Oakland Press Feature 4.26.16

Beverly Hills artist builds handcrafts stores one step at a time

April McCrumb is the owner of the Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley, which showcases more than 70 local artists and their handmade goods. photo David Brown
 
When April McCrumb, a special education teacher from Beverly Hills, was taking down colorful bulletin board paper in her classroom one day, she decided not to throw away the scraps but recycle them instead.
 
When she was a child, McCrumb used to make her own greeting cards and would write April’s Ideas (a.i.) on the back of her cards, just like Hallmark did. Her love of paper and cards were rekindled that day in her classroom, and a paper artist was born.
 
McCrumb started designing whimsical paper photo holders and colorful, thoughtful picture frames.
 
“When I design frames, I always have in mind of what memories the piece is going to hold or what message is going to speak to someone,” says McCrumb. “I want my pieces to be a part of someone’s story.”
 
In 1996, with her husband, Steve, McCrumb started participating in local art fairs on the weekends while still teaching during the week. After succeeding for a number of years at the local fairs and acquiring a healthy number of wholesale accounts, McCrumb decided in 2000 to become officially incorporated and make a.i. paper designs official.
 
McCrumb and her husband then set out to find a location close to home that fit their vision for a brick-and-mortar store. McCrumb opened Catching Fireflies, a whimsical gift gallery, at 3117 12 Mile Road in Berkley.
 
“We feel very blessed that the Berkley community has embraced us and helped us grow into what we are today,” McCrumb says.
 
The store is bursting at the seams with handmade and Michigan-inspired products. At every turn there is something colorful and beautiful to look at. Many of the card frames and photo holders are inspirational and humorous. The store also offers many custom and special design options.
 
“Seeing the customer’s face when we show them a frame with their child’s name or wedding date always feels wonderful,” McCrumb says.
 
McCrumb used her wholesale business to fund her first store space in Berkley and then asked her art fair friends for products to fill her store on consignment.
 
In keeping with the art fair vibe, in 2010 McCrumb spied an empty storefront at 3141 W. 12 Mile, a few doors down from her Catching Fireflies location in Berkley and decided to open up The Yellow Door Art Market, a year-round indoor art fair with more than 70 local artists selling their handmade products.
 
“We want it to be a space where local artists can grow and expand their brand,” McCrumb says.
 
One way McCrumb has attracted shoppers to her stores and to downtown Berkley in the past 15 years is by hosting the Berkley Art Bash. This is a fun event for the family and for shoppers who love handmade Michigan products.
 
“We are continually blown away with our customers’ choice to support independent businesses like ours. None of this would be possible without the support of the Catching Fireflies and Yellow Door Art Market fans,” she says.
 
The Fireflies store motto is “Making Days Brighter,” and McCrumb has made many days brighter for her customers — as well as for people around the country, where her a.i. paper products can be found in more than 400 stores in the United States, as well as in her Ann Arbor and Rochester Hills Catching Fireflies stores.
 
The Berkley Catching Fireflies opened in 2000, followed by a Catching Fireflies in Rochester that opened in 2006, and Catching Fireflies in Ann Arbor opened in 2012.
 
McCrumb is busy designing new a.i. paper products. She releases two to three new design products a year and is working on new flower-themed photo holders for the spring season.
 
Many people dream of opening their own stores, and McCrumb has a few tips from her experience.
 
“I am a believer in baby steps. It is how we grew our business to the size it is today,” McCrumb says. She suggests testing the market by participating in local art and craft fairs and starting with an online store.
 
“This will help you navigate what direction to take so you can grow your business in the upcoming months and years,” she says.
 
Catching Fireflies also has locations at 203 E. University, Rochester, and 419 Detroit St., Ann Arbor. For more information, email service@catchingfireflies.com or visit catchingfireflies.com and yellowdoorartmarket.com.