I have good reason to get the word out to as many people about how I was cheated while working as an artists/consignor with a little boutique called Joyful Expressions located in Hudson, Wisconsin. I started with this "group of friends" back in October 2011 when they opened their store made up of various artisans who came to consign their items for sale and paid a fee of everything that sold. The owners, five of them, are crafters themselves who sell their wares also.
I created many pieces made of recycled products - all from paper to vintage buttons, jars to old Christmas lights . . . to name just a few of the items I re-purpose recreate into items that are sought after at various boutiques I have been involved. I hot glued, poxied, tooled, beaded . . . and one of my most popular items I created were my hand tooled barbed wire crosses made out of antique 75+ barbed wire that I obtained from a contact about an hour away. I took a risk as I filled my vehicle with the naughty wire and risked injury as both my husband and I maneuvered it into our vehicle.
For weeks I cleaned, cut and separated barbed wire and I thought I would never be done. Our garage was out of service for weeks and I nearly ruined my hand cutting the thick wire into pieces, but with the help of my husband we were able to get three bundles untangled and ready for the fun.
I constructed these crosses with rusty wire into crosses that you hang on the wall. There were small, medium and larger sizes and sold them at Joyful Expressions from $5.95 to $21.95 each depending on the size and thickness. Instantly they were popular and I had been called numerous times to bring more stock in. It was exciting to say the least, but I began to realize this was a great seller. Being told by the owners in their monthly bulletin to the consignors, these crosses were one of the more popular sellers. I was proud.
After the holidays, I was amazed at how many crosses I sold, I continued making more crosses and started making them available online and selling to people on my FB and friends. Word got around about these unique pieces of art and I was thrilled. In April, the consignors received notice from Joyful Expressions they were going to be increasing the fees - outside of what was worth me to continue working with them. I sent the lead person a note advising her that I couldn't continue making my pieces available year round - plus working a near full-time job elsewhere and being a mom and wife also. The new contract for the increased fees started on May 1st. They had asked me to come pick up my unsold items, which I did so after May 1st.
When I went to the store to pick up my items, my husband - who is usually not interested in crafting - came along just in case I needed help carrying my items to the vehicle. There were customers in the store and one of the lead ladies of the business was helping a customer. As I was waiting for her to be completed with the customer, my husband pulled me to a display and asked me if the cross he was pointing to was made by me. I looked in amazement at a recreation of my barbed wire crosses - which someone from the store decided to copy before I even exited as a consignor. Remember the group of ladies I was working with were friends who stood by the fact they would not accept duplicates when the store first opened.
The following are posts from my FaceBook page which explains in greater detail the conversation I had with the lead person of the boutique.
May 19- Anjanette,Hey girlie. Just to let you know I stopped by the store today and picked up my goods. Thanks for being patient with me to pick the stuff up. It's been a whirlwind in our life lately. Chuck came with me because I didn't know if I needed help with carrying stuff or not. Mary was at the store and helping a shopper with a purchase. We waited and looked around and Chuck brought it to my attention that someone copied my idea of the barbed wire crosses. He was irate! I had to tell him at least four time to settle down because I didn't want a scene to be made. I didn't say anything to Mary because I didn't know what to do, and she didn't deserve anything based on our reaction because she was probably not a decision maker on that item being made. Chuck kept saying it was terrible. I didn't know what to think right way, but the more I thought about it I do agree with him. The idea was my spiritual idea. I made each one of those out of love for my faith and to make money. It was a risky chance that it would sell or not, and luckily it was well received. There is a "code of ethics" when it comes to crafting. Because it was a good seller, someone doesn't have to go and copy my idea. What's even worse is that the artist who made them didn't do a very good job. The crosses are loose and makes a joke out of mine that I worked so hard and carefully on. The wire doesn't match and whoever it was used glue. I was insulted. There are two points I am making. First, they copied my product and idea. Second, they did a shotty job. They copied it right down to the size and that is insulting. I am not trying to make it personal, but if the store wants to do quality products, the crafters needs to do quality items. My crosses were made by an artist - me - and it took me a lot of time to wire each one, picking out the right pieces to assemble the pieces. As much as their similarity, they also are completely different - in quality. They are charging the same for them too. What imagination did it take for that person to copy my item. I am terribly disappointed and feel betrayed that this was allowed. Whoever came up with the idea of copying the exact sizes I made, should be ashamed of themselves.
