East Valley Business - 08.16.20

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east valley

Volume 3 Issue 5 Mesa, AZ

August 16, 2020

Mesa native builds a scrapbook empire BY DAVID M. BROWN Tribune Contributor

T

IN THE BIZ

he Davis family of Mesa and Gilbert have many scrapbook memories – and people throughout the world have saved theirs because of Scrapbook.com. Founded in 1999 by Jill Davis of Mesa, the website began as a way for her to share techniques, tips and project ideas from her home office in Mesa. “My mom had been scrapbooking for over 25 years, was an expert crafter and taught local sold-out classes on papercrafting,” said her son, McKane Davis, president of the Gilbert-based business. “Creative expression filled her life with meaning and joy, and she loved sharing that passion with others so much that she wanted to do it on a larger scale,” he added. “Students asked her: can we keep project examples to learn from?’ But, if she did this, she would not have had any to show her next classes,” Davis said. “So, she came up with the idea of sharing these projects online, so students could log on and look whenever they needed inspiration or a reminder.” Originally, crafters would mail projects to her, mostly scrapbook pages. “She would scan every project, upload the images to the Scrapbook.com website and mail each project back to its creator,” he said. As the site grew, users could photograph/scan and upload their projects. Public Notices ............... page 3 © Copyright, 2020 East Valley Tribune

Gilbert-based Scrapbook.com does a huge business around the world. (Special to the Tribune)

Today, the site’s gallery has three million projects. Eventually, Scrapbook.com began selling paper-crafting supplies for card making, mixed media art, stamping and die cutting items, journaling and more. “The website and online store have grown beyond my mother’s wildest dreams,” he explained, noting that Scrapbook.com is the world’s most visited paper-crafting site, with millions of visits each month and 100-plus employees, mostly East Valley residents. The site also includes forums, an on(USPS 004-616) is published weekly

Mailing Address: 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282

(480) 898-6500 Steven Strickbine, publisher Paul Maryniak, executive editor

line gallery of submitted projects, free classes, articles and podcasts, a free crafting newsletter and events. “And we still carry out Jill’s passion for teaching and strive to inspire people everywhere to live a handmade life,” added Davis, noting that his mom and dad Charles are retired and living in Mesa. His childhood home was suffused with creativity: calligraphy, crafting, card making and scrapbooks. “My mother was also very entrepreneurial,” said Davis. “So those two elements have combined to make Scrapbook.com.” Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: East Valley Tribune, 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 291, Tempe, AZ 85282


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