{"id":872,"date":"2008-04-30T09:29:57","date_gmt":"2008-04-30T13:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/catchingfireflies.com\/blog\/?p=872"},"modified":"2008-04-30T09:29:57","modified_gmt":"2008-04-30T13:29:57","slug":"strut-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/2008\/04\/strut-magazine\/","title":{"rendered":"strut magazine – 5.08"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Strut_in_step_with_2\"<\/a> In step with: April McCrumb<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

PAPER ARTIST AND ENTREPRENEUR<\/h4>\n
by joyce wiswell | photo by brett mountain<\/h6>\n

April McCrumb always was a creative person, but she never dreamed she\u2019d make a career of it. She did the sensible thing, going to college to become a special education teacher and limiting her hobby to the occasional art show. But when her handmade paper products began to really sell,McCrumb chucked the idea of a career in education to pursue her art full time.<\/p>\n

She and husband Steve opened Catching Fireflies<\/a>, the trendy gift shop in downtown Berkley, in 2000 \u2013 mainly because she\u2019d outgrown her papermaking studio in their basement in Oak Park. Steve quit his teaching job to run the paper business, a.i. Paper Design<\/a> (named for his wife\u2019s childhood business, April\u2019s Ideas), when its success soared, as did the store\u2019s.<\/p>\n

In 2003, the couple established a Berkley studio for the manufacture of April\u2019s products \u2013 whimsical photo frames, message boards, photo albums and recipe stands \u2013 while also expanding Catching Fireflies\u2019 retail space. They opened a third store in Rochester in 2006, after closing their Grand Rapids location.<\/p>\n

Between a.i. Paper Design and Catching Fireflies, April and Steve now employ 16 people. They plan to grow their Web business and eventually open another store in metro Detroit.<\/p>\n

It all requires a lot of juggling, but McCrumb, 33, thrives on being active. \u201cI\u2019m a busy girl, but it\u2019s not out of control,\u201d she says. \u201cI love my life, and there are no complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n

8:30 A.M. RISE AND SHINE<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty nice deal, I\u2019m not going to deny it,\u201d McCrumb says of her eight to nine hours of sleep each night. Soon after rising, she\u2019s munching cereal in her home office and surfing the Web.<\/p>\n

9 A.M. LEARNING FROM OTHERS<\/h3>\n

A popular part of McCrumb\u2019s Web site is her blog<\/a>, which she continually strives to upgrade by seeing how other artists and gift shops do theirs. \u201cI subscribe to a lot of blogs, and peruse all those first,\u201d McCrumb says. \u201cIt\u2019s my classroom in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

10 A.M. CATCHING UP<\/h3>\n

The peacefulness of her home office allows McCrumb to plow through mountains of paperwork \u2013 handling e-mail correspondence, developing marketing materials, planning trade shows. Afterward, she\u2019ll toy with paper designs on the computer using Adobe Photoshop, a relatively new technique for her after years of hand drawing. Lately, a large chunk of her time goes to planning the Berkley Art Bash; McCrumb is chair of the June 14 event.<\/p>\n

NOON INTO THE WORLD<\/h3>\n

Quiet time is over as McCrumb ventures into the world, dropping by the Berkley store to check in with her manager and retrieve phone messages<\/p>\n

12:30 P.M. LUNCH FOR TWO<\/h3>\n

McCrumb arrives at the nearby paper studio to pick up Steve. \u201cWe go out for a casual lunch and catch up with what\u2019s happening,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

2 P.M. TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s back to the studio, where McCrumb goes through the mail; meets with her graphics, studio and shipping managers; and orders stock and supplies for the stores and studio. \u201cI inevitably have phone calls,\u201d she says, \u201cso it all always takes longer than I think it will<\/p>\n

3:30 P.M. BEING CREATIVE<\/h3>\n

McCrumb finally gets to work her craft, designing and creating products. She also works on the businesses\u2019 booth and presentations during the all-important trade-show season.<\/p>\n

6 P.M. OFF TO THE STORE<\/h3>\n

On Thursdays, McCrumb visits one of the Catching Fireflies stores, taking stock of inventory and changing the window displays. Other days, she continues working in the studio on her designs, or runs personal and business errands.<\/p>\n

6:30 P.M. DINNER TIME<\/h3>\n

Back home for the evening, McCrumb throws together a quick dinner, such as tacos or a casserole. \u201cI\u2019m not much of a cook,\u201d she says with a laugh. Warm weather finds her puttering in the garden at the couple\u2019s Beverly Hills home.<\/p>\n

8 P.M. BLOG TIME<\/h3>\n

Ensconced at the computer, McCrumb works on her blog, in which she writes about everything from cool shops she\u2019s discovered to new products under design. \u201cIt\u2019s still work,\u201d she says, \u201cbut it\u2019s sort of also my hobby.\u201d<\/p>\n

11 P.M. OFF TO BED<\/h3>\n

After perhaps a bit of TV, it\u2019s usually lights out by midnight. \u201cI\u2019m not one of those people who get by with five hours,\u201d McCrumb admits. \u201cI need my sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n