To move or not to move? That is the question....

[WannabeFramer]

I am in pondering mode on this fine spring afternoon, cheeky wine in hand, so am throwing a question out there if you would be so kind as to indulge me in my ramblings

I have spoken to some of you already and your opinions have given me a lot to think about. I've also been asking my customers this week and have had a mixed, but generally positive, response.

Background:
I moved from my spare room to a council workshop a year ago and it was the best decision to date. I am only open 2 days per week but the walk-in customers have doubled my turnover from when I was appointment only. (I appreciate I am new to the market so should have been growing anyway, and the workshop in itself isn't a complete indication of growth.) It was very much a 'lets see what happens' move, purely to get me away from my home address.

I will say now, I have not been actively looking to move. I am perfectly content and mindful that council workshops round here are like hens teeth. I am lucky to get one. But life is throwing me a curve ball and I am compelled to investigate.

Current set-up:
My workshop is tucked away in town with little passing traffic - many people don't know I am there - but it does have parking directly outside. It is mostly sufficient for me, has a very small display room, but is definitely on the snug side. It is very much a 'working' workshop, and I am not exactly tidy.... (@justintime will vouch ) I can manage this by being more organised but space will always be tight (my dustbins are stored in the loo, which is a fun obstacle course when desperate!)

The biggest disadvantage is waiting customers have nowhere to, well, wait. And not much to look at while they do. Today I had 5 people queueing for either collection or consultation. They were hanging around outside and one walked away to come back next week. Whilst not too common, it is a little off-putting and awkward, and feels unprofessional. I try to manage this by taking details of anyone waiting and offering an appointment time, but it doesn't always work as people want to pop in when they are in town. H&S around equipment is also a potential issue but that is down to me and surmountable.


Dilemma:
I am no longer locked into my current lease and there is the opportunity to move to a larger premises with the same landlord (council). It is a newly renovated multi-use building which is hoped to become a little business hub. Applications are open and I viewed this week. The spaces are really rather good! There are windows I could use for display, more flexibility for layout and all have space for a larger customer area. I could easily section off and screen the working part from customers.

It is on the main trunk road through town. It is a landmark building. The rents are priced per sq ft and vary from £50-£90 per month extra than I pay already. In the scheme of things, that isn't a lot. All are still less than £300 per month! (100% small business rate relief). So far so good...

... However, the only parking directly outside is a disabled space in a layby. There is a dedicated customer car park, but this is round the back of the building. Probably 2-3 minutes walk to the entrance. Or taking a risk on the yellow lines.

I have been fixating on the parking as a huge disadvantage. Is it? The straw poll on customers today seems to be " I wouldn't find it a problem, but others might". Or "well, it would be no further than when Tesco is full and having to park at the far end of their car park". I also do deliver large items now, so that could just be a standard offering maybe?

All customers I have asked think the new building would be a good step up. I really can't decide.

Considerations
I have been building the framing thus far around 2 other jobs, hence the part-time. Recent life events mean I will be leaving my employment within 6 months and will be focussing solely on framing. I want to get my GCF and really make this work. This seems like a good chance to take the next step again and almost 'relaunch'. But is it too soon? @Tudor Rose made some very good points in the recent guild meeting about relocating too soon.

Pros:
Bigger premises
Better layout
Much more visibility
Better customer experience
Window space/potential retail options (eg take-away frames, local artist prints etc)
2 minutes from my house
Secure tenancy, good T&Cs
Part of a local business hub.

Cons:
Additional rent
Inferior parking
Delivery issues? (I guess delivery drivers will take their chance in the disabled space but even so...)
Relocating when I am still in my start-up-period.
No increase in footfall. A good point was made that people will search for a framer, it is not an impulse purchase.

The other consideration is I will still only be open 3 days per week + appointments. This is a lifestyle choice (life is too short). As hidden as my current workshop is, it does go unnoticed if I decide to close for the day. If I am somewhere more visible, is the expectation to be open full time? Dunno.

I feel this is one of those sliding door moments. Seize the day and go for it whilst the chance is there. Or stay as I am and forget about it.

The 'upgrade': The units available are marked in red. You can see the parking situation...

As an aside, these were the units I was originally looking to move into when I first started looking for commercial premises. They were delayed by a year, hence me ending up into the workshop instead.

[WannabeFramer]

PS: I used to regularly sit in the pub opposite, looking at this view and imagining my little shop display. Serendipity? Or simply romantic thinking fuled by

[vintage frames]

I would go for the first unit on the right.

If you move there, you are really going to get yourself noticed.
Go for lots of flowers, shrubbery on the outside. Big dramatic window displays.

Tasteful nudes - everyone notices pictures of nudes.

