Taking an Adventure in Scrapbooking

By Vickie Kapnas
Staff writer
vkapnas@tcnewsnet.com

When Becky Detrick decided to open Adventures in Scrapbooking four years ago, she wanted to do more than just begin a new business. She wanted to create a gathering place.

“I want people to feel welcome when they come to my store,” Detrick explained.

As any scrapbooking aficionado knows, the social aspects of the hobby play a huge role. Detrick compares the pastime to an old fashioned quilting bee.

“You come with your friends,” added customer and long time friend Dreama Justice. “It’s a social thing.”

The four-year-old business was formerly located beside Christy’s Pizza on Dixie Drive. When that space became too small one year ago, Adventures in Scrapbooking relocated to its current location at 137 Kenbrook Drive. The 5200 square foot facility can accommodate upwards of 48 people during special events and is one of the biggest stores of its kind in the area.

“I think the neat thing about scrapbooking is, it’s your family, your heritage,” smiled Detrick. “We think we’re going to live forever, but we’re not. My generation can pass down to the next generation and so forth. That’s why scrapbooking is so important. It’s a very big passion of mine, I really love it.”

More than a hobby

Detrick and Justice admit to dabbling in many different hobbies through the course of their 37 year friendship. Both women feel that scapbooking has an added dimension not found in other pastimes.

“We used to do crafting, we made country decorative things for our houses,” said Justice. “Well, that decorating trend is now gone, and all of those things we made are gone. But with this you’re dealing with your family photos. You’re never going to do away with your family photos. If you consider it a hobby, it’s a hobby that’s going to stay because of what you’re working with.”

“It’s good therapy,” added Detrick.

Justice recalled a friend who took up scrapbooking as a way of dealing with the loss of a pet. By creating a scrapbook of pictures taken of the animal, the friend was able to work through her grief.

Detrick started scrapbooking in 1997 with the arrival of her first grandchild. Justice enjoys including her grandchildren in her hobby as well. The desire to leave behind a record of family life is a strong driving force behind the interest in scrapbooking.

“My vision is that some day when my grandchildren are grown and responsible adults…then this is a gift to them,” said Justice. “I will be giving this book to them and it will be a history of their entire lives since the day that they were born.”

Typical scrapbooker
Detrick’s customer base travels to her store from as far north as Sidney and as far south as Centerville. Some have traveled from as far away as Indiana, Michigan or Pennsylvania for special events.

Clients range in age from teenagers to grandparents. A typical week may see young mothers creating scrapbooks of their children, pet owners scrapbooking their pets, sports enthusiasts chronicling a memorable season, or high school sweethearts creating memories for a girlfriend or boyfriend.

“There is a big push right now for digital scrapbooking,” said Justice. “I think a lot of working mothers do it for the convenience of it.”

Western Roots
Accoding to Detrick, the scrapbooking trend began in western states as part of an interest in genealogy and may have roots in the Morman religion. Followers of that religion trace believe in tracing their ancestry. Many manufacturers of scrapbooking products are located in Utah.

The scrapbooking trend moved east about 15 years ago and has been popular locally for the past decade.

“There are trends in scrapbooking just like in fashion or decorating,” said Justice. “Scrapbooking tends to follow fashion and decorating trends as far as colors go, as far as style goes.”

“When you see pink and brown in a store, you’ll see a lot of pink and brown in the scrapbook papers,” added Detrick.

Getting started
Photographs stored in old-fashioned peel and stick photo albums are in danger of fading and yellowing. While Detrick encourages moving these photos onto acid free paper in order to preserve them, she advises scrapbooking newcomers to start simply. Her store offers a beginner’s class that helps novices get organized and set priorities.

“I tell people, don’t get yourself overwhelmed…start by organizing your pictures,” said Detrick. “If you took 30 years of pictures and just laid them out, you wouldn’t know where to start.”

An individual hobby
A scrapbook can be as individual as the person creating it. Some hobbyists prefer an ornately embellished creation while others prefer a more streamlined approach.

“We tell people, it’s your book…and it’s your life and it’s your family,” Detrick explained. “The most important thing is to keep preserving the memories in acid free products, so that they’ll be there.”

Once a hobbyist has purchased some basic tools and supplies, the amount of money spent also varies with the individual.

“You can scrapbook very frugally, if that’s your nature,” Justice stated. “Or you can be very extravagant.”

“There are more supplies than there are finished books,” laughed Detrick.

Activities and special events
Adventures in Scrapbooking offers a full calendar of events. Every Friday night from 6 p.m. to midnight, scrapbook enthusiasts show up to work on individual projects. These “crops” usually attract between 20 and 30 hobbyists.

“Ladies’ Night Out” is held on Tuesday evenings. Women recreate a two-page spread designed by a staff member. The only expence to those attending is the cost of supplies.

Weekend retreats have attracted up to 60 scrapbookers and will often extend into the wee hours of the morning. These events usually cater to a specific theme and can be used as fundraisers for local organizations.

Other classes and special activities leave very few days when something is not happening at the store.

Staff
Detrick is quick to give credit to her staff for the constant flow of creative ideas necessary to keep a business like this in existence.

Kelly Holbert is the stores’ full time instructor. Wendy Shepard is the creative force between the “Ladies’ Night Out” events. Sales associate Pat Richthammer rounds out the team.

“We’re all a little bit on the creative side,” smiled Detrick. “I think it’s kind of important to even have that to be able to work here. We all have different areas that we excel at.”

Detrick’s greatest joy comes in seeing someone new to scrapbooking blossom.

“It’s kind of like a child that walks for the first time,’ said Detrick. “You just see them grow in their scrapbooking.”

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