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Flashback Friday Part 1: The 1970s
Hero Arts
Hero Arts is celebrating 45 years in business this year! What an incredible journey it has been. YOU are a wonderful part of our history, and now that our anniversary is here, we'd like to invite you to celebrate this milestone alongside us! In the next several weeks, join us for fun, contests, behind-the-scenes content, lots of giveaways, new products, and more. Let's get this party started, friends!
The start of it all? Flashback Fridays. Over the course of five Fridays, we'll be sharing the story of our five decades as a company.
The setting: Berkeley, California, mid-1970s. Let's hear about the earliest days of Hero Arts from our CEO, Aaron Leventhal:
"Hero Arts was founded in May of 1974, near the end of the school year, when my mother (Jackie) decided she would try out her hobby at local craft fairs. Early designs included funky cartoon images, irreverent messages, and drawings from friends and family, including Betty Boop, cartoon monkeys, a cow by 4 year-old Aaron, and more. Most of the stamps were handmade in our bathroom, where our vulcanizer sat, that pressed rubber. The rubber was then cut and assembled in Jackie's bedroom, before being sent out via mail or sold at fairs."
Wondering what the first catalogs looked like? Well, they were actually fold-out posters...
Here's a closer look at the inside and back of the 1978 Hero Arts product poster.
Aaron even found this photo showing an early craft show booth from the late 1970s!
If you're interested in hearing more of the Hero Arts story, grab a beverage and enjoy this interview from a few years ago, when Aaron sat down for an Online Card Classes Crafty Chat. We think you'll enjoy hearing this story directly from him!
When did you start stamping? Let us know in a comment below and we will pick one winner at random to receive a $25 Hero Arts gift card! Comment by Thursday, April 25 at 11:59pm PT and you'll be entered to win.
Tomorrow we'll begin sharing peeks from our upcoming 45th Anniversary Summer Catalog! That's right, this year's Summer Catalog is one big anniversary celebration that we can't wait to share with you.
Thank you for joining us today!
I started stamping in December of 2001. A friend of mine needed help getting his wife introduced to people at our workplace. He asked me if I would have a stamping party for her so she could meet some of our teaching coworkers. I reluctantly agreed, but told her that I am NOT crafty so I am just doing this to help her out. LOL Well, I am STILL stamping and loving every minute of it. :D Thanks for the chance to win.
Happy 45th Anniversary HA!!! So happy for you and hope you’ll enjoy many more years. I started playing AT stamping when I was invited to a Stampin’ Up! party about 20+ years ago? My sister and I started with just a couple of images and 3 or 4 ink pads, because that was all we could afford. Although we were beginners, we were pretty proud of our first attempt. My first craft room was larger than a bathroom, but shared space with my home office. When my husband got tired of trying to get around my growing collection of craft supplies, he said I needed to move it to the master bedroom, and since we were empty nesters by that time, we would move the bedroom to the other end of the house. So I have a huge bedroom that I call my craft room now, but still, I have so much, that even after donating a bunch of stuff to our crafting group, my sister says I need a basement. Lol!!! Currently, we don’t have one of those, but maybe in the next house. Until then, I’ll make due and be happy with the space I have. Thanks for 45 great years of contributing to my papercrafting collection HA—looking forward to many more!!!
So cool!! :) I’ve always loved paper craft but started stamping about 7 years ago when my cousin and a friend held a card making workshop. It’s an addiction now!
What a fantastic milestone! 🙌
I got hooked on stamping thanks to a Hero Arts set I found in a small shop selling gugts and craft supplies. I remember that place vividly, it was a day trip we went on whilst I was visiting family. And I still have (and use) that stamp set, dated 2003!
Trends have come and gone but Hero Arts quality is here to stay. Here’s to many more happy stamping times! Thanks for the chance to win x
I have always loved creating handmade cards. I went to a craft expo held in Auckland NZ about 20 years ago and stopped at a booth selling stamps and some craft tools…..and the rest is history! I have converted my garage to a craft studio and create cards in pack for my friend at Christmas. Love stamping and love your brand