Business Buzz

Rubber stamps are making their mark-and we don't just mean on paper. These days, anything from tennis shoes to tablecloths is fair game for those with an itch to ink.

"Fabric stamping has gotten really popular," says Teresa Lohr, owner of Stamp Soup, a rubber stamp store in Long Beach, California. "It's art without anxiety. The majority of [rubber stamp enthusiasts] are not artists. This does your artwork for you, and it looks fabulous."

Speaking of fabulous, Lohr expects her fledgling shop to increase sales by 20 percent this year. She's not the only one benefiting from the trend: Rubberstampmadness-a publication for stamp devotees-has enjoyed a 100 percent increase in circulation in the past two years. And David Hachmeister, publisher of the trade magazine Rubber Stampin' Retailer, projects the $150 million to $200 million art stamp industry will grow 15 percent to 20 percent this year.

"It's an addiction," says Lohr. Call it what you will: It seems safe to say rubber stamp fever is a long way away from being stamped out.

This article was originally published in the February 1996 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Business Buzz.