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Flashback Friday Part 3: The 1990s
Hero Arts
Your calendar does not deceive you - it is Thursday! So why are we here with the next Flashback Friday feature? Since our 3-day countdown leading up to the May Monthly Hero kit launch is scheduled to begin tomorrow, we decided to adjust on the fly with an early flashback. We hope you don't mind! :) It's already time to explore Hero Arts' third decade in business and CEO Aaron Leventhal is back to provide an overview of the 1990s:
"The early 1990s saw Hero Arts move from consumer shows to wholesale, and soon international distribution. The 1990s included a heavy dose of backgrounds and borders, messages and themes, including a full catalog and a Christmas supplement each year. Popular techniques included hand coloring with pencils, watercoloring, bold ink colors and more for cardmaking, with only wood stamps, as no clear or dies were yet available. Hero Arts won a number of awards for its color label tops and catalog photography and layout, and got its first patent for Press-A-Frame. The industry was in dramatic growth, and independent retailers were the focus of the industry, with some stores so popular people would choose their vacations based on the stores they wanted to visit."
Check out some of the era's understated and elegant catalog designs:
The 1990s were marked by bright and colorful stamp labels and you can see many of them if you check out the photos tagged #herocelebrates45 on Instagram. Thanks to our customers for sharing - we've truly loved seeing these treasures!
* Above photos courtesy of @cardcrazycook on Instagram. Thank you! *
Does anyone remember the Press-A-Frame that Aaron mentioned was our first patented product in 1996?
"Using the paper template and a pointed pressure tool in the kit, stampers can quickly add a variety of shaped frames around stamped images."
Here's an example of the projects you would have found if you opened the pages of our 1998 catalog. A fun tidbit: Sally Traidman, still on the Hero Arts team today, created some of these beauties!
Do you own any stamps with colored labels? 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, May 9 at 11:59pm PT and you'll be entered to win.
Thanks for stopping by today! Until next time...happy stamping!
Really enjoying this trip down memory lane – even though new to me!!!
Hero Arts was one of the first two companies I purchased from in the 90’s when I had a stamp business. I was so proud and loved every minute of creating with your beautiful designs. I no longer have the business, but I have those designs in my private collection today. Congratulations to you on 45 years of amazing ideas, designs, peope, customer service…. the list goes on.
Yes, I have many of the stamps with the colored labels – and many of the ones you have shown, along with the Press and Frame embossing forms. All items are still loved and used often. I remember the old website and the beautiful card examples listed in the galleries. Took me awhile to get used to the new site, but Hero Arts is my go-to place for products and ideas. Thanks! !
I believe have a number of the stamps in the picture still in my collection. I loved the script sentiments!!
Loving these flashbacks. Made me look through my stamps to find some oldies but still goodies.