By Appointment Only?

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I have never heard of a frameshop being strictly By Appointment only. Our shop is open 5 days a week with customers having the option to book an appointment for mondays if they can't make it any other day. But usually we just open then as well as we don't have a huge increase of "appointments" booked.

I can't see how one with Appointment only would be succesfull. IMHO.

Justin A.
 
IMHO = in my humble opinion
 
I have a confession... I do

I've run my custom framing business for the past 9 years on a "By Appointment Only" basis. The reason for this is because I am... wait for it.... home-based.

I've had my shop in my home so that I would be able to be home with my children (when they were younger) and have the flexibility to attend school functions, etc. as they grew older.

I prefer to set up appointments with my customers that are mutually convenient, whether it be weekdays, evenings, weekends or, on occasion, holidays. Sometimes, I need to go pick up my framing supplies at my local distributer, so I rather not have customers just dropping by in case I am out on an errand.

I know that it probably doesn't sound like a very successful business plan, but it has worked quite well for me for 9 years. I don't have a huge framing business, but I have steady work, have always made a profit (knock wood) and I have had a wonderful opportunity to be home for my children.

I have the required business licenses, permits, etc. to be home-based, (in case anyone is wondering). I've read other threads on home-based vs. retail locations(some of which seemed to have generated quite a heated discussion). I've been reluctant to identify myself as a home-based framer in the past. However, I thought it was important to let it be known that a 'By Appointment Only' operation can be successful, although probably more applicable for the home-based framer than for a retail location.

I hope I haven't offended anybody for not identifying myself as home-based before now.:o
 
I would love to work to have appointments. In a small one man shop it would allow better time management.

I've kicked around the idea and might even consider starting it one day a week after the 1st of the year. I thinking of offering a small 10 - 15% discount if they make an appointment and show up on time.

framer
 
I have always been and still am by appointment only, although that still may change soon. Framing is a (growing) part of what I do. My sign reads "By Appointment or by Chance" and after four years of running a shop this way, people actually seek me out. This is only surprising to me because I am hard to find (in an old mill building) and have an advertising budget of zero. That said, business could be better sometimes. I still haven't dealt with the location issue in the thread linked by CA framer above. Through an unfortunate event, (the death of a friend) I am being offered the right of first refusal on purchasing an ideal location and stand alone building 1/4 mile from my present place... high traffic count, decent on street parking, remodeled gallery space and large work room. If the money is right I will probably buy it, at which point I will be "Open for Business" 6 days a week, 9:30 - 5:30, hire a part-timer and toss and turn at night about my decision. I'll let you know how it goes....
 
Thank you all.

As some of you may know, because of expanding art sales we are opening a new gallery in April which will only feature my fine art photography work in a new high end tourist based location about 10 minutes away from our current location. Custom framing will not be offered in the new gallery.

We currently have the existing custom framing business up for sale and if we do sell it, that will be fine. However, if we do not sell it, we could consider a "By Appointment Only" arrangement.

The current gallery is quite small, but efficient. Quite honestly, we can only handle one customer with another one waiting before it seems to get crowded. It also seems that activity in the parking lot breeds activity. In other words, there is either no customers in the gallery, or there is three at once, making for an uncomfortable situation at times.

In our situation I "think" many customers would appreciate a calmer, more personalized level of service, but I'm not sure and I have yet to ask them. I was just curious if this does work and the home base/by appointment model seems to indicate it might.

Sincere thanks!
 
KL Smith said:
In our situation I "think" many customers would appreciate a calmer, more personalized level of service, but I'm not sure and I have yet to ask them. I was just curious if this does work and the home base/by appointment model seems to indicate it might.
Click to expand...

Ken, I KNOW that my customers appreciate that undivided attention that I'm able to give them when they come to my shop for their 'personal framing consultation'. It has been my experience that most customers show up at the scheduled time for their appointment. It has been rare that I've had customers arrive more than a couple minutes late or not at all. I guess I've been fortunate these past 9 years...

Best of luck with your new gallery.
 
Pretty sure most here know I've been "at-home" for 16 years. It depends on your aim and clientele. This method of operation has been a tremendous boon to both me and my customers because they get the personalized attention they crave (I've ingrained that into them) and I get to be flexible enough to have a life. They know I'm working most of day and will often call spur of the moment. I'm very generous with my time and accommodate almost any request.

It's not for everyone. The pitfalls are that you can't get away from it without strong discipline of yourself, and you're subject to evening and weekend appointments at a customer call. But our business is constant, growing each year, and very personalized. It was a necessary decision 16 years ago to be here, and it has been a wonderful ride. Maybe I'll retire in a few years, but when you love what you do and it's financially rewarding, the thought seems silly to contemplate.
 
We had run our business at home for about 8 years before moving into a store front. The by appointment idea is great, an especially if you have a gallery and still want to do custom framing.

We aren't the busiest frameshop, but the individual attention that our clients get I believe makes them feel like a million dollars. We have had 2 people in 6 months book appointments with us, and they love it. I hope that this makes sense because as I am typing it is not flowing properly. Well thats all.

Justin A.
 
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