As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I have not been scrapbooking much this summer because I have been busy with baseball. Once things slow down a bit I am going to get back into it. One Thursday I went over to my local scrapbook store because I heard they did some changes. UGH...I am so disappointed. I walked in and noticed the store size had shrunk! It seemed like every display with half empty and very "picked through". I wondered around a bit and found the Disney display. This was me they had HALF what they usually have....I could not belive it. I left without buying anything. I then noticed a new store next door and walked in. It is a scarpbook discount store (owned by the same people) everything in there is "bargin priced" and they sell paper by the ounce. Umm...okay. This store is in a VERY wealthy town in a very exclusive strip mall (with a high end jewlery store, Starbucks and expensive resturant). This dollar scrapbook store is VERY out-of-place. They even changed the name of the "real" store. In my opinion this was a huge mistake....it is obvious they were doing VERY well...they already put one local scrapbook store out of business and expanded to almost twice the size (before they opened this "new" store). The store has been in business since 2005. When I asked why they changed the lady (co-owner??) got really huffy with me and said, it was time for a change and the stores have been "very well excepted". Yeah...those are the people who actually talked to you. I am sure there are many more that have looked around and thought the same thing I did but didn't say anything. They also shrunk the size of their classroom....she said they "only" took out 8 places. Only?? Yikes....that is alot!
Sorry just needed to vent. Carol, Jean and I might need to find a new place to do our scrapbook meets.
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Robin Twitter name: @NKsDogwalker Find me on FB: robinkay6573@yahoo.com 38th Birthday with Mom, Dad and friends 2011 Next Trip: Cruise on Jewel of the Seas for Christmas 2012
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I read about the changes in their newsletter, but didn't realize that they'd changed that much, aside from the new name, which I think is a huge mistake. I mean, at least the old name let you know that it was a scrapbooking store. Who's gonna know that from a name like "MJ Inspire"?
And they cut down their scrapping area by 8 seats? That's 1/4 of what they had, and it was usually full....
The problem is: Where else is there to be able to go scrap together? As far as I know, they have the market cornered for that sort of thing....
I'm from the Chicago area and I have recently noticed this with a lot of scapbooking stores by us as well. When talking to some of the store owners they told me that now that Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, Walmart, Target, etc. are all carrying scrapbooking stuff at discounted prices it makes it harder for them to stay in business with their large stores. A lot of stores by me have closed altogether to become online stores. Anyway, I get kinda disappointed too but honestly, I can get way more for my buck at Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's who carry identical things as the scrapbook stores around me.
Our LSS closed suddenly earlier this year. They are right, you simple cannot compete with Hobby Lobby and Joann's. In fact, it is CHEAPER for me to buy my paper from HL when they have it 1/2 off than it is for me to buy it wholesale + shipping. Amazing. The only paper I actually buy from the manufacturer anymore is Color Mates b/c it cuts the nicest on my machine (HL solids are crummy for that).
At the CKC I just did, the booth across from me (Scrap Daddy/K&Co.) had EVERYTHING 30% off. When I asked them why, they said they weren't carrying it anymore b/c even THEY couldn't compete with the box stores. It's really important to find a niche and LSS just don't cut it anymore unless they have a very loyal and large following. It's too hard to keep up with all the minimums and damages and such.
Admittedly, I didn't spend a lot of money at the scrapbook store, because HL and JoAnne's have way better prices, but I did like to go there to scrap with my buddies,
Robin and Jean. And they did have some things I couldn't find elsewhere....and the little "Make 'n' Take" sessions were fun. I wonder if they're going to continue with those?
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When I went to this store to scrapbook I would spend from $20 -$40 on supplies and that was getting out of there cheap! I saw women in there spending $50 - $100 every time I was in there. I always buy my cardstock there (no use dragging it from home). After looking around at the stuff they had at the new "discount" store I would buy very little of it. The stickers were cheap & tacky looking and the paper was ugly. I stickers by the roll but it seems like I am seeing less and less stickers by the roll. Honestly I don't have time to run all over the place for scrapbook supplies...that is why I scrap/shop at my LSS. I also hate "big box stores" because of what they are doing to locally run businesses. I wish everyone thought that way
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Robin Twitter name: @NKsDogwalker Find me on FB: robinkay6573@yahoo.com 38th Birthday with Mom, Dad and friends 2011 Next Trip: Cruise on Jewel of the Seas for Christmas 2012
Robin, I know how frustrated and disappointed you must be about your LSS. As the owner of a LSS, I must say I read this thread with great interest. Not knowing particulars, I do suspect though, that there is more to this change than meets the eye. Dawn is correct in her comments about the scrapbooking industry. It's tough. Many many stores are closing, and while some closings are due to a poorly run business, most are simply victims of the big box stores and their cheaper prices. As an independent store owner, there is no way that I can compete with the prices that JoAnnes, Michaels, or HL offer. However, I can provide excellent customer service, which we do. It is my hope that our customers, appreciating that special, personal touch, will reward us with their business, rather than the other places where prices are, for sure, more than mine are.
Kudos to you for wanting to support your LSS! The loyalty of customers such as you will keep the LSSs alive.
Our LSS just closed it's brick and mortar store and will be going online due to high rents in our area. Within a 15 mile radius there is Walmart, Target, ACMoore, Joann's, Michael's and 2-3 other LSS. Luckily the owner redid her family room and will have classes there, crops at local halls and their weekend crops 2-3 times a year. The people who go to the classes are just like family and have a great time!
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Robin, I see you posted this one day before MJ Inspire's Charity Event. I had no intention of going, especially since it was the first day of faculty meetings. BUT..
I totally agree with you. Photos to Scrapbooks had customer service, hands on demonstrations, and Crop area going for it... I really don't think they have any of that going for them now. I was so disgusted, I cancelled my email Newsletter from them. Not sure where we can meet, but perhaps we can find a spot where the almighty dollar and "ideas of expansions that will save the whole scrapbook world" don't come in the way of table space. I am back to school, and MSU football is in full swing, but let me know if you and Carol come up with something!
Go Lugnuts!
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It seemed like every display with half empty and very "picked through". I wondered around a bit and found the Disney display. This was me 
they had HALF what they usually have....I could not belive it. I left without buying anything. I then noticed a new store next door and walked in. It is a scarpbook discount store (owned by the same people) everything in there is "bargin priced" and they sell paper by the ounce. 
Umm...okay. This store is in a VERY wealthy town in a very exclusive strip mall (with a high end jewlery store, Starbucks and expensive resturant). This dollar scrapbook store is VERY out-of-place. They even changed the name of the "real" store. In my opinion this was a huge mistake....it is obvious they were doing VERY well...they already put one local scrapbook store out of business and expanded to almost twice the size (before they opened this "new" store). The store has been in business since 2005. When I asked why they changed the lady (co-owner??) got really huffy with me and said, it was time for a change and the stores have been "very well excepted". Yeah...those are the people who actually talked to you. I am sure there are many more that have looked around and thought the same thing I did but didn't say anything. They also shrunk the size of their classroom....she said they "only" took out 8 places. 
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