decor mag. whats up?

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GUMBY GCF

GUMBY GCF

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
In Memorium
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I just got my copy of Decor Mag. Is it my imagination or is the content missing? Maybe it is because Kistler's corner is missing. It seems like very little about framing. More about who is who. Not to slight the well deserving 100 I enjoyed the coverage but where is the beef?

Well, maybe just me? After hearing Marc Bluestone at the PPFA ohio chapter meeting maybe it just pales. but it sure seems like it this issue lacks.
 
I haven't gotten it yet but that has been my opinion sense I got my subscription (5 months ago). Dad listed it on the top 5 things to read when opening a frame shop. He directed me to his old collection at mom’s house. I checked them out recently. There has been some changes sense the 80's. Not for the good! Unless it blows me away in the next 6 months I will probably replace it with another mag. Like Readers Digest. :D
 
Jay, if you really want to take a magazine that will help your "business" take either (or all) INC, Fast Company, and/or Entrepreneur.

This month's Fast Company has a cover story about design that will really expand your vision of what it is that we actually do. (One quote: "If you can design a product that appeals to people's brains and hearts, you can get them to pay a great premium." Another quote mentions, "...innovative products must make an emotional connection to users...")

Then there's the article by Seth Godin (the "Purple Cow" guy) on how to find innovation within your business.

I spend the greatest amount of time with the magazines that help me to grow my business - and my "business" covers so much more than "framing."

Betty
 
As fate would have it this morning a guy came in selling subscriptions. I got Entrepreneur. I find myself on their website all the time.
 
Originally posted by Jay H:
As fate would have it this morning a guy came in selling subscriptions.
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Fate, schmate, I'll bet that guy monitors The Grumble.

Don't give up just yet on Decor. To me, it's like the PPFA. You may not be interested in everything they've got, but - for the price - you can't afford NOT to get it (or belong to it.)
 
Jay, you'll love that magazine.

Ron, I agree about keeping the subscription. When PFM first started it was YUCKY. I would read it in about 10 minutes. And now, it's THE very best trade magazine available. And ABN, there was a time that I told them that the only thing they had going for them was Murray Raphel. Shortly after that, the magazine improved tremendously, and I was glad I kept getting it. (As a side note, somehow I've not gotten it for the last 2 months. I don't know what's up.)

I also take The Crafts Report. I don't always read every article thoroughly, but I'm afraid to stop taking it. Everytime I think about stopping, they'll have a great article on gallery business or time management, or goal setting and I'm glad, again, that I'm getting it.

And now that the PPFA newsletter and magazine insert have combined, I am looking for great things out of them as well.

There's info and advice everywhere. There's no excuse for business ignorance anymore - unless you have the "Yeah, but..." Syndrome."

Betty
 
I only wish I could get my copy. I let my subscription lapse, yikes, two years ago. I made a couple feeble attempts to resubscribe but never followed through. I made what I thought was a completed attempt to resubscribe a couple of months ago and haven't as of yet gotten one.

Where oh where can my Decor Magazine be? I miss it.......
 
Originally posted by GUMBY, GCF:
Is it my imagination or is the content missing? ...where is the beef?
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Its not your imagination. There is no content; just a lot of promotion for the big companies.
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Hey Emi, I got this from thier website. Call em and rip em a new butt. Just kidding. I called them once. They were very helpfull.


Magazine Subscriptions:

You can order DECOR magazine subscriptions online, renew your subscription, change your address, or order back issues.

Call us toll-free at 888-772-8926.
E-mail at decorcirc@pfpublish.com
 
I got my May issue today. (Hey! Isn't May almost over?)It is physically a little thin, but I'll reserve judgment about the content until I take it home and actually look at it. If I get one good idea, it's worth the cost to subscribe and the time to read.

Here's a novel thought. If you're not finding much of interest, why not drop John Taff or anyone at Decor an email and tell them what kinds of articles you'd like to see.

You might think they don't care, but I'll bet they'd be receptive.
 
Decor has been through a lot of changes in recent years, and the managers may still be fine-tuning the format.

Another possible reason: Our industry has had several not-so-good years in a row, and many framers are just treading water. They're not buying much more than (if as much as) they did a few years ago.