So with that, I need to end because I am angry and frustrated.
This is not ethical in a group of friends. Just saying!
Talk to you soon. VickieMay 19
May 19Anjanette Conway- Dear Vickie ~
I feel terrible that you are upset.
I just can't seem to figure out how to help every one be happy ~ customers, core, artists . . . I am not sure I will figure it out.
All I I can do is cry. I am sorry I do not have a better response. All I know is that I love you so dearly and couldn't go to bed with out telling you that.
xoxoxox
Anjanette
- Anjanette, I know it puts you in a weird position, but because you own a majority of the business you have the right and duty to say something, to me this kills the credibility of the shop the people running it. Artists will come and go in the business and if the inspiration and imagination of the creativeness is copied, especially between friends ... It's not right and ethical. All you have to do is tell that individual they cannot make the crosses because they were someone elses creation. You told everyone from day one you didn't allow duplicates and if the store wanted to continue to sell the crosses, I could have been iasked if I could supply them on a monthly basis, or had the opportunity to be kindly asked if another crafter could make the crosses...of course my answer would have been "no". It just makes me sick and validates that some of the crafters are not ethical and don't think about other friend crafters. It feels.like I was used.
- Anjanette, Just checking in to see if you've made the decision yet to pull the crosses at the boutique yet? Kind of waiting for a reply on that. Thanks!From that point I hadn't heard from the store owners for 14 days, which proved to me they were not willing to advise me if they were or were not planning on removing the duplicated crosses from their store, at which point I decided to post the following to my FB page:
Vickie Armstrong shared Vickie Armstrong's photo.
Perplexed by a situation and need to voice my feelings . . .
remember I was working with a little boutique called Joyful Expressions in Hudson, Wisc. and I supported them and made available items handcrafted by myself - them making a profit off each item I sold. My most successful creations and one that generated most of the revenue made by myself were the 75+ year old barbed wire crosses you may have seen posted I put much time and effort into tooling together - and had been praised by staff and friends that they were "wildly popular and one of the best selling items in the store." Well, due to an increase of fees recently at the store, I had to back out doing business with them. Without even being out the door I discovered another crafter made several of the same item which obviously was a copy of my idea - right down to the prices, size of crosses she made and general design. However, they aren't even lovingly tooled together like I had done - because I am an artist! I feel it is a poor attempt at copying my idea. My belief is - the code of ethics especially among friends and fellow crafters connected to a specific location - you don't copy someone's creative and spiritual ideas. Well, to date I haven't heard back from leadership about my dismay and concerns. This feels like something was stolen from me and I am insulted!!!! Any crafter interested in doing business with Joyful Expressions, please be forewarned of the things that happen - your inspirational ideas may be copied before you know it. I am warning you . . . just saying!(above you can see just some of my original crosses made and displayed at Joyful Expressions - found on the Joyful Expressions website.)Within minutes I found a flurry of comments of friends who were and weren't connected to the store, supporting me on how terrible it was that leadership didn't reply to me, didn't ask for my permission to allow someone else to duplicate my idea, and some suggested that I contact an attorney or file a claim through small claims court to seek damages. Another leader from the group replied that "there was two sides to the story" which instantly created comments from my friends asking for the other side so people can understand both perspectives. Well, that individual didn't reply - I am sure because she realized after commenting they didn't have anything to offer to make the situation right. She knew she was wrong by even commenting.Within moments of posting the above, the head leader commented the below to me and I replied thereafter.
- Anjanette Conway
- wow. i have been thinking and praying and composing quite a long email, but wanted to run it by my team before i made a final decision. we haven't been together until today, but i guess that was too slow for you which seems odd after we called you for months and you didn't respond to us fron Jan to April. i may need to rethink my decision after your post.
