tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144560952012-01-05T16:39:14.860-05:00Artist & Craftsman Q&A BlogYour art supply question and answer blog brought to you by A&C SupplyArtist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-54693265623852702122011-10-31T14:36:00.000-05:002011-10-31T14:36:24.225-05:00Kansas CityI got to Kansas City on a Monday. By Friday I learned a thing or two…What a nice city Kansas City is. We’re setting up shop in their Crossroads neighborhood, their arts district. And I don’t mean to offend my new friends, but I don’t taste the difference between Kansas City barbeque and the version I ate in the Memphis, TN airport. But I’m from Maine.-LarryArtist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-40529643923716818152011-10-22T23:00:00.003-05:002011-10-31T14:33:15.295-05:00The children are downstairs playing. I can hear their music coming up through the floor and it’s nice and familiar. It’s the same music of my youth.I hold the handrails now, and they notice. Many of the children are in their 30s, 40s, and John is more than 50. They bring me dinner and even modest amounts of sake while I sit, talk, and listen.The children are Artist & Craftsman people and we are Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-36998365470850968252011-05-03T14:28:00.001-05:002011-05-03T14:30:15.256-05:00Another Spring in FreeportIt’s getting quieter here in South Freeport, Maine – that is, everything except the interstate, which I can’t hear in winter. Even the new leaves can’t muffle you all coming north to Maine to escape. My personal life is quieter. Children don’t need money or advice so often. Mary Ellen and I are on or off. We know the drill.The squirrels now know their place for now.But the birds are more active Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-9523805799419790982011-03-11T13:33:00.000-05:002011-03-11T13:33:11.660-05:00Seattle, In a Café in the Pike Place Market<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-67875322802724422152011-02-18T15:27:00.000-05:002011-02-18T15:27:44.176-05:00Shafiq is Coming BackSome of you remember the soap opera that began 10 months ago. Mohammad Shafiq Rahman was arrested by the FBI and Homeland Security for possible connection to the Pakistani terrorist who attempted to explode a bomb in Times Square, New York. Also, the South Portland Police piled on.
Now after serving many months in jail and losing employment here at Artist & Craftsman Supply, all charges have Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-41160344481607111502010-12-30T17:20:00.000-05:002010-12-30T17:20:33.951-05:00A Lonely Night in Luxara<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-85201991166276853272010-12-10T12:55:00.001-05:002010-12-10T12:56:45.907-05:00The Alligators of Alligator AlleyMy mother was attacked by a rooster near Alligator Alley. I of course remember that – she was in her 60’s, I was in my 40’s and my daughter Ana was a kid.
We were walking “the loop” – a 30-mile excursion into the Everglades off Hwy 41. At the time this two-lane highway was the only way to drive from Miami to Florida’s west coast.
We walked up to a little farmhouse to say hello, when from nowhere Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-8717127241776383922010-09-09T12:23:00.001-05:002010-10-14T19:09:18.816-05:00Larry Adlerstein, Professional ArtistYes, I sold a painting for $50—back when that was worth 70 or 80 dollars.
She was a neighbor from upstairs who sat with her red-stockinged legs on my kitchen table. I had just learned foreshortening at the Portland School of Art, and the answer is, “No.”
Also, I was reviewed by Edgar Allen Bean, art critic for the Maine Times. It was a group show at the Portland art building, a slightly Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-44997432566416010622010-08-19T17:05:00.000-05:002010-08-19T17:05:41.871-05:00Mid West, Mid AugustThe media is telling me employment is in crisis, so are the banks and housing construction. But at O’Hare Airport, Budget wanted $200 a day for a compact. Hertz, Thrifty, and Enterprise were sold out. I felt lucky to find a Dollar car for 145 of them there dollars. On the way back to the airport, the shuttle driver said it’s been this way for months.
On to Jet Blue back to Portland. Today’s Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-15984309598131069182010-07-02T08:36:00.000-05:002010-07-02T08:36:10.698-05:00I’ve never before signed 2 leases in one day.Today was the exception. We’re opening in Saugus, Mass, just north of Boston and the south loop of Chicago.
We hope to open both mid August, just in time for Back to School. So look for us when you’re cruising South Wabash or Rt 1 heading south to Bean Town.
More info coming.
- Larry AdlersteinArtist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-4792885986019210412010-05-28T13:37:00.002-05:002010-05-28T13:37:58.824-05:00I’ve never seen such affection before...I’ve never seen such affection before in my 67 years. There they were, I assume a male and a female, on the rail of my porch & he (or she) was nuzzling she (or he). If my eyes were better I might have seen the squirrel tongue (or who was her or he), but the affection was obvious.
And they scampered among my porch pots – even contributing a rolled up ball to one of my herbs, until in their teenageArtist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-43138944522139912422010-04-27T08:31:00.000-05:002010-04-27T08:31:10.539-05:00From the front porch in S. Freeport, Maine…Honking going north. The summer people have the lights on on the island across the Harraseeket River and the hum of the interstate… No the honking is geese. I love their Honking.
I have a funny story about I-295. Many years ago I dated an artist from the Boubry in New York City. Her studio/apartment was a 4 story walk up and over the clutter/piss of Little Italy/China Town. Well, 2 childrenArtist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-65593437674681736462010-04-19T12:24:00.002-05:002010-04-19T12:24:20.637-05:00Grit in BaltimoreOne of the old warehouses in old Baltimore is our new home & we feel pretty good about our renewal solution.
Most of the exterior walls were 16” x 22” glass windows housed in rusty iron frames. Repairing or replacing the hundreds of windows was beyond our budget & if we were able to so replace we’d be left with a leaky single pane exterior wall with the energy efficiency of the 1920’s.
