Dial-a-saw

[Roboframer]

Made you think that one eh?

Dinosaur - that's me.

But, anyway, our biggest and ugliest framing supplier animal can't instantly tell me if an item is out of stock - their delivery notes are handwritten, they don't do back orders - their website got set up, badly, and left to fester. I'd never dare email an order to them. It takes real lateral thinking to find a moulding in their catalogue or price list. Their newsletters are colour photocopies. Yet they distribute the Valiani!

But I love 'em!

That compares/relates to our set up, sort of, like this .....

We're the best-stocked craft (including needlecraft) shop on the South Coast, and you can go North too, until you hit a HobbyCraft store. And even then you won't get the knowledge of the products that you will here - we don't just sell stuff, we can tell/show you how to use it.

Then there's habby (haberdashery - 'Notions' in USA speak) and accessories - 5000 odd reels of ribbon - folks travel miles to us just for that. Needles? "I knead not your needles, they're needless to me" about 80 different, plus machine needles plus bobbins, oil, bulbs. Bag handles ...........

...... Bra extenders, bootlaces, suspenders ..... thimbles, thumbles, tailor's chalk .....

...... Cotton? Fill your boots - the whole Gúterman range in cotton or polyester. Machine embroidery thread.

Knitting wool - needles - patterns. Crochet hooks, crochet cotton, crochet patterns

Embroidery threads? DMC and Anchor - the whole range - each spinner worth about 5 grand retail. Ditto for tapestry wools. Then add Paterna wools and Madeira (pure) silk. Kreinik blending filaments, Mill Hill beads...... other beads, thonging and other jewellery-making bits, like clasps, charms, fake diamond thingys, loose or on reels. Feathers, from boas and boas by the metre, to singles.

We have a dry cleaning agency and a (colour) photocopying service. We take in alterations and repairs and will turn a needlepoint in to a cushion, or a kneeler, or a bell pull, or a firescreen.

Giftware - crystal, Limogé porcelain, Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh, Wallace & Grommit. Border Fine Art dogs, cats, wildlife. 3 glass cabinets - 2 with revolving shelves.

Greetings cards - big selection - specialising in the unusual - some are made in-house.

That's all just touching on what we sell.

Our newsletter goes out to heaven knows how many thousand now - the database could definitely be used better. The newsletter is 6 pages of drivel with no photos, but peeps love it!

Then there's framing - what it all evolved from. And what we do on that side has been covered - BUT - with such a diverse product range we get a hugely diverse range of customer - most would have never dreamed of setting a foot in a frameshop, but quite a lot of that 'most' are flys to the spider's parlour.

Our radio ad on Spirit FM has been going out on a 'brandbuilder' scheme for about 6 years - we pay for 90 ads a month on 2 transmiiters covering a hugely populated area - and any unsold airtime is split between those on the scheme. We will commonly get about 260 - 300 ads a month.

It's a struggle to keep up with framing orders.

There is no computer in the shop at all.

1. Do I need a POS system?

2. Do I need a website?

3. Do I need a CMC?

And - with all or any one of those, would I need internet connection? And, if I did, how would I upgrade? as the credit card machine is on the same line as the phone, and the card machine people tell us that 'crashing' is quite common with an 'all in' broadband connection. No problem - they'd send a new card machine next day - but we couldn't take cards until it arrived, plus we'd have to set it up when it did.

Always the option of another line - but LOATHE to do that.

So, anyway - do I NEED all that?

Could I even COPE if a website took off - (and you can keep mail order, thanks!)

I've seen the time some of you guys spend bunnying about computer stuff here and on Skype - I couldn't do that, let alone implement it - I'm too busy framing stuff.

Seems to me that if the answer to 1,2 & 3 above was 'yes' then I'd need to put more hours in AND employ more staff.

Does what we have need fixing?

