Lil Davis Designs...what's up? For the longest time LDD was one of those special companies who did totally unique, totally cool stuff and you didn't see them in every flipping scrapbook store on the planet. They were shabby/retro/funky/artsy before shabby/retro/funky/artsy was cool. They made their own style. I loved that. When I think of innovative...I think of just a handful of companies...and LDD is on my list of innovative companies.
And then, LDD got into JoAnn's. Suddenly, the market is totally flooded with LDD goodies. I admit it--I was a little disappointed. The specialness was seeping out. I know. I know. Bottom line and all that nonsense. I felt like I was seeing Louis Vitton at Wal-Mart.
So, then a few weeks (or months) ago, a pea posts about finding Lil Davis at Tuesday Mornings--a discount/outlet store. Sure enough. I went to my local TM and found some Lil Davis stuff...stamps, chipboard, ribbons, etc heavily discounted at TM. OK. So maybe they had overruns or discontinued items to get rid of...? Still it stung. (I know. I take this scrapbooking thing way to seriously.)
Today, I visit one of the best scrapbook stores on the planet (a store that has, in the past, been an overflowing candyland of the best Lil Davis had to offer) and find the selection of Lil Davis is almost extinct.
What's up with that?
Then tonight, I'm snatching up some flower stems for a new wreath at Michaels and what do I see? A heaping pile of Lil' Davis items in the DOLLAR BIN! The DOLLAR BIN!
Are they selling Midori Ribbon at 7-Eleven now?
Are they selling Manolo Blahnik at Sears?
Are there Godiva Chocolates at McDonald's?
Is Chef Boy RDee making caviar ravioli these days?
Did I miss something?
Apparently.
I certainly do not blame any inde scrapbook store for backing off of a product line that is clearly over-saturating the market and undercutting the scrapbook stores. Yes. I do believe there is such a thing as over-saturation and it bugs me.
(Can you say "Mrs. Grossman's Red Heart Store"?? Now there was a prime example of over-saturation!)
Certainly, Lil Davis can do what they want with their product...that's their choice but it sure does make me sad. I guess I kinda feel betrayed on behalf of those scrapbook stores that took a risk on shabby/retro/funky/artsy before it was a sure thing. Frankly, I think they deserve better treatment.
"It's not personal. It's just business." someone will say. Hmm. To an inde scrapbook store owner, it's very personal.
Scrapbooking is an interesting business because it is a total incorporation of "business" and "personal". You can't have one without the other.
I have an unyielding affection for unique, independent, creative companies--companies that raise the bar in their industry again and again by doing what they do really well. I love to see small companies *score* on the merits of their own uniqueness. I am a boutique girl, through and through. I like *special*.
And *special* is not found heaped in the DOLLAR BIN of a chain craft store!
1 comment:
I know that they have an awesome new line of stuff coming out, but as far as I know, but I've not seen it anywhere yet. I took the free class that they taught at Scrap It during CKC and we got to use some of the new papers, ribbons and chipboard words.
I was floored at CKC that there was a Lil'Davis both that was selling everything for $1! That was all that they had. It just shocked me. And that booth had a line snaked around it!
Post a Comment