So, we Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-46166549788637694072010-04-08T09:58:00.002-05:002010-04-08T09:58:50.201-05:00Taking InventoryNow that’s a yawn of a title. I’m getting tireder and tireder.
I’ve really put it off for 27 years. Oh, Artist & Craftsman has an inventory. Actually we have 4 of them.
Our point of sale software (what is retrieved, vouched in & then sold through our computer cash register), that’s one inventory.
A&C’s accounting software, i.e. the checks we write and the deposits we make. That’s a 2nd Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-12703034392995054752010-04-08T09:00:00.002-05:002010-04-08T09:00:33.203-05:00I want you to have children or at least a child.Oh yes, they’re a pain in the neck and from the age of 2 til 45, they can drive you crazy, but have one anyway because I have 4.
The Yiddish word is “Nachos.” The ch is guttural like you’re about to throw up. Nachos is the joy that can only come from children, a parental pride, like maybe it was worth it after all.
I see less and less long term investments and more & more short term gains. Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-65473135181264389252010-04-05T12:50:00.003-05:002010-04-05T12:51:25.009-05:00A Tale of Three CitiesI’m flying home from Miami, the third city I have looked at in about a month. By coincidence, my travels have taken me from depressed, to more depressed to most depressed. You might say my trip has been depressing.
The reason for my journey is to open more Artist & Craftsman Supply stores. I started in Los Angeles and even though the city is on the verge of bankruptcy and Los Angeles says it’Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-63235705719897823592010-02-26T15:52:00.003-05:002010-02-26T16:02:39.539-05:00The Art Material Trade TodayThese are “interesting” times. Pearl Paint, the former dominant player in the distribution of art supplies is on the rocks. They are closing 11 of their 16 stores. From this man’s perspective, here’s the story. A few years ago a parcel ripped open in a UPS conveyor belt and out spilled hundred dollar bills. So Robert Pearlmuter , a man in his late 70’s went to jail for a couple of years. He’sArtist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-52539821656472952252008-10-30T11:22:00.000-05:002008-10-30T11:25:56.477-05:00Protecting a business in hard timesApparently someone stole a check of ours on its way to the Staedtler Company, a supplier of rulers and technical supplies. Big deal. Well, it’s turning into a big deal and could have been a business disaster, except we were lucky. Here is a story of how we’re changing our business to protect ourselves in hard times. You might consider how you can protect yourself. The depression is affectingArtist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-21603054744290998522008-10-24T07:57:00.000-05:002008-10-24T07:58:40.448-05:00In The Recession HoleHere are the realities as I see it. The captains of industry are not stupid but they have been affected by the same short term interests that affect all American society. The manufacturers of SUV’s were not stupid; it was mere short term self interest. Profits were fat. Those fat profits paid heavy union wages and benefits. They could let the Japanese seek short Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-73428906328319577352008-09-22T10:04:00.002-05:002008-09-22T10:13:01.535-05:00My job, what is my job?I do it every day, you’d think I know what I do. Let’s try to figure out what the owner of a middle-sized art supply does. I often feel that I’m like a father to the 75-80 people who work with me. And like most parents I mess up. But if there is any reality to this self-image then Artist & Craftsman is a family life with all the strength and weakness so associated. They drift in and out of Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-580962218630259482008-09-22T09:58:00.002-05:002008-09-22T10:04:12.693-05:00Jeff and Rob, the Cambridge crew.First there was Rob.I don’t remember how I met Rob. I was opening our first store in Boston and I believe he simply answered my help wanted ad. He was quiet and it took a few months to discern who he was.The store had a slow start, located in a basement across the street from Pearl Paint – then the dominant player in our trade. But Rob in his gentle way won over artist after artist and built a Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-89006097371292474592007-08-31T10:22:00.000-05:002007-08-31T10:23:34.803-05:00Dear Artist,In our 2002 catalogue I wrote…“This catalogue finds my business and our world in an interesting time in the circle clock of history. The shrinking world puts each of us in contact with humans all around the globe.We can’t ignore international trade and business. Our clothes, food, and even art supplies are made everywhere. Shopkeepers, like me, seek their best values for their Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-44921713994488843262007-08-14T13:57:00.000-05:002007-08-14T14:20:03.090-05:00A&C, DaVinci Paint & Leon NicaraguaA&C partners with DaVinci Paint to help repaint a historic mural in Leon, Nicaragua. Marcello Dworzak, President of DaVinci Paint, of Irvine, California is donating gallons of his new fluid acrylic to the artist community of this small Nicaraguan city on the Pacific. The mural depicts the plight of the Nicaraguan peoples who have suffered with many invasions. A&C President, Larry Adlerstein, cameArtist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-1139502901750978922006-02-09T11:33:00.000-05:002006-02-09T11:35:01.770-05:00MAP – Minimum Advertised PricingAt this writing, February ’06, the individuals and companies that bring you color, brushes and surfaces are embroiled in a debate about MAP – Minimum Advertised Prices. We are having an important dialogue.Some manufacturers (and we support these manufacturers) feel the excessive discounting damages the reputation of their products. It makes them look cheap.The also feel that this deep Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14456095.post-1121279939100580362005-07-13T13:38:00.000-05:002005-07-13T13:57:20.900-05:00Q: Is the internet responsible for the poor health of the traditional retailer? A: No, I don't believe the internet is a major factor as yet. Many retailers have the option of entering internet sales if they want to learn this new market (as we are). For those who do not diversify, there is an uncomfortable phenomenon - your rents, salaries and other expenses stay constant but the internet drains 10% or so of your sales. That must be addressed. But overall, including Artist Craftsman Supplyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06340216483251651566noreply@blogger.com5