Anthony Piperno, formerly Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer, has taken the reins as president of A.C. Moore Arts and Crafts. Piperno began his career in the arts-and-crafts business in Nov. 2005 in sales and merchandising at wholesale distributor Sbar’s. He rose to the position of president by October 2011 when Sbar’s acquired A.C. Moore. Since that time, Piperno has held merchandising posts of increasing responsibility at A.C. Moore, which operates 135 locations along the East Coast.
Piperno succeeds his father Pepe Piperno in the role of president. Pepe Piperno will continue to be actively involved in the business as Chairman and CEO. “I am thrilled to pass the torch and watch Anthony drive the company we love to the next level,” said Pepe Piperno in a statement. “He brings a dynamic mix of leadership, operational excellence and passion to his new role. This, combined with Anthony’s industry knowledge and acumen, make him uniquely qualified to lead A.C. Moore into the future.”
“It is a privilege to be part of an organization filled with such dedicated and talented individuals,” said Anthony Piperno in a statement. “I plan to deliver on the shared vision that we have established and take A.C. Moore to the forefront of creative consumers worldwide.”
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Last November, A.C. Moore’s parent company Nicole Crafts LLC acquired online arts-and-crafts retailer Blitsy and entered into an exclusive partnership with Zibbet, a peer-to-peer marketplace that supports more than 50,000 independent creatives.
A.C. Moore started as a single location in Moorestown, N.J., in 1985, and Sbar’s served as its wholesale distributor from the beginning. In early 2011, A.C. Moore was put up for sale as management struggled to avoid bankruptcy. Since taking the company private, the Piperno family has been credited with turning the chain’s fortunes around.
Pepe Piperno joined Sbar’s, then a single retail store in Camden, N.J., as a general helper in 1963. After building Sbar’s wholesale distribution business starting in the early 1970s, he was named company president in 1985. In 1988, Piperno purchased the business.
