Now that the U.S. leg of Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour is over, craft store chain Michaels is going to have to find something else to boost its business.
As USA Today reports, the trend of fans making friendship bracelets to wear and trade at the Eras Tour shows gave a massive boost to sales of jewelry-making kits and beads. John Gehre, the chief merchandising officer of Michaels Stores, told USA Today in an email that sales of those items are up more than 40% across the chain’s stores since mid-April, when the whole friendship bracelet thing really took off.
Gehre further wrote that in cities where Taylor performed, the local Michaels stores have seen a 300% sales increase in the days leading up to the show. Her stop in Detroit increased sales by 400%, while the two shows she did in her home state of Pennsylvania increased sales by more than 500%.
Michaels also capitalized on the trend by starting to offer bracelet-making classes, which has resulted in more than 22,000 bracelets being created.
Gehre noted that when the Eras Tour returns to the U.S. in 2024, they’ll have plenty of stock on hand.
“We’re excited to see that Taylor is already planning to tour again in 2024 and we’ll be ready with everything our Swiftie customers need to partake in the fun,” he told USA Today in an email.
The friendship bracelet craze began because of a line in Taylor’s song “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” in which she sings, “So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it/ You’ve got no reason to be afraid.”
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