Taking that reasoning three steps further, (1) our suppliers are feeling the pinch, as well. And (2) they have curtailed their advertising, which (3) pays for all the rest of the content we subscribe to enjoy.

I forgive Decor for economizing, and expect that the content will return when our business improves, and suppliers' business improves, and the magazines' ad revenue improves.

This is a time to rally 'round our deserving suppliers of materials. It's also a time to rally 'round our suppliers of information, such as Decor and the other framing industry publishers, and PPFA.
 
Why don't they take on other types or advertising? We discussed this (sorta tongue in cheek) some time back. They could easily have ads for shoes, pain relievers, Ford (or Dodge, or Chevy) vans, etc. Other business magazines have all sorts of ads.

It makes sense, if you don't have ads you can't have content, but as we're all told to diversify, why can't the trade magazine. There's not some "rule" somewhere is there?

Betty
 
Not to be rude Jim, but tell me - is that the way you would treat your customers?
 
I'll preface the following by confirming that I fully realize that what follows will be sacrilegious to many here...

Perhaps things have changed in the interim, however, years ago, I ceased my renewal of both my PPFA membership, and Decor magazine. Each came only after much deliberation. And both life, and business, have gone on quite well without these 2 elements. Perhaps things have changed since then, and it's time to re-evaluate these decisions?...

This has been touched upon before but, aside from my pretty PPFA window sticker, which came in a nice packet every year, we saw absolutely no benefit (at that time!!!) to remaining a member.

As for Decor magazine, aside from the ads, there was little in the way of content which couldn't better be had elsewhere. I grew tired of reading articles which were so totally washed out as to be almost totally devoid of anything which resembled substance... After all, it is hard to be interesting, when one must cater to the (all too) many advertisers; we wouldn't want to upset anyone out there now, would we?

Aside from the fact that there are other and (in my perhaps-not-so-humble-opinion) better publications available which actually address the same concerns confronting picture framers and art dealers, the existance of both Decor and Art/Framing Business News makes one of them superfluous (one is free ... hmmm ... tough decision!).

To end this on a positive note, I'd like to say how thrilled I am to have come across the Grumble. It is, for me, the antithesis of Decor - a much more exciting, direct and informative venue where facts, FACTS and opinions, whether right or wrong, are expressed in both "colourful" and "colorful" ways. I learned more, and received more benefit from this site my first week, than I had from Decor and PPFA in the accumulated years I was involved with them.

A sincere thank you all my fellow Grumblers out there (even to the many with whom I disagree). Keep up the most excellent work!


p.s. Not having a spellcheck, my apologies to those who actually waded through this posting for the probable many errors above.
 
Originally posted by Lance E:
Not to be rude Jim, but tell me - is that the way you would treat your customers?
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If I learned of customers' dissatisfaction, I would take action, as quickly and as visibly as possible, to correct my deficiencies and regain their enthusiastic support.

If I were the publisher of Decor, that's what I would be doing.

I agree its content is not what it used to be and, like you, I expect better. But the situation may be temporary, and the publisher may once again give us the content we seek. If not, then I'll act accordingly.

Meanwhile, I'll cut them a little slack. We would appreciate that from our customers.
 
Originally posted by printmaker:
the existance of both Decor and Art/Framing Business News makes one of them superfluous (one is free ... hmmm ... tough decision!).
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They're now both free and owned by the same company.

Betty
 
Betty;
does that mean I won't be getting anymore renewal notices ,offering a three year subscribition at a reduced rate every ONE OR TWO years since it no longer was a perk of PPFA membership?
It's been a while since I subcribed personally.I leave that to Marie,ever since we both subscribed fearing termination upon receiveing those renewal notices. So maybe we are getting it for free now ,despite the delivery date. LOL
BUDDY
 
Well perhaps I was wrong, but I'm pretty sure Decor is free now.

Hey John Taff! What's the word?

Betty
 
And here I thought that John Taff sent me a free subscription because he LIKED me!! Are you sure that Decor is free now, Betty?

Sometimes the magazines send out complimentary subscriptions for the heck of it.

