Around the Block Joins Ultra*Pro Family

Ultra*Pro Corp, already the parent company of scrapbooking manufacturers 7 Gypsies and Chatterbox, announced July 10th that it has also added the company Around the Block to its growing scrapbook industry portfolio.

Around the Block, which was founded in 2005 by Guinevere Wessell and Jennifer Straus and previously owned by Masterpieces Puzzle Company, specializes in creating tools for scrapbookers. Their most recent introduction is the Paper Gator, a tabletop corner rounder tool that cuts through multiple sheets of paper (or even chipboard), and which features several available cutting blades for different corner cuts. Around the Block also makes the Tape Writer, a label-maker type tool with interchangeable font wheels.

Ultra*Pro will move Around the Block's operations to their City of Commerce, CA headquarters just as they have done with previous acquisitions 7 Gypsies and Chatterbox. Ultra*Pro has been on something of a scrapbook company buying spree of late - it was only in Dec. 2007 that they snatched up the reportedly struggling Chatterbox.