapbook store, I come here first. Scrapbook stores have been struggling in the recent years and I want to support my local store. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to find on trend and affordable items at this shop for a number of reasons.
First, the store is organized by theme, not by brand or by kind as in most stores we’re all probably familiar with. This works out great if you plan to do a camping layout, a baby layout, or a holiday themed project. This is not so great for those of us who shop by category instead of theme. I usually have to walk around the aisles and browse really hard to weed through the theme items to look for what I want. (To be fair, Thickers & alphabet stickers are against one wall of the shop, and the albums and stamps are in one general area.)
Second, the store has limited brand selection. They carry a lot of different items, but for some reason, they are usually not the on trend items that are current and popular. For example, I was looking for some things from October Afternoon, Studio Calico, Elle Studio, and Amy Tangerine and I was told that they either didn’t carry it, or that the products they did carry were from old (er) releases. Bummer.
Lastly, the items here cost a little bit more unless you have a coupon or they are running a special promotion. During my last visit, an item that I saw elsewhere was priced at $ 2.50 and it was $ 5.99 here. That’s a more extreme example, but it made me wonder about the price difference.
On the upside, the staff here is friendly and welcoming. They try to be helpful. Scrapbook Peddler has also relocated to a newer and much brighter location than their previous store.
I am happy that there is a local scrapbook store in town, but due to aforementioned reasons, I may not visit as often. This is probably worth checking out if you’re already in the area, but not something to go out of your way for.