MIK Michaels Companies Inc

Michaels, the best place for all things creative, today unveiled the first-ever brand campaign for MakerPlace by Michaels, the new online marketplace for truly handmade goods, classes and how-to’s, as well as an in-store selling pilot at Michaels Stores for MakerPlace sellers. These efforts are the latest in Michaels’ continuous evolution of the platform in support of the goal to be the best place for handmade sellers and shoppers.

“We launched MakerPlace by Michaels with the goal of becoming the best place for handmade sellers and their customers,” said Ashley Buchanan, Chief Executive Officer at Michaels. “Our latest efforts, including our first brand campaign and an in-store selling pilot, are just the beginning of what we have planned to deepen our support for the independent handmade community. MakerPlace, together with our stores and expanded ecommerce assortment, enable Michaels to be the true one-stop-shop to support handmade sellers along every step of their creative journey. We’re grateful to the MakerPlace sellers and customers who have been with us from our early beta and look forward to continuing to grow together.”

“Respect the Handmade” Brand Campaign The “Respect the Handmade” campaign was brought to life in partnership with creative agency OBERLAND, and celebrates the brand promise of respecting and supporting independent handmade artists and makers as well as the customers who turn to them for unique gifts, décor and more. The campaign will extend across social media, the MakerPlace website, and Michaels owned channels as well as streaming video and programmatic paid media.

The campaign is based on the concept of handmade goods coming to life, showcasing the thrill of discovering unique, handmade treasures and the joy these items bring to the customers purchasing them. It features an anthem spot set to a playful cover of the iconic song “Respect” performed by handcrafted puppets representing the kinds of items sold on MakerPlace, including goods available for purchase from sellers Sun Sprinkles and Breads and Threads Handmade.

• “I've been a MakerPlace by Michaels seller since the beta launch and have been thrilled to see Michaels continue to support and evolve the site,” said Linette Ramos de Soto of Breads and Threads Handmade on MakerPlace. “The new ‘Respect the Handmade’ campaign is a testament to the admiration Michaels and MakerPlace have for truly handmade businesses, and I’m so excited that my art will be featured and seen by millions.”

In-Store MakerPlace Seller Pilot MakerPlace was designed with the goal of helping handmade artists and makers succeed with lower fees, flexible membership options and more ways to earn. In parallel with the launch of the brand campaign, Michaels is leveraging its brick-and-mortar presence to test another way for MakerPlace sellers to earn through an in-store pilot program.

Select MakerPlace sellers will be invited to sell directly to their community via their local Michaels Store, creating a new opportunity to drive exposure and sales for their independent handmade businesses. Michaels customers will have the added benefit of discovering local handmade artists and shopping high-quality handmade goods across MakerPlace categories like home décor and accents, fine art, and woodwork alongside the Michaels offerings they know and love.

This pilot is the latest example of Michaels’ “test and learn” strategy, which takes a data-driven approach to launching and evaluating small scale in-market innovations that inform future launches.

• “Finding and reaching potential customers is one of the biggest challenges for small businesses, especially in the handmade space where online marketplaces have become crowded and difficult to break through,” said Jande Laulu of Jande Summer on MakerPlace. “I jumped at the invitation from Michaels to test their in-store MakerPlace pilot. It’s an exciting way to connect with my local community and reach new customers who love and appreciate handmade goods.”

The first in-store pilot began on Feb. 24 in seven stores across NC, FL, MO, IL, UT, LA, and MA, with the next pilot scheduled for March 23.

Visit https://www.makerplace.com to discover unique handmade goods, classes and how-to’s or open your own shop today.

About The Michaels Companies, Inc.At The Michaels Companies Inc, our purpose is to fuel the joy of creativity. As the leading creative destination in North America, we operate over 1,300 stores in 49 states and Canada and online at Michaels.com and Michaels.ca. The Michaels Companies, Inc. also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of custom and specialty framing merchandise, and MakerPlace by Michaels, a dedicated handmade goods marketplace. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, Michaels is the best place for all things creative. For more information, please visit www.michaels.com.

Media ContactRachel Petersenprcontact@michaels.com

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: 

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