But - if you are only going to open three days a week, don't bother.
Customers are going to get pissed off if they schelp all the way to your door - and find you closed.

[WannabeFramer]

The one on the right is the largest and most expensive, but also my favourite. The middle one is better suited to a natural front-of-house/working area division, lots of built-in storage and would probably be the one I would go for though.

But I can't imagine ever being open 5 days a week regularly, at least for a couple of years whilst my family are young. It isn't what I want from life, and why we moved 250 miles to get out of the rat race. (I've lost sight of that in recent years and now have a rare opportunity to grasp it again).

Being hidden where I currently am means this isn't a problem. Moving to somewhere visible like this, it would be as you say and probably detrimental. Gaghh!

I always ask my customers where they heard about me. Most are google, many are word-of-mouth. Many say they didn't know there was framer in town until they started searching. Would a window change that?

[WannabeFramer]

If you move there, you are really going to get yourself noticed.
Go for lots of flowers, shrubbery on the outside. Big dramatic window displays.

A point to note, is woolly answers to my questions about signage etc from the council when I viewed. It is a listed building in a conservation area and I doubt I would be allowed plant pots outside sadly. I am waiting for confirmation that I could actually put a shop sign up...

[NTG999]

I think this isn't so much to do with framing as trying to achieve the work life balance you want, if you want framing to be your main profession in upcoming years then you have to fully commit to it, full time opening (within reason) full time commitment, then you have a very good chance of making a living. You have to grow your business rapidly which means more jobs, more customers, more space and more profile, I think that is impossible in your current setup. Having a high street retail profile is tying, sounds obvious but you have to be there, every opening day!
Think what you want, I'm sure framing can fit around it (see what I did there )

[Justintime]

Hopefully you'd be allowed window vinyl signage at the very least.

[NTG999]

Hopefully you'd be allowed window vinyl signage at the very least.

Or change your company name to Aircraft

[Justintime]

I think your pros outweigh your cons tbh. It's a high profile beautiful building in a reasonably central location with a car park behind it just up the road, if I'm right.
Have you checked the traffic signs that say if and when unloading is permitted in front, for your deliveries.
As framing is technically manufacturing, have you checked that there won't be an issue with running your hoffmann, small extractor etc inside the unit. The last thing you want is to be turfed out by complaints from the insurance broker/travel agent next door!
Opening hours is a difficult one in such a public situation as a one-woman enterprise. As you know working evenings gives you the uninterrupted time to complete projects compared to the constant interruptions of daytime retail hours. If you're not happy with an appointments system, can you identify your busiest days or parts of the day each week (your payment software should be able to help with this) and allocate these times for walk-ins and other times to be closed but working?
In the current and foreseeable financial climate, I would say if in doubt play it safe. As far as "uncertain times" go, I think we're only just getting started.

[Gesso&Bole]

If you want to control your hours and lifestyle, I would not go down the route of a High St outlet. Once people see a 'shopfront' they expect to be able to visit when they like. (We used to get complaints from customers that had found us closed on a Sunday!) So you will be paying more money for an outlet that you would be under utilising.

After many years in the High St, I now work from a home based workshop, by appointment only, no week-ends, and only for about 40 weeks a year. For the first couple of years working from home it was a bit quieter than I wanted, but now into my 4th year I have more than enough work, and the quality of work I get is much better too.

If I were you I would concentrate on having a good website and efficient appointment booking system, and when the time is right look for larger non-retail premises with parking outside the door.

[Keith Hewitt]

Listen to Jim (aka Gesso & Bole)
Ace advice

IMHO the most important is easy/convenient and free parking
Make that a bullet point on your website

[pramsay13]

I started off framing alongside a couple of other jobs doing roughly 8 hours weekly initially, and then up to around 20 hours weekly after a few years.
For the last 5 or 6 years I have been full time framing.
I operate an appointment system although I do often get people just turning up but if they turn up unannounced and I happen to be out I can then point to the appointment system.
For the appointments I have half hour gaps so if someone is early or late there isn't usually an overlap, although it's not the worst thing for people to have to wait a few minutes.
I'm not sure passing trade counts for much in framing unless you sell arts supplies or small ready framed prints. People generally don't carry items around with them to be framed.

[Rainbow]

What competition have you got locally? Given the choice of two framers, my first choice would be the one with parking and I'd have to be very dissatisfied with them to persuade me to go to the alternative without parking. How would potential customers know that there is parking round the back? With units like these, car parking spaces are usually allocated, so how many would you be allocated and how would you stop customers to other units using your spaces?

On the plus side, local authority units are usually cheaper and have less onerous T&Cs than commerical landlords. Does the local authority have any other units elsewhere which, if not available immediately, may become available in due course?

