Crafts 'n More ...much much more!

In May, while my husband was sipping his cappuccino in Steveston Coffee, I decided to slip next door to Crafts 'n More and see if they had embossing tools.

I love this store - with the profusion of silk flowers tumbling at the front door, jumbles of fat balls of yarn crammed inside oversized baskets, and the most inspiring craft projects arrayed in the windows.

I meandered my way up and down aisles padded tightly with endless this and that. It's amazing the number of hobbies they managed to squeeze under one roof. It's sort of like your grandmother's version of Michael's - cozy, friendly, and personal.

A tall slim lady asked if she could help me. I stammered out something about embossing tools. She drew my attention to bottles of solution lined up like stern soldiers on a top shelf. She was no expert on the subject, she conceded, but her daughter used the product for her embossing project. Unsatisfied with what she could suggest, however, the lady beckoned an older woman over from the front counter. Given that they didn't carry want I needed, the three of us stood elbow to elbow and discussed my options.

It turned out that my interest in embossing came well after the rest of crafters had moved on to bigger and better things. Typical of me, I thought, always a step or two behind what's in vogue.

The older lady suggested Michael's but first she walked me back to the front desk. Instead of putting money down for specialty tools, she demonstrated how I could fashion my own embossing tip with a pen. Just be sure to place the paper you wish to emboss atop something soft, like sheets of newspaper, she advised. She proceeded to do an impromptu demo so I could replicate the process at home. They both waved good bye and good luck to me as I exited the store, taking nothing with me but a warm glowing feeling of awe and gratitude.

Wow, I thought, these ladies really cared! You wouldn't find that sort of service from a big box store.

Now I know what Crafts 'n More means - it means more care and attention, more sharing of ideas, and more of plain good old fashioned one-on-one interaction.