Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is a method of preserving personal and family history in the form of a scrapbook. Typical memorabilia include photographs, printed media, and artwork. Scrapbook albums are often decorated and frequently contain extensive journaling. Scrapbooking is a widely and increasingly practiced pastime in most developed countries.

Scrapbooking in United States
Marielen Christensen of Spanish Fork, Utah is often credited with turning scrapbooking from a hobby to an actual industry-including stores that officially sell and manufacturers of scrapbooking supplies, which didn't exist before. She began designing creative pages for her family's photo memories, inserting the completed pages into sheet protectors collected in 3-ring binders. By 1980, she had assembled over fifty volumes and was invited to display them at the World Conference on Records in Salt Lake City. Marielen and her husband AJ authored and published a how-to book, Keeping Memories Alive, and opened a scrapbook store in 1981 that remains open today.

In addition to preserving memories, the hobby is popular for the strong social network that scrapbooking can provide. Hobbyists, known as "scrappers" or "scrapbookers," get together and scrapbook at each other's homes, local scrapbook stores, scrapbooking conventions, retreat centers, and even on cruises. The attendees share tips and ideas as well as enjoying a social outlet. The term "crop," a reference to cropping or trimming printed photographs, was coined to describe these events.

The scrapbooking industry doubled in size between 2001 and 2004 to $2.5 billion with over 1,600 companies creating scrapbooking products by 2003. Creative Memories, a home-based retailer of scrapbooking supplies founded in 1987, saw $425 million in retail sales in 2004. In 2007 a survey indicated that this hobby had surpassed golf in popularity in the U.S.: one in five households has someone playing golf; one in four has someone involved in scrapbooking.

As scrapbooking grew, many small independent stores opened and large chains devoted an increasing amount of shelf space to scrapbooking supplies. Over time, many of the independent scrapbook stores went out of business, as owners were unable to maintain a financially viable business. During this time, a number of multi-level direct sales companies were formed. Several were closed due to mismanagement, while others weathered difficult times. Scrapbooking also gave rise to a new breed of business - the home-based retailer. While vendors had traditionally stayed away from the home-based market due to fraud, they began to warm to the idea of the non-traditional sales channels as a way to get their products in front of more consumers through home parties and workshops.