Arts & crafts
Staff -- Playthings, 8/1/2002
Like the imagination, there seems to be no limit to the kinds of products under the arts and crafts umbrella. Gone are the days when a pair of blunt scissors, a paste pot, construction paper, some crayons and tooth picks made up the category. While these 'tools' are still around, today's category includes a vast array of kits and other paraphernalia as well as the traditional stand-alones.
If there's one category that begs for hands-on and literal out-of-the-box selling methods, it's arts and crafts. Who wouldn't want to dig right into a project with all the innovative products available these days?
There seems to be no limit either, to the creative methods devised by retailers in moving the category, as feature writer Lauren Kellachan found out in this month's cover story "Crafting sales is an art." Other innovative arts and crafts merchandise are pictured in the product portfolio that follows.
