By Heather Posey
Staff Writer
A picture is worth a thousand words. And for those special pictures, the Scrapbooking Sisters offer a variety of styles and ways for people to preserve those special moments with their loved ones.
Gone are the blank photo albums of the past. From floral to flashy and scenic to Spiderman, Scrapbooking Sisters makes memories modern with their patterned papers, stickers, markers and albums. Owned by sisters Bertha and Theua, the Bixby Knolls shop gives rookie and veteran scrapbookers a sanctuary for their projects.
“We offer classes and we also have our crop days on Saturdays, where people who just need somewhere to go work at can bring in their projects and work on them here,” said Bertha Salgado.
Open for less than six months, Scrapbooking Sisters was the dream of both Bertha and Theua, who had been scrapbooking on their own for more than five years. When Bertha decided to turn her hobby into a career she looked to the Bixby Knolls community to establish her new home away from home.
“I had been driving around here for years when I was going to Long Beach City College and I thought the area was great,” said Salgado.
And since their August opening, the sisters have seen results.
“When I first started, I used to get quite a few people, but now things are slow but good,” she said. “People do come back and that’s a great thing.”
One thing that has customers coming back is her one-on-one private classes, where customers bring in their photos and get a personal tutorial on how to put together their own custom page.
“It’s very intimate. I’m able to help them with their [photo] projects and we do any theme from birthdays to summertime to the holidays,” said Salgado. “When I do one-on-one classes, it’s what you want and I’m there if you need ideas or just want a little help.”
She claims that with the craft’s many options, most do not think they are unable to create quality pages. “A lot of people get intimidated. They feel like they are not creative enough but it doesn’t have to be straight and perfect,” said Salgado. “Once they start working they realize that you can tear paper and make things crooked and it will be just fine.”
Scrapbooking Sisters also offers group classes, where visitors can learn to make a specific page designed by the sisters. According to Salgado, the pages are usually inspired by an upcoming holiday or season.
“We are going to be working on a Valentine’s Day layout and, with St. Patrick’s Day coming around, we’re going to do a St. Patrick’s Day page. You can also do a beach theme with people by the pool. It can be anything.”
Group classes range from $15 to $20 and are held the first and last Friday of the month and class participants also receive a 15-percent discount on all items purchased. The next class will be during First Fridays on Feb. 1.
Scrapbooking Sisters is located at 3932 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (562) 595-4222.