Gotta run, Barb's here.

Framerguy
 
Yep, I just went and looked. It is indeed free to "qualified professionals".

Uh, Buddy, I don't think you should be paying. Ask Marie how long it's really been since you got a renewal notice. You'd be surprised how quickly time flies (when you're having fun.)

(You mean it was 29 YEARS ago that I got married!? :eek:
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)

Betty
 
Thanks for the heads up. As i said it's been a while since i took care of the renewal thing. But I sware there was a time when we did get request for renewals before the previos subcription had expired and there also was a time when we got TWO issues one in my name and one in Marie's. One for being a PPFA member the other (Marie's ) paid since she saw the renewal notice and didn't want me to be with out.LOL
It very well may be FREE to ALL now ,but Marie was paying for our subscription.Guess we can save some money now.I also guess I wan't ""qualified professionals".

But then they wouldn't be the first or the only people who thought that .LOL
BUDDY
 
As for me - I gotta agree - 15 years ago, DECOR was the greatest mag - I wasn't even in framing at the time and thought it was worth having for its business articles alone. Now I think its the worst mag out there! I still get it (paid lots for it last time I renewed here in Canada), but probably not for long. PFM blows it away now! Too bad, it was very good.
 
Sorry, I was out having a great Memorial Day weekend, but here I am!

15 years ago, this industry was in its heyday. Art publishers were coming out of the woodwork, manufacturers and distributors were thriving and multiplying. That ended in 1993, and the industry has been on a bit of a shallow decline since then.

On the one hand, I'd say to look at the industry, then take what you see in all of the industry magazines as a reflection of what's going on. We're coming off four or five straight years of difficult times, and the industry has suffered because of it.

The first thing that most companies chuck overboard in a downturn is advertising and marketing, as counter intuitive as this seems. So, the first thing that most people notice is how thin the magazines are because the ad pages aren't there.

As I've said before here many times, the amount of content I can provide in DECOR (or Art Business News, Framing Business, PFM, Art World News or any magazine for that matter) is directly related to the number of ad pages we get.

If we get few ad pages (as has been the case recently), the amount of editorial I can run is curtailed. This is, in the end, a business, and I am held accountable for a certain ad/editorial ratio and a budget number, again as is every other magazine.

I monitor the editorial of the other magazines closely every month, and I'm comfortable with where DECOR sits currently. We are trying some new things, and will continue this trend as we now own Art Business News and Framing Business News.

That said, though, I'm always open and receptive to ideas for what you guys want to see. My phone number is 314-824-5508, e-mail is jtaff@pfpublish.com. Or tell me here.

I take every criticism seriously, whether constructive or otherwise. We're always working to make sure DECOR is the best that it can be. Does that mean it will be the only business magazine you need? Probably not, but that's OK. Does it mean that DECOR will appeal to everyone here? No, but again, that's OK.

I think that a lot of you are lamenting the size of DECOR, rather than the content. About that, I can do nothing. When the market picks up, knock on wood, our ad pages will increase and we will be able to run more content. Until then, there's really nothing to do but to hold on.

I do want to ensure that the content DECOR is running is interesting, lively and informative. Let me know what you want to see. And understand that, while I welcome input, the Grumble is just one small source of input...perhaps the loudest, but just one. I may not be able to accommodate everyone's wishes!

John

P.S. Yes, DECOR is free now. It made the most economical sense to give it away to qualified readers, rather than to spend money chasing people to pay for a subscription.
 
One more thing that I forgot to add. Everyone mentions how small DECOR is, and I, again, I think this is because a lot of people remember how big DECOR was in its heyday. The other magazines never really went through a period when they were generating 300- 400- 500-page issues regularly, so it's not as noticeable.

But just as a high tide raises all ships, so, too, does a low tide bring them all down. PFM< ABN, FBN, AWN--they're all smaller, too, suffering from the weak market DECOR is.

The good thing from the DECOR standpoint is that we stil retain the lion's share of ad pages in this market. In other words, we're holding on to our dominant position in the market, even though the market is contracting a bit.

Anyway, that's enough. What do you want to see?

John
 
Nakked Framer Pitures
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no.

