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By Karen Fetter
One of the best ways to
preserve your family
heritage is to scrapbook
your photo memories.
The best place to begin is
to visit the First Exclusive
Scrapbook Store in
Greensburg
- The Crop Shop.
The Crop Shop is located
next to Sam’s Club in the
Hempfield Plaza.
This amazing new store
offers everything from
paper, stickers, and books
to classes and crop nights.
The store is spacious,
stroller friendly, and
organized by theme instead
of supplies. Not to
mention that there are tools
available to use and dozens
of scrapbooking ideas
readily available.
“I want to know my customers
and I want them to feel like
they are at home,” said
Cathy Greeley, The Crop
Shop’s owner. “And
what is great about
scrapbooking is that you can
make it as simple or as
complex as you would like.
I am here to help in any way
that I can.”
Many scrapbooking stores
immediately intimidate
beginners with a confusing
selection of supplies.
However, entering into the
Crop Shop is a different
experience. The
organization allows
customers to visually see
main ideas. So instead
of becoming overwhelmed,
they become excited about
how they can create a
certain page. The
supplies are unique and are
not found in just any craft
store. So if there is
something you are
specifically looking for,
then the Crop Shop is your
stop. And if they
don’t have it, they will get
it.
The Crop Shop is not just
about scrapbooking.
It’s about going into a
friendly environment and
getting the best help you
can get to make your latest
project a success.
Cathy greets each person
that walks in the door.
Her staff has the knowledge
to help guide each customer
with any problem they might
have.
“Everyone has a different
style,” said Cathy.
“You can work from other
people’s ideas, from
magazines, or you can create
a book that is unique to
you. That is what is
so wonderful about
scrapbooking. You
can’t make a mistake.”
One way that Cathy has set
herself apart from other
stores is her customer
service. She plans
several events each month
that benefit the customer.
One event that is
particularly popular is
Friday Night Crop Night.
This event is usually two
times a month and is from 6
p.m. to midnight.
There are refreshments,
snacks, and prize giveaways.
Customers are welcomed to
use any equipment at the
shop and instructors are
there to provide any help.
There are also themed events
and classes throughout the
month. For a list of
these events and classes
visit the website at
www.thecrop-shop.com or
stop in the shop to pick up
a calendar.
In addition to their
numerous events and classes,
The Crop Shop also offers a
preferred customer program,
gift registries, private
cropping parties, gift
certificates, and contests.
************
The most recent event at The
Crop Shop was their annual
Crop-toberfest, held October
12-14. This three-day
event allowed customers to
scrapbook until they
couldn’t scrapbook any more.
And of course The Corp Shop
provided plenty of food and
fun to last the entire time.
Pre-registration is required
for all events and classes.
You can register at the
store or by phone at
724-832-3004.
Scrapbooking begins with
organizing your photos.
Once your photos are
organized you will have a
better idea of where you
want to start. The
best place to start is with
the present. If you go
back too far at first, you
may find the project
overwhelming. Once you
work on the present and gain
confidence, then you can
pick certain events or time
frames to go back to and
scrapbook.
After organizing, try to
decide which method of
scrapbooking works for you.
One way is to use multiple
photos on a page for an
event or holiday.
Another way is to scrapbook
moments. You may only
have one picture but that is
all you need to explain a
precious moment that you
want to remember. This
is your heritage that you
are passing down, so it is
important to feature each
member of your family.
Include journaling and
handwritten statements.
These are the things that
make scrapbooking special.
And don’t forget to include
yourself. Often times
as the scrapbooker, you may
not feel the need to include
yourself. However, you
want your children and
family to remember your
moments in their lives as
well.
When you begin shopping for
supplies, Cathy recommends
shopping with a plan.
Have your photos with you
and bring them to the shop.
You can get assistance and
you will not overbuy.
Cathy also recommends taking
a beginner class. She
helps people get over the
intimidation of creating
their first page and helps
them get their photos
organized. Organizing
your thoughts and your
photos is a key component to
becoming a good scrapbooker.
And lastly, but just as
important, do not put
pressure on yourself to
complete a scrapbook.
Many people feel pressure to
have a book done by a
certain time. There
are no rules. Enjoy it
and do not stress about it.
Have fun!
How did Cathy become such an
avid scrapbooker? It
started about eight years
ago for her and she has
never looked back.
“My sister got me started.
I got married and she bought
me a wedding album and some
tools. I was hooked,”
said Cathy.
Afterwards, Cathy and her
family were living in
Morocco. She was a new
mom and she devoted much of
her time to scrapbooking.
She was often frustrated
about getting good supplies
and her friend mentioned
that she should start her
own store. The plans
started to develop and then
became a reality when Cathy
and her family relocated
back to western
Pennsylvania. She
found the right location,
renovated it, and opened her
doors in February 2007.
You will see that a
scrapbooker owns The Crop
Shop the minute you step
inside. Take advantage
of having the area’s first
exclusive scrapbook store
and visit the Crop Shop
today!
Visit
the First Exclusive
Scrapbook Store in
Greensburg today.
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