Lee Valley Catalog

[Don Shirey]

I received the latest LV catalog in the mail today, Rob Lee is to be congratulated and thanked for continuing to publish such a beautiful catalog each year. Many if not most "catalog" stores are stopping this kind of publishing and going to online catalogs only. Usually they are a shadow of the published ones, and no where near as entertaining. So kudos to Rob and his staff for maintaining this annual work of art.

[Matt Meiser]

And then they followed it up with a free shipping email...evil

[Jim Koepke]

Great bedside reading material... Always sweet dreams.

jtk

[paul cottingham]

I keep one in the "reading room" but they keep mysteriously disappearing. My good wife keeps denying any involvement.

[glenn bradley]

Great bedside reading material... Always sweet dreams.

jtk

Wait, I'm not the only one here who does that!?!

[Hilton Ralphs]

I keep one in the "reading room".

That's the sole reason I have magazines.

[Rob Lee]

I received the latest LV catalog in the mail today, Rob Lee is to be congratulated and thanked for continuing to publish such a beautiful catalog each year. Many if not most "catalog" stores are stopping this kind of publishing and going to online catalogs only. Usually they are a shadow of the published ones, and no where near as entertaining. So kudos to Rob and his staff for maintaining this annual work of art.

Hi Don -

Thanks for the comments - I'll pass them through to our publications group - who deserve the kudos.

I think the entire "catalog" industry is flux with respect to printed material - and we're no different. No one disputes the utility and desirability of print - but the costs are staggering. The challenge for firms like us is to ensure that catalogues get to people who want and use them - sending them out can no longer be the semi-speculative activity it has been in the past. We're still working out future mailing policies... but I believe we will have to move to an "annual opt-in" process for the large books - it won't be automatic. Next year - we hope to have the catalogues available significantly ahead of the scheduled mail date, so we can insert them into orders for awhile first.

In any event - we're listening carefully to what people want...!

Cheers -

Rob

[Mel Fulks]

The LV catalogs are so visually appealing and the descriptions so well done. I'm not a big spender anymore but when I have not received the big woodworking catalog I have called ,asked for one ,and made it clear that I did not mind paying for it.

[lowell holmes]

Maybe we should pay for the catlogs with the understanding that orders of a certain magnitude would be credited with the purchase price of the catalog.

It's just a thought.

[Gary Herrmann]

Rob, we need a video of your tool collection. I enjoyed the screwdrivers and drills on the last cover.

[george wilson]

I agree with lowell, Pay for the catalog,with refund on first order(over the price of the catalog). We have a home business,and know catalogs are a problem.

[Hilton Ralphs]

I'm not so sure people will pay for it if Lee Valley were to charge for the catalog. The problem is then what print run do you order? The online and downloadable catalogs are a step forward as well as that fancy crapple app. Perhaps more dollars should be spent in providing more detail in the catalog rather than in printing (more photographs, more specs, reviews, longer video without the lengthy intro etc). If people still want the hard copy, make it available to order only once a year, then at least Lee Valley knows how many to print.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Last weekend, I placed an order and checked the box for a new catalogue. Unbeknown to me, my new catalogue was already in the mail to me, and when my parcel arrived Thursday, I got another catalogue in the box. Boy, did I feel guilty about hogging another catalogue. Then I thought of taking it to work and passing it on to a client, or coworker....you know...maybe someone unfamiliar with LV. It's like evangelizing and converting the unwashed.

[Hilton Ralphs]

It's like evangelizing and converting the unwashed.

Or the heathens who buy the other brand

[William Adams]

As a typographer, I really appreciate the catalog, esp. that they use real prime and double prime symbols for foot and inch marks, nice fractions, &c.