Somehow, I don't think Bill would go for that one. It might qualify as an occupational hazard.


On a more serious note, thanks for the well thought out response John. I'd love to see more content on technology and efficient use of it. (pos ideas, use of internet in shops, use of customer print browsing terminals, ambience/music, new gadgets that make life in the shop easier, lighting, networking equipment/automation, security, efficient storage furniture ideas, inventory systems, cmc creative ideas, safety products and practices, etc)

A continued avid reader
Mike

[ 06-01-2004, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: Mike-L@GTP ]
 
John,

I want to see a frameshop/gallery featured in each issue with complete photographic detail from front to back. The storefront, sales counters, display walls, easels, lighting, floors, mat cutter tables, mount press setups, saw, vee nailer, wall cutters, mat and moulding storage, offices, incoming work and completed work storage, and every other detail of how this shop is set up and operates. From Mom and Pop to 40 employees. I want to say "aha! that's a better way!" every month.

Perhaps an advertiser could sponsor such a story - "The Larson Juhl shop of the month"??
 
Originally posted by johntaff:
But just as a high tide raises all ships, so, too, does a low tide bring them all down. PFM< ABN, FBN, AWN--they're all smaller, too, suffering from the weak market DECOR is.

The good thing from the DECOR standpoint is that we stil retain the lion's share of ad pages in this market. In other words, we're holding on to our dominant position in the market, even though the market is contracting a bit.
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John, I have been a part (board of directors) of several organizations that have had a "heyday" then went through a decline, then grew again. So please understand that I am not saying this as a criticism of you. I say this as one that loved Decor, and has for 30 years. It was my first taste of the world of framing business, and I'd love to see it back on top again. One just has to look at facts and then determine how to "fix" it.

In the May issue, Decor had 101 pages with 3 feature articles (April had 5) and 12 "department" segments, plus a "pull out". There were 82 pages with either full page or partial page ads.

In the May issue, PFM had 120 pages, with 8 articles (April also had 8) and 13 "department" segments. They had 90 pages with full or partial page ads.

So yeah, Decor had "the lion's share of ad pages." Decor was 80% ads while PFM was 75% ads. However, PFM had almost 3x the amount of content.

When PFM first started, I can't tell you the number of times that I started to cancel my subscription. The content was simply not there. But I was afraid I'd miss something. And I would have.

It's the same with Decor. The content is simply not there (at the moment.) (Vivian, William and Meg are "carrying" the magazine for me, personally.)

But, perhaps it's just my viewpoint. If Decor is primarily for art galleries, then the articles are probably great. However, for a framer, they're not so hot. PFM is giving frame design, framing technique, marketing and business advice and help for the beginner as well. We were just "spoiled" by what Decor used to be. Perhaps the direction is different now that ABN and FBN are on board. FBN is fast becoming a great one for framing info. (I can't wait for it to become a "book size" magazine so it's easier to keep on the shelf.)

I don't read "Southern Accents" for articles on "country" living. That's not what the magazine is for.

But still, no one has answered my question. Why can't the advertising go in another direction? If I were a major framing supplier, I'd be sick of the number of magazines that I'd "have" to advertise in. They can't not have ads in them all. So naturally, if the numbers can't be less, then the size has to be less. It just makes business and financial sense.

Give me an ad for Advil. It helps me through the day. Then there's my Ford van that gets me to all my deliveries on time, and my Reebok shoes that help me stay on my feet...

I think there are other dollars out there. If framers have to find diversified revenue streams, then so should the magazines be the shining example of how this is done!

Betty
 
PS I love John Gornall's suggestions, and Mike's, too. Now, Jerry's.... I don't think so.

You can do it, John. Take Decor to the top again.

Betty
 
I looked over the May issue on Saturday and decided it wasn't necessary for me to take it home.

Yes, it is mostly ads, but I read the ones that relate to my business. I also read the classifieds.

Sorry, Betty, but if I start seeing ads in Decor for Advil and a bunch of other consumer products, I would file Decor in the dumpster with the local bargain shopper and all the coupon books.
 