A high street shop requires fitting out in a way that customers expect. Fitting out = significant cost.

You said that you've not been actively looking to move as you're perfectly content. So I'd be inclined to stay where you are, continue building your customer base, make sure you've got a good web site that's high on Google, and build up your reserves so that if/when you do move premises, you've got a cushion to tide you over the extra costs until you're established in the new location.

No harm in starting to actively keep an eye on what's available though, just in case...

[WannabeFramer]

Thank you all, lots to think about. And I really have been thinking obsessively. I feel like a pendulum! Your different takes and collective experience are invaluable as always.

Probably TMI - but pertinent for background - I am fortunate in that I have not had to rely on the framing as my primary income thus far. Whilst it will soon be my only income and hence needs to increase, it does not need to equate to a full-time wage just yet. A lot has changed in our lives recently that has altered our outlook and attitude to life. After bereavements and effectively reaching burn-out over Christmas, I have been reigning myself in and re-evaluating goals. I will be taking a redundancy opportunity to finally finish our house restoration, hence why I won't be open full-time for the foreseeable. (Introducing my other alter-ego - WannabeBuilder )

Back to framing talk.

The main takeaway I'm getting is how to progress the business whilst maintaining that life balance, and that is a big thing for me to think through. On the one hand, I have found a job I love doing, am raring to expand and enthusiastic to go for it. I have dreams and can imagine me being in a proper shop with all the advantages that would bring. Last year I was making a 5 year plan to grow. On the other, I am doing OK where I am for now. Maybe that should be my focus as per Gesso & Bole and revisit in future.

The general consensus is that a shop front is really only beneficial if open as a shop, not a part-time offer. (Although, a new framer in my nearest town is a shop and seems to only be open 3 days ) We are a sleepy place and many businesses here are part-time, but I get how it could be detrimental.

And yet, being in a shop gives a better customer experience than I can currently offer. Or does it? Does my small workshop hold me back? Surely the many experienced home-based framers would disagree. There are things I can do, re-thinking how I use my existing space, proper marketing etc. I don't really advertise and social media is severely lacking. I still have so much to learn, and get my GCF. Maybe that should be my focus instead of a knee-jerk move at a time when I don't need the stress.

I guess I have been looking at the shop units as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But in reality, who knows how my life will be in two years time when my tenancy is up for renewal? And the grass isn't always greener.

In any case, the decision may well not be mine to take. Council units here are by application and not first-come-first served. If I were to apply, there is no guarantee I would be successful anyway. The pros do outweigh the cons when looking purely at a premises so am not ready to rule it out completely just yet. I think I will still explore them, get firm answers to some questions, maybe even put in an application as it doesn't commit me to anything. Whilst I ponder still more....

I know I ramble, but I have found putting my meanderings in writing and reading your replies is helping consolidate my thoughts. So thank you again.

[WannabeFramer]

I have had confirmation that no signage on the windows would be allowed. Any displays must be limited, with the blinds to be fully drawn when closed to keep the overall facade uniform. Which would negate the point of moving to have a window really.

Ah well, there will be other opportunities.

[Justintime]

Sounds like they're shooting themselves in the foot and making it very difficult to attract the average retail outlet in fact any outlet?? I'm assuming that you couldn't have flags like the national cycle museum then?

[WannabeFramer]

Welcome to Powys, not renowned for public service…. (I can say that as a frustrated employee!)

Freestanding banners are ok as long as the blinds close over them, and vinyl in the internal window to the inside foyer. But nothing outside.

Also, speaking to a tenant who has just moved in, the windows are leaking….!

I’m going to revamp where I am.

[JFeig]

"Sounds like they're shooting themselves in the foot and making it very difficult to attract the average retail outlet in fact any outlet??"

I couldn't have said it better.

[JKX]

I know Llandod (that’s how Llandrindod Wells is known locally) fairly well, I used to attend a reunion in the metropole hotel there every Easter.

That building was the National cycle museum, I was a keen cyclist and would have been very interested. I’d never heard of it and it never caught my eye.

Don’t know if that means anything but just saying!

.

[WannabeFramer]

It is indeed the cycle museum still, although I am embarrassed to say I have never visited in the years I’ve been here. That is remaining along with the job centre round the back.

In fairness to the council, is listed in a conservation area, and was funded with a Welsh government grant, I suspect planning stipulations would have tied the council’s hand somewhat. The renovation inside has created some lovely units and I hope they will be filled. There were a fair amount of folk viewing and 3 are already spoken for. As I say, the rents are very attractive for small businesses. I know some have been put off by the regulations but I hope it takes off.