REMEMBRANCES' STORY

Hello folks!  Welcome to my little biography of Remembrances.  Remembrances offers scrap booking supplies and services for the beginner, novice or advanced scrap booker.  From A-Z we carry a full line of products from major brand names such as K&Co., Making Memories, Karen Foster Design and EK Success to smaller lines such as It Take Two, MaisyMo, Nature's Garden and more!  Our services include private scrapbook parties, custom scrapbook techniques or theme classes and scrap booking events such as all day cropping parties and retreat weekends.  We also offer custom scrapbook albums and pages.  Whatever your scrap booking need, we go the extra mile so you don't have to!

Remembrances, located in Oswego, IL, was founded by me, Lisa McCortney, in April, 2005.  My dream started out as a retail store when me and my daughter's favorite scrapbook store closed at the beginning of '05.  It was such an abrupt closing, we were totally shocked by it!  We always looked forward to our Sunday afternoons scrapping together and I preferred to shop and crop at local independents, but now we had no where to go.

One evening while airing my scrapbook grievances to my husband, I made a joking comment that I should open my own store.  He gave me that all-too-familiar serious look and said "Why don't you?!"  Needless to say at that point in time, I laughed it off.  But as the days went by, with the seed planted, the idea started to grow on me.  I had managed a former business of mine in a previous life, spent many years working in various business atmospheres and positions and had seriously thought, over the last few years, of starting up my own business again.  But a scrap booking store?  Take my love of this addicting hobby and turn it into work?  Well, why not?!? Finally, for the first time in my life I could work at something I absolutely love to do!

I won't bore you with the details of opening a retail store, but let's just say it was 24/7 work over a period of 6 months.  I set the goal to open by fall of 2005 and that we did.  On August 22nd we opened the doors of Remembrances scrapbook store.

Folks, if you have ever been an independent owner in the retail industry, you know the in's & out's of running a business.  For those of you that haven't, it takes total dedication and boo coo money.  After a year of pouring my heart, soul and 7-days-a-week into the store, I discovered, unfortunately, the latter was becoming scarce.  Business was growing but not at the same pace as the bills, so in April, '06 I made the very tough decision to close the store.

Now I don't consider closing the store a failure on my part, instead it has opened up new business opportunities for me to be successful at this hobby I have a passion for.  And...... I can finally be with my daughter on a full time basis for the first time in her 10 year life.

To all of the patrons who supported Remembrances during the retail epoch, THANK YOU.  And to all of you who will continue to support Remembrances with its online venture, THANK YOU, for helping make my dreams a reality.