[Keith Hewitt]

John,
There are no English newspapers where I am and need something to read.
Im stuck at a French airport waiting for the fog to clear and enjoyed your epistle.
Sounds to me as if you could move to a vacant Woolworths shop and quickly fill it

[John]

As you have demonstrated with your extensive use of radio, Internet, email, telephone, credit card terminal, word processing, desktop printer, etc, technology can help us to run a successful and profitable business.

When you are ready to take the next step, you will find lots of knowledgeable folk here who are more than willing to help, if you ask.

However, beware of technology police, they are very intolerant of low-tech solutions.

[Jonny2morsos]

I have broadband (Tiscali) which uses a splitter (there is a proper name for the little box which I can't remember) from my telephone socket and we have a phone/answerphone with two additional wireless handsets plus the credit/debit card machine all on the one BT line.

Never had a problem. The only small snag is you cannot use the card machine while someone is on the phone.

It would be a difficult now not to have internet access at the shop. We place orders on line and receive orders from corporate customers, email customers when jobs are ready and I use my free monthly Orange texts via the web to advise customers of finished jobs as well.

Plus lunch and break times I browse the forum.

John.

[Roboframer]

I suppose it really would take one more framer to free me up to achieve these, and a lot more things, until then I'm just too busy, unless I want to go back to evening and Sunday work, which I don't.

We tried to take on a 'manager' for the framing and art side - but that was just a nightmare, so my part timer went full time, and as useful and good company as he is - calculators scare him! I'm serious - tried explaining the memory feature to him, not a chance, pencil and paper for him.

The website is something we both (Pat & I) have looked at but it's never come off and now it would all have to be down to me, Pat has too much on her plate.

Hey - I managed to get myself on the members' map today!!

[Dermot]

John

I have never never managed to understand the memory feature on a calculator, however I can understand the Valiani software…..

It took me about three minutes to work out how to do this design and cut it on the Valiani…….

[Roboframer]

I have never never managed to understand the memory feature on a calculator…….

Well, firstly make sure there is no 'M' in the display - if there is, then there is already something stored in the calculator's memory - to clear it press 'MRC' (Memory Recall) and then 'M-'

Then do a calculation - say 5x6= (30) press 'M+' and 30 is stored. It just saves writing it down really.

Then if you want to add something to that 30 later - say 4x54 (216) you'd press 4x54+MRC=(246)

The same sum could be done, if you wanted to do it all at once and not half now and half later, with the brackets feature, if your calculator has that (5x6)+(4x54)=246.

BTW - ref those frames - I've never seen a beach as neat as that - the rocks on ours are all over the place

[Jonny2morsos]

...and I would be blowed if I would wait around all day until the sun was at an exact angle of 45 degrees fron the top left corner to cast those nice shadows!

John.

[Roboframer]

On a serious note - ref those frames (yes, I saw them on TFG and it was about the moulding more than the mount design) what are those corner 'arrows' all about?

I think they, especially with the white bevels, do absolutely nothing for the art - I see them before it. I mean - WHY are they there? Just because someone 'can''??

The balance is all wrong - mount too thin; frame in relation (for me) too wide. The narrowest area of the outer mount is about equal to the frame width - it's cramped and too busy/fussy - too much going on.(To my mince Pie)

Would anyone do that if they could, manually? I could, quite easily, but nothing like as quickly of course.

[Dermot]

Showed what I did to five people tonight (family and friends) ……..all want it the next time they have some photos to be framed (I only had a few photos to use as images) double mount standard opening on first mount, top with the corner design…

[Roboframer]

Would anyone do that

I wouldn't want to do that

[Framerpicture]

With due respect it looks like the mount you produce when you first get a cmc!

Having had a cmc for a number of years I've found that the majority of the work we do is for rectangular / round / oval mounts without the fancy corners.

I agree its great to have the ability to cut intricate designs but in this neck of the woods its rarely called for

[Dermot]

With due respect, I was NOT shown how to cut that particular mount/mat at training…there is a design like it in the Valiani corner templates data base, I re jigged the Valiani design to match the design in the picture…….which took me about three minutes.

I used the Valiani software to set up and cut the mount/mat