What will normal busines models for picture framing businesses look like after the lock down?

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Not your average framer
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Location: Devon, U.K.
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Location: Glorious Devon

What will normal busines models for picture framing businesses look like after the lock down?

Post by Not your average framer »

It seems that the govenment is not going to be hurrying to open so called non essential businesses as a priority. Picture framing businesses, might be some way down the pecking order, for all we know. However there are more ways of doing business, beside sit in your shop waiting for customers to come through the shop door.

My understanding is that the govenments lock down restrictions don't actually make very much difference to businesses that manage to do business without customers entering their premises and avoiding direct contact with customers, may be a neat ways of side stepping some, or even all or these restrictions. I have been considering a perspex screen, between myself and my customers, but that does not help very much, if the customers are not even allowed in my shop at all.

There are some of us, who can gain enough business from internet based sales, but will that work for everyone of us? I think probably not! I seems likely to me that business models and ways of doing business with and interacting with our customers, are likely to need to change for at least some of us to be able to continue to successfully operate after the covid-19 virus lock down has been lifted. Also if for picture framing businesses, the lock down is not going to be lifted with a timescale that will enable our businesses to safely continue, will we need to side step these restrictions, so that we can still legally operate without needing to do business in such a way that would be considered as being not allowed by the current restrictions.

Any thoughs?
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
Abacus
Posts: 673
Joined: Mon 29 Nov, 2010 12:20 pm
Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
Organisation: Abacus Picture Framing and Gallery
Interests: Picture Framing, Furniture making.

Re: What will normal busines models for picture framing businesses look like after the lock down?

Post by Abacus »

Shops selling “homeware” are allowed to open. Aren’t picture frames homeware?

I’m going to suspend a sheet of styrene from the ceiling over a bench with a gap for the art.

It will be interesting to see how much demand is out there when the lockdown eases. Another problem is my (our?) customer profile is biased towards the older customer who may stay in lockdown longer.
Not your average framer
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: What will normal busines models for picture framing businesses look like after the lock down?

Post by Not your average framer »

Hi abacus,

I am based in part of the country which is a popular retirement area and I also have a large number of older customers and also a useful number of younger professionals as well. Many of those who fall in the middle of these two group are quite careful, how they spend their money, so I'm wondering how these different group may reorder their buying habits after the shut down is lifted. My thinking about this is that offering alternatives at prices that the customer may feel more comfortable about is probably better that watching them walk out the door without having made a deal and I have been thinking about this quite a lot recently. I'm not saying that I've got any concrete reason for thinking this, other than my own insticts, so everything is just guesswork at this time.

Added to this, I am intending to make the best use that I can of my two shop windows, to pick some impulse sales, from whoever may be passing at the time. Getting people to show any interest in coming in, ever just to ask a question, I think will be particularly important and if you are fishing for business, this will probably be a good time to bait your hook well and this means making the most of you shop windows. If we wish to be recognised as shops selling homeware, that perhaps we can strengthen this impression, by making and displaying a few other items, when help this arguement. Geospectrum has shown some very good examples of how he has already been doing this, with some of the items that he has been making. I particalarly remember his boot trays and no doubt there is more that he is trying, or at least considering.

However this is not necessarily a time for copying other, but to show our own individuality and where possible to be inovative and different in ways that give us an edge over others. I think it is better to be the one that is creating those original ideas, rather than be the one who just copies someone else and follows in their footsteps. I think that even for the best of us, cash flow is going to be a difficult issue and making whatever we can using our existing stock and left over off cuts is going to be an advantageous way of helping to improve our cash flow. I very often cut up moulding off cuts to turn the moulding back into a ordinary bits of timber, when otherwise I would need to purchase a suitable piece, or pieces of timber. We are not the first people to go through hard times like this, these are the days of small things and some of us believe that bigger things can grow from small beginnings.

Those who manage things carefully and have the patience and endurance will get through this and may even come out on top as well and we are all still here to help one another along and pick each others brains too!
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
fusionframer
Posts: 600
Joined: Thu 02 Sep, 2010 8:16 pm
Location: Badminton
Organisation: Fusion Picture Framing
Interests: framing
Location: Badminton

Re: What will normal busines models for picture framing businesses look like after the lock down?

Post by fusionframer »

Hi Abacus,

Maybe a positive regarding older client base (my current experience) is they are currently actively looking to find ways to continue as normal even within the current lockdown, so i think that provided you make adaptations you mention like styrene at counter, i am hopeful business will get back to some normality.

I am doing jobs at a few older clients and we keep a distance and i wipe down where i have worked. The point us though that they are the ones pushing me to come and do the work, not me. Tbh, i was hoping for a bit a free time to catch up which has not happened.

Added to that, i have quoted for several new jobs, so people seem keen to continue. The benefit of having a slightly older customer base is this current situation affects them less in terms of finances. Interest rates have been rubbish for ages anyway.

In terms of framing, for those choosing mouldings and mounts, i have a load of gloves, so i am asking them to wear new gloves, then any mouldings they handle are wiped down after as well. I have shrink wrapped mount samples (a selection of popular ones) and after they handle any of those, i change shrink wrap.

I have done this a couple of times with regulars and they seem happy anyway.

Nick
www.fusionframing.co.uk

Never trust a dog with orange eyebrows.
Not your average framer
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: What will normal busines models for picture framing businesses look like after the lock down?

Post by Not your average framer »

Hmm, this sounds interesting!
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
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