What's on your window?

FrameMakers

PFG, Picture Framing God
Joined
Mar 20, 2001
Posts
7,395
Loc
Powell, OH
I am re-doing one of my storefronts, and am wondering what is on your windows? In the past we've had "Custom Framing" along with the store name. I am considering changing it to "Picture Framing". I have done a little survey of some neighbors and most think that "Custom" = expensive.

Do you list other services?
Can you post a photo of your store front?

Thanks
 
Mine has the name of the shop, followed by:

"Fine custom framing since 1977"

Boy, that sounds REALLY expensive.

On the door, I have the store hours in really big letters, plus the phone number in case anyone want to call up and yell at me for not being open.

Below that, it says "Pull."
 
Storefront photos, ........... OK.

leftstorefront.jpg


I traded off some of my old framing from my other gallery for some window treatments with a guy who was very good with a brush. I have my store name in large letters above my store on the facade, the store name again on each door, and over the window treatments I had him paint some wording just to catch the eye of drivers waiting on the street for the light to change. One window says "FAMILY HEIRLOOMS", the other says "SHADOWBOX DESIGNS".

storefrontright.jpg


On this side (my workroom), I have the same treatment on the door with the addition of "Please Use Other Entrance"! You'd be surprised at how many people try to enter the shop through that door regardless! Over those windows I have "MATTING & FRAMING" and "ALL WORK GUARANTEED".

In addition to the signage on the building, I also have a large sign on both sides of the marquee at the end of the plaza. I sort of overextended the city's sign ordinance pertaining to square footage allowed for signs but, so far, nobody has said anything about it.

If you have a vinyl sign company near you, similar window treatments can be done in vinyl. They really dress up the look of the windows and provide a display frame in each window should I decide to place framed art in the windows. I don't do that because of the East facing windows and the extreme sunlight coming in during the early day.

A side note, the door in the photo above had a solid wine colored base but my dog got so frustrated at not being able to see out that I had to scrape a portion off so he had some place to lay and watch the girls go by! :cool:

Framerguy
 
Framerguy,
Your store front looks great! I like the flags too. My shop faces to the west and the sun beating in, hence the windows are heavily tinted as everyones storefront here is. Not exactly ideal for displaying art. I was thinking of a Peter Max poster framed with U.V. glass on an easel hoping the bright colors would attract some attention. I have yet to get lettering on the windows and with this thread/subject I'm going to call my sign guy tomorrow!
What kind of gifts do you sell? And how do you manage having your dog with you? Just curious as some people don't like animals. Thanks for the pictures and I hope to see more here and more ideas!
 
Dave, think about it, custom framing IS expensive. There is no point trying to pretend it isn't. Custom framing, fine custom framing, etc. all serve to pre-warn potential customers that what you sell is not cheap, kind of like a heads up for them. You are selling a quality hand made product, how can that be cheap? Project what you are, don't try to be something your not, leave that to the big boxes.

John
 
Framerguy : Lovely storefront and great windows, but shouldn't the flags be facing in the opposite direction? I thought the blue was always on the top left when horizontal? I have a flag in my window and it is opposite from yours (so when I see it from the inside it looks backwards to me).

And I love the "window of opportunity" you created for your dog! Now that, folks, is a true dog person!

My store front? I have the name above the window and a separate one reading Unique Custom Framing in the window. I need to make a much larger sign with the store hours cause apparently my aging clientelle cannot read the one inch high letters on my door.

My door also has a sign which says "door sticks please push" because the frame swells in the humidity and there is no fix just pushing. I put that sign cause I was getting tired of folk's knocking.
 
John, I agree that framing IS expensive. Would you go to a store called "Pricey Shoes" when all you needed was a new pair of ReeBoks. All I'm talking about is ditching the word "Custom". Would Framar's customers notice the difference between "Unique Custom Framing" & "Unique Picture Framing". I wonder if the public even relizes that Custom Framing is even talking about picture framing.
 
My storefront is designed to get noticed from the main street it is just off of.
storefront.jpg


I also get sun directly in the windows in the summer evenings. The sun doesn't get under the awning until about closing time, so rather than tint the glass, I made screens by mounting fade-resistant prints of things I have for sale onto fomebord. I put these up in the windows when the sun gets in. (ok, I guess I'll have to take a picture of the screens for you)
 
Dave

Over here it is “Picture Framing” or “Picture Frames”….and sometimes Bespoke Picture Framing….I have often pondered why “Picture” is rarely used in describing a Picture Framing shop in the US…….why not shout that you do “Picture Framing”….or for that matter “Custom Picture Framing”……my own feeling is that by including “Picture Framing” in your tag line you have got rid of another hurdle that the customer has to face when they think about entering your shop…..it may seem obvious to us what “Custom Framing” is but to the uninitiated what do they think “Custom Framing” means….it could mean a home builder….or a frame maker for motor bikes…..I’m sure there are other use for the description “Custom Framing”……

For what it is worth……my 2€ worth
 
believe it or not...I've had many people come in and ask about custom building...as my sign just says custom framing.(even though when they get in here they have got to notice it is a PICTURE framing shop) good thing my husband is a contractor.
 