- Anjanette, you never deal with the issues. I sent a message to you telling you this was seriously frustrating and you didn't deal with the issue then. You kept saying you wanted to do the thing and make everyone happy, but the best way to deal with things is to put your own feet in other peoples shoes and deal with what needs to be done - period. You own half the business. I asked over a week ago for you to just do the duty and deal with the issue, doing the right thing. Bringing up the fact that you all were trying to reach me for months is diverting the issue at hand now. You saying that didn't make any sense...that only may have frustrated you all but part of the reason I had to drop out was because the increased fees were more than what I could offer obligating myself year-round to a fee with working another job. That message I sent was 10 days ago. This post took you only one hour to reply. This is not what I wanted, but it is deeper because of what it took to inspire my talent that your other people can copy. Not just to me, but possibly others. I just don't like you trying to turn this back on me when the topic was inspired by my heart, mind, hands and faith.
June 5Anjanette Conway- Dear Vickie ~
After much prayer and discernment, it is with a very heavy heart we write to say goodbye. There is nothing we could say or do, there is nothing you could say or do, to fix the damage that has been done. So it is here we part ways. Know that you have our love and prayers. Best of luck where ever your journey take you next.
We wish you and your family peace, joy and love.
Joyful Expressions
June 5Vickie Armstrong- Anjanette,
I appreciate your response, however it troubles me you continue to avoided the issue at hand that started all of this - and how do you guarantee and prevent this from happening again in the future with your store? My frustration was that my item got copied without my knowledge and it took my husband being with me to see the copied crosses in the store. Can you imagine how that felt for me. Like a brick wall when it was my "supposed friends" who did this in the first place. Up until then I really had the intention that I was just taking a break from the store - nothing more. Working and trying to keep life together with the kids and my job - I just couldn't do it full time anymore. I needed a break. Wish I could have continued, but realized I couldn't any more. I love the shop, the people, the concept, your dream. What's hard for me is that I waited and even sent a reminder message to you and still didn't hear back for over 10 days later - not even a "hey Vickie, I really want to answer your question but I haven't found the right answer yet to your concern." That's all it would have taken. I guess I am at a point in my life I am sick of being dragged around in the dirt and I needed to finally say "enough" with being frustrated and being used. I told myself "girl, speak up for yourself." Well, that part is new to you ladies because I haven't spoken up for myself much in my life and maybe it isn't what you all wanted to hear, but I didn't have a choice. No answer to me about something that was so precious to me, not only spiritual and expressing my creativeness - do you realize that every time I pricked my hand when I was tooling those crosses together I felt just a piece of what Jesus felt. It reminded me of what he must have endured, but just a little at a time. You all took a part of that "special" away from me when you not only allowed a copy to be made, but did it without me knowing - then not replying to my concern.
Friendship goes both ways. I never did anything that deserved this, nor the nasty words that Mary mentioned that "things go both ways". I would prefer not to have friends who steal and tell me I did something wrong when I didn't, and wish I could change the situation but I didn't start it in the first place. So, farewell to you - may your business thrive on stolen ideas - and this won't be the last that you hear about this until I have proof from you and Joyful Expressions that the crosses that were my idea are no longer being made available at your store by someone who is playing pretend.
Farewell, VickieSo with all the above have taken place, I never got confirmation or their feelings if they will be pulling the duplicated crosses or not in their store. I talked with a source this morning who indicated they were in the store later this week and the copy crosses were still available for sale. I am appauled and wish they would just pull the crosses. They were not their idea and it appears they are copying several items that consignors were making who have since pulled out from doing business with them.I plan to make my crosses available at other locations in the near future, but feel it is the principle of the matter they didn't get the hint they need to stop selling knock offs of other peoples products. And these were supposed to be my friends I am talking about.Let me know your thoughts. This is more than just making something and selling them to make a profit. This is personal. Thanks for reading this and for your support . . .Sincerely ~ Woodbury Mom Artist
This is Joyful Expressions FB link - please feel free to comment if you wish at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joyful-Expressions-Gift-Art-Decor/226528544072512
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