Ideas Needed

[Janis]

I'm in the process of changing my store name, redoing my web site, and improving the feel of my store.

Two and a half years ago I purchased the framing business (the former owner retired). I already had an establish scrapbook store and brought the framing business to it. The framing business is definitely my bread and butter, and that is where I need the focus.

I've trageted the end of September to have the change publicized. However, I'm trying to figure out a good title for this event and what kind of event I want it to be. It's not really a grand opening or re-opening or new location. Any ideas for me?

[Val]

How 'bout
"Miters and Memories"

or

"Memories and Miters"

[Cliff Wilson]

I guess I'm a little confused. Are you asking for new store names, or a title for your event? If the later, what will be your new store name? That might help us coem up with a title for the event.

How about "Re-launch" and you use pictures of the shuttle. Come up with some caption that says "like the shuttle" you've been "retooled" and are ready to go into orbit! You could play that theme in a number of ways.

Good Luck!

[Grumbler F.K.A. Harry]

My First though, seeing as you are in Kansas is to call your store, "Emerald City Framers".

You can tell your customers to "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" all the way to your door.

Your campaign can be, "Off to see the Framer"

[Tim Hayes.]

Maybe if you could post your website address and tell us a little more about your business it would help in providing suggestions for the name change and event publicity. Thanks

[J Phipps TN]

I love Vals idea.

I have to ask... If it was a Scrap booking store 1st and then you added the framing and now the Framing is the bread and butter... Are all scrapbooking stores going out? If so, what's the deal with that?

[Patrick Leeland]

ok well why cant you tie it in with National Picture Framing month in October???? You could rename the biz do the website and try to get some pub about National Picture Framing month...cross promo if you will.


I like the idea...anyone anyone???


PL

[Janis]

What I'm looking for is a title for my event. I've got a new name for my store, Framing Memories, pending approval from the state that it's not already taken. After much discussion and surveying of customers, I made the decision that I definitely wanted some form of the word "Frame" for the beginning of my new name. My new logo has two frames (one silver, one red) that are offset from one another with the beginning of the word "Framing" in the top frame, and the beginning of the word "Memories" in the bottom frame.

I'm planning the event for the last weekend in September - don't want to do it any earlier as September is a really bad month here for sales, but the last weekend puts us to at the beginning of October. Gives me enough time to plan and put together a good event. And I don't want to go on into October as my daughter is due to have her second baby then. Know I'll be helping out there, especially if she ends up with any complications like she did last time.

My new website is being devloped so don't have that info to share at this time.

As to why framing is the bread and butter (beside the fact that I really like it and have a passion for it, and am fairly good at it) - the scrapbook industry has become saturated - you can find scrapbook supplies everywhere, even the grocery store! With the majority of sales coming from paper and stickers averaging 60 cents per sheet of paper and $1.99 for stickers, you have to sell a high volume to actually make a buck. I'm in a small, rural, elderly (fixed-income) low-income area, so the market isn't very large. On top of that, there are scrapbook stores in all the area towns (they've all opened within the past couple years - one has closed, and I'm just watching to see how long the others last). I could put the same amount of hours into working the scrapbook side of my business and can barely make 1/4th of what I can on the framing side. I'd much rather focus my time and attention on the framing side where the real income is. I've scaled back the scrapbook section considerably, but don't want to totally do away with it because it does bring in some extra income, and I do have a number of loyal scrapbook customers who have since become framing customers as well, plus I, my mom, daughter, and enough others want those basic supplies so it's worth it to me. And,yes, Jennifer, a great many scrapbook stores have closed over the past couple of years for the very reasons I mentioned - not enough high dollar products, very time intensive (always making sample pages, trying to keep up with the myriad of new products/techniques constantly coming out, hosting classes/workshops after hours, and on weekends (which cuts into family time), and a host of other reasons.

Hope I've adequately answered the questions that were posed - feel like I wrote a book! ha!

[RoboFramer]

Haven't got an idea for your title Janis, but we also carry scrapbooking materials and have also seen, not just srapbooking shops, but craft shops in general - including needlecraft shops, go under.

What none of them had was anything to carry them, all they were doing really was buying goods and selling them on - you have framimg, maybe art too. If we took our framing/art away, we would never survive as a craft shop alone. Nor would crafts generate much custom from the framing/art side,, but framing DEFINITELY generates custom from the craft side. Here anyway.

[DB]

How about a 'wedding', since you are marrying the two stores? You can do some unique invitations with the scrapbooking supplies, and you can use the wedding theme to promote ideas for ways customers can use both businesses.

[Baer Charlton]

This could be the chance of a life time and dear to every framer out there who ever sold a job that they could build by using moulding shorts, dreyage fabric, drop-out board, and extra backing....

You could name it after every framers dream, but the general buying public wouldn't understand....

and too bad, because "Scrap Framing" is such a great name. :D

[jframe]

"dreyage fabric"????

[Doug Gemmell]

"Scrappenframe" ?

I think that's German for what Baer said. graemlins/beer.gif

[j Paul]

"Frame Scraps" Oh! pardon me, that is not a name for your store but for the Guy from Or. (other thread) recommending custom framing via recyling old scrap frames and such. :D

[Val]

ouch - but good one, jPaul!

[Baer Charlton]

Originally posted by jframe:
"dreyage fabric"???? I'm probably wrong... have been running that way lately... but I think it's the old term for "reminates"? Fabric scraps. graemlins/faintthud.gif

[337668]

Hold a competition and ask your customers or potential customers to suggest a new name.

You don’t have to us any of the suggestions but it could be fun to see what your customer base or potential customer base would call your shop………and it could generate good media cover twice….one to announce the competition and the second to announce the results/new name.

[Janis]

I already have a new store name. It's a title for the grand event that I'm looking for - when I officially announce my new store name and have all the remodeling done. At the moment I'm leaning toward "Extreme Store Makeover".