Stamp & Scrap Clubhouse

An interesting store located in Bridgetown is Stamp & Scrap Clubhouse. Scrapbooking seems to have taken off as a major hobby for some in recent years, with an abundance of stickers and cutters and all kinds of neat papers. I’m very familiar with the three or four Scraps, Etc. stores that are a bit scattered throughout the Greater Cincinnati area, and those have almost endless supplies to meet all your scrapbooking needs. Stamp & Scrap, on the other hand, treats their store more like an exclusive country club with three, six, and twelve month memberships, as well as a one time «visitor’s pass» and a tween membership for 8 – 18 year olds.
If you love scrapbooking and do it as much as an average person might go to the gym or read a book, then I guess it is a good concept. If you are going to be scrapbooking several times a week, it’s in your best interest to pay for a membership and receive the benefits and unlimited use of all the newest and best supplies like stamps, inks, cutters, punches, stickers, and papers. Unfortunately, if you wanted to do a one time scrapbook like prom, graduation, or a family vacation, not only would you be charged for buying any supplies (and it seemed that they didn’t have that much), you’d also be hit with that $ 10 visitor fee or forced to pay for a $ 50 three month membership. The concept is creative and they are all about sharing their love for scrapbooking, but I still feel like they are making it too much like a social club.
The Stamp & Scrap Clubhouse staff is really nice and they even have put together little packets for prospective members, but I think they would be better off just selling «stamp ‘n scrap» supplies and offering a few classes on the side. Instead, while they do have a ton of classes and even offer birthday party packages and other events like a Mother/​Daughter Luncheon and Kid’s Camps, you have got to join the «club» to reap the benefits. The 12-​month membership fee of $ 130 (just over $ 10 a month) is not bad at all when you consider what you get access to in return, but I don’t like the whole ‘become a member or get out concept.’