My wife and I were walking down the main street of a little town (about 15,000) near here that gets a lot of summer tourist traffic, by virtue of its chain of pristine lakes and its proximity to the larger cities where the water is less than pristine.

It was Sunday and there were two things that surprised me. Most of the shops were closed on Sunday (and there were lots of galleries and gift shops) and almost none of them had signage that was visible from the sidewalk - only from the street.

BTW, I am closed on Sundays, but Appleton is not a summer tourist destination. Everyone from Appleton goes to places like the little town I just mentioned.
 
by the way...absolutely beautiful store fronts HannaFate and Framerguy...I'd love to see more pictures of all you other gods, supremes and masters. you are inspirations to us "little grumblers"
 
Framar,
I would bet that the flags on Framerguys windows are on the inside, and he put them up correctly when looking at them from the inside.

My storefront is mainly marble and landscaping. There is one sign on the wall in black foam letters with the name of my business. Below that is a bed of white Vinca. The main window to the street, which is about 40 feet away from the building, has been blacked out and covered with white lattice. There are beds of Asparagus Fern below that on the edge of the parking area. My front door is full view glass and is in a portico and has limited visibility from the street.
The whole place is signage challenged and I would appreciate some suggestions. The building is free standing and is somewhat obscured by the landscaping (it was built as a private home in the 40's, but has been used for commercial purposes since the late 40's /early 50's). I am planning on a yard sign, but really don't know what to do beyond that.
 
Wally,

You know me too well! I hung those flags for the 4th of July just for something patriotic to display for the celebration and never took the time to get them down. I DID hang them from the inside and I never gave it further thought that they would appear backwards to those passing by. Good eye, Mar, none of MY customers bothered to look that closely.

(But, as I sit here looking over at the flag in front of the bank across the street, I see the blue field to the right of the flag!!) I guess there's no accounting for wind direction, eh??

Someone asked about the problems of having a dog in my shop. My chocolate lab has been coming in to work with me since he was 7 weeks old. He will be 7 yrs. old in Jan. I have full faith in him around customers of all kinds. I could tell you some gut retching stories of what he has done for a little girl who was deathly afraid of animals of all kinds and a black guy who froze when he saw this big guy come towards him when entering the shop. Both very positive outcomes, I assure you, but I have to say that I do keep him in the work area rather than give him free rein of the retail area.

People don't generally mind him in the business and, those few that do, he seems to sense that they are uncomfortable and he lays down and doesn't look for alot of attention.

Framerguy
 
This is the store in question. The signage is all photoshoped in. Any othe suggestions?
9b6c9d18.jpg
 
Can you put "Picture Framing" under "FrameMakers" !!! the one on the roof top......

I would be inclined to tag (is this the correct terminology) “FrameMakers” with “Picture Framing” every where it appears…signage…business cards…advertising…etc. etc.

Other than above I think it looks great…..simple and to the point…
 
No I don't think I can. The sign abov is only 24" high. I don't know why the photo uploaded so crappy. I'll try again later.
 
Perhaps you could tweak your logo and tag it some way with “Picture Framing”

I’m not sure if the suggestion below would work ……you could put “Picture Framing” in at some sort of angle……

Bottom line is Dave I’m trying very hard to sell you on tagging “FrameMakers” with “picture Framing”…..I feel it would work very well…..any way tell me to shove off if I’m annoying you


P FRAMING
I
C FRAMEMAKERS(Full size as existing logo/Sign)
T
U
R
E
 
I thought for a long time before I decided to use the phrase "Unique Custom Framing." It is on my cards, as well.

To me, "Unique Picture Franimg" says that I frame unique pictures, and if only that were so!

If Americans were familiar with the word "bespoke" I would use it in a flash, but then I might get confused with the bicycle place in the next block! LOL!
 
Originally posted by J Phipps TN:
HAnna Fate,
I love the Art sign out front. Did you paint that or did you order it?

Jennifer
Thanks! I did make it myself. The sandwich board is so that people walking along the main street can see the shop from around the corner. I figured the one word "Art" would be most visible, and get interest better than longer words.

What is actually on the windows is the name of the shop, shop hours, and a schedule of events. Sized to be read from standing in front of the shop. The idea there is to get people to actually walk up and look in my windows. I have a nice shelf just inside the window, and I put pretties on it.
 
Dave

Can I ask the question…..why two similar but different corporate identities at the two locations you have posted shots of……..I’m curious….
 
I'm struggling with that question as well.

The logo with the frame is a 3:2 ratio IE 6' wide and 4' high. The sign band at my Gahanna store is 16'w x 2.5'h.

The clintonville store has a 8'w x 2'h sign on the building and a 6'w x 4'h free standing lit sign in the parking lot.

The frame logo could not be clearly read from the streat at those sizes.

So the new design was born.
 
Dave, I get your issues with the two places having different spec's - it can be very hard to adapt an existing design to another spot. :(

How about doing "Picture Framing" in a generic and attention getting way up top, and then take that GREAT logotype you are using at your other location and reproduce it in vinyl on your side windows. It will be much larger than what you propose on the door.
 
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