Originally posted by Ron Eggers:

Sorry, Betty, but if I start seeing ads in Decor for Advil and a bunch of other consumer products, I would file Decor in the dumpster with the local bargain shopper and all the coupon books.
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Even if it means more and better content?

Betty
 
If the saying: “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem” is true, then let me be part of the solution.

I will list ALL of the articles “Not regular contributors but ARTICLES” that I found extremely helpful for my business. Now remember I only received my first subscription in January. These aren’t in any particular order just a few of my favorites.

1.) March: Choosing Length, Chop, or Join


Again this is just a few of my favorites. My first issue (January) was more about interior decoration than framing. The rest have been loaded with art and poster information.

While I am fond of the nude form (female preferably), I have seen few framers that I could appreciate nude. Please no pics of Jerry. PLEASE!

Seriously, I would echo Betty, Mike, and John. There is just little content for the framer. I find myself quickly reading Kistler, Parker, and Peter’s section and then putting it in the rack for later.
 
More ads might mean more content, but the ratio of ads-to-articles would likely remain the same, so I'd prefer that the ads relate to the art and framing industry.

I don't think it follows that more ads would mean BETTER content. I assume that the articles and columns we're seeing now are the best they have for the space available.

I applaud John Taff for soliciting opinions.
 
John at the risk of seeming to be like a Louisiana native ,the Crawfish,(he always travels backwards for those who don't know). Have you considered reinstateing the subscription fee and upgradeing the articles.? If I caught your drift, the lack of content was in a large way related to the loss of advertisers. So if you weren't dependent on them maybe you could pay for more substantive articles ? Or at least need less adds.
As I made the bad joke we were paying even when it wasn't necessary,so maybe others would pay to get more of what they really want.
Personally I'd love to see a sort of "Framer's Consumer's Report' .You know a comparison analysis of the equipment being sold in the industry.
And yes I know that might anger some who take out adds. However if we didn't depend so heanily on them maybe it wouldn't matter.Besides if it is factual some would love the articles .I know Framers would. How does Consumer reports manage?
Charles BUDDY Drago CPF®
 
Woo hoo, I just got my first issue, we are in business now. I must say it is a bit thin....I happen to have one out from 1999 that had 296 pages in it this one tops out at 94........oh well, they say you can never be too rich or too thin..........I'm just glad to be on their list again.
 
Kathy,

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life!
 
Some great suggestions so far...errr...with the possible exception of the nekkid framers tip. Yikes!

Let me address some things. First, you have to understand up front that DECOR is meant to appeal to the majority of retailers who sell both art and framing. So, we're probably never going to have as much framing as either you or I would like in DECOR. That's why we're happy to have Framing Business News, which will be a good vehicle for us to load up with technical framing and other types of articles.

Second, May did have a lot of art content specifically, because it was our artists issue. So, it was a little lite on framing, and not typical of most of our issues.

As far as comparing DECOR's May issue with PFM's May issue, let me assure you that I monitor that closely. DECOR's total page count in May was 126 pages. PFM's was 124 pages, so nearly dead on.

By my count of editorial pages (not counting things like marketplace, showcase, product spotlight, table of contents, etc.), DECOR had 27 pages of editorial compared to PFM's 29 pages. So, there's only a 2-page difference in the editorial offering of both magazines. Not much of a difference in my view. But PFM's was wholly framing, whereas DECOR's was not.

In terms of casting a wider net for advertising, what you'll find for any trade magazine is that the audience offered to an advertiser not directly related to the industry is not nearly enough to warrant the interest of a car manufacturer, insurance dealer, or any of the other kinds of major industry advertising that carries consumer magazines. Plus, it's not really what you read a trade magazine to get.

I bridle a little (sorry! ; ) ) when people mention bringing DECOR back to the "glory days." Unless we get the kind of advertising we had in 1989 (or even, for that matter, 1999) it ain't gonna happen...at least in terms of making the book bigger and offering more content. The quality of the content I stand behind..and it's tested with readership studies.

That said, though, we're working on some pretty nifty repositioning of editorial across the four books we now own--DECOR, Art Business News, Framing Business News and Art Expressions--to differentiate each product.

