If you're going to start a business, you might as well do it with your best friend – at least that's how Deb Bourbeau and Jackie Young felt. They're co-owners of Scrappin' Soul Sisters, a scrapbook supply shop and studio tucked away on Perley Street in the American Legion building.
Deb and Jackie met each other about 15 years ago, when their daughters, Carrie and Megan, joined the Girl Scout troop in Bow. The troop needed leaders, and Deb and Jackie signed on to help. Now, Carrie and Megan credit themselves for their moms' friendship (as well they should).
In August of 2004, Deb and Jackie had just completed a shopping trip to a scrapbook store in Hampton Beach when Jackie brought up the idea of opening up their own store. There weren't any scrapbook supply shops in the Concord area, and Deb already had a customer base through working as a Creative Memories consultant (a direct selling company specializing in scrapbooking). Though Deb had to wait a year for her contract with Creative Memories to run out, Jackie was able to set up shop right away, and Scrappin' Soul Sisters opened its doors for the first time in January 2005.
Jackie was the one who came up with the name, Scrappin' Soul Sisters, a reference to the community that builds around the hobby of scrapbooking. The shop offers several opportunities for meeting people and getting some work done on albums. On Tuesday, customers can come in from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and use the back room workspace and tools for free. This is no small luxury – it's tough to find room at home to spread out when working on a project. There are also Friday night “crops” – for $12, you get dinner, catered by Jackie's mom, and use of the work room from 6 p.m. to midnight while hanging out with friends. As Deb put it, “You never leave hungry. And you might gain a few pounds while you're here.”
Deb and Jackie cited one example of friend-making – two customers who met at the shop discovered that they were actually backyard neighbors! Much like The Insider, scrapbooking is all about bringing people together.
Aside from the being friends part, Deb and Jackie make a pretty good team, thanks to their ability to work on and grow different parts of the business. At the beginning of our interview, the two went back and forth describing all of the great things the other person does. It made me want to be best friends with them, too – it's always nice to have someone around to extol your virtues.
Deb is the marketing guru, which makes sense, considering she has a marketing degree. She also organizes two annual trips to Beacon Resort in Lincoln. It's sort of like a scrapbook retreat – for four days, attendees get table space, meals and 24-hour access to a satellite Scrappin' Soul Sisters store. If you want polka-dot paper at 2 a.m., you get polka-dot paper. Jackie said Debbie is a little bit like Julie of “The Love Boat” on these trips. Deb calls it “the ultimate girls getaway weekend.”
Deb also works for the state, so she's busy during the day. That's okay with Jackie, who excels at the day-to-day operations part of the business. She meets with vendors, order, supplies and helps scrapbooking newbies get started. Deb says that if you come in looking for glue, they're not going to direct to you aisle four – they'll show you what the store carries and explain the differences between the products. Jackie is also on hand to research and order whatever you might need for your project if the store doesn't carry it.
In a nutshell, if you're into scrapbooking or think you might want to check it out, Scrappin' Soul Sisters is the place to be. There's ready access to materials with plenty of space to spread out, not to mention the friendly help. Consider it scrapbook heaven.