What I think you'll see is an continuing evolution of DECOR to be the decorative art/custom framing magazine of the market, while Framing Business News is repositioned to be more of an educational/technical framing book. How's that grab ya?

Seriously, any input from you guys on what to cover is terrific. I've learned to develop thick, thick skin where you're "suggestions" are concerned.

Thanks, everyone!

John
 
Originally posted by johntaff:
As far as comparing DECOR's May issue with PFM's May issue, let me assure you that I monitor that closely. DECOR's total page count in May was 126 pages. PFM's was 124 pages, so nearly dead on.

By my count of editorial pages (not counting things like marketplace, showcase, product spotlight, table of contents, etc.), DECOR had 27 pages of editorial compared to PFM's 29 pages. So, there's only a 2-page difference in the editorial offering of both magazines. Not much of a difference in my view. But PFM's was wholly framing, whereas DECOR's was not.
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Sorry John, all I did was look at the page number on the last page in each of the magazines, then count the number of articles in the index. I've never studied journalism, so I didn't know there was another way to do a page count.


Betty
 
Originally posted by BUDDY:
Have you considered reinstateing the subscription fee and upgradeing the articles.? ...

Personally I'd love to see a sort of "Framer's Consumer's Report' .You know a comparison analysis of the equipment being sold in the industry.
And yes I know that might anger some who take out adds. However if we didn't depend so heanily on them maybe it wouldn't matter.Besides if it is factual some would love the articles .I know Framers would.
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BINGO ! ! !
 
What would I like to see?
-Articles that teach the many various aspects of good framing, from design to mounting to matting etc.
-Information about the materials we work with, such as adhesives or paper.
-Step by step illustration of how a difficult framing problem was handled.
-Preservation issues.

Décor has advertising? I didn’t realize that! I just look at the table of contents and I didn’t need to go any further. My copy of PFM, however, is dog-eared. Practically memorized those ads.
 
The frame industry magazines do a poor job rating all types of framing equipment. I think they are gutless and afraid to offend some advertisers.

If you want to see great equipment analysis and ratings pick up a copy of Taunton Press' Fine Woodworking Magazine. When a type of equipment is to be written up, they thoroughly check all the features and compare and give ratings on which is the best and which is not. You can tell that they have put the equipment through a shop road test before they wrote the article.

And many pieces of equipment fail the road test.

This industry is filled with failed equipment, with well known name brands on it, that never should have gotten on the road in the first place.

Alan
 
Maybe he's unavailable now that he is busy with Wizard, but for my money some of the best articles I have ever read in Decor have been written by or featured tips from Brian Wolf. Reading them is as enjoyable and informative as his seminars. His input on mat design and cutting, mat decorating, and cutter maintenance are first rate. One of my favorite articles was one where he described the process of desgning complex groupings of objects within a shadow box by breaking them down into smaller more manageable units and then assembling these into a unified design. That's a brilliant and useful article.

Someone mentioned an article on lighting. It would be helpful to have one comparing the technical and aesthetic differences in different types of lighting, along with cost-to-run analyses.

It might be useful to do an article focusing on some small regional distributors, and their role and position as a go-between from manufacturers to retailers. Understanding their issues would help us deal with them more effectively.

:cool: Rick
Decor reader since 1977
 
I am interested in HOW other shops have had success. This can take the form of in store displays, product offerings, production improvements, buying techniques, etc.

The article in the June Decor about "Display Products" I found to be good. I am considering adding those types of products to my shop. I would have prefered more comments and discussion by retailers of the products rather than the wholesalers, but I understand it's more cost effective to acquire copy from the wholesalers.

Articles that analyze a single shop and each of their decisions and successes as previously suggested would be good. Or, articles about a "product line" like easels and displays work as well.

Product comparisons would also be welcome.
 
Just got my art business news/framing business news. Boy talk about smart business buy two mag. and kill one but still have three mail to the same customer base. Get suppliers to advertise in all three instaed of one. When they could just be advertising in one. Works for me. Combine the three but they would suffer the reduced ad $$$.
Who says you don't learn something everyday.

Now if could only figure how to sell three frames for the same picture I could triple my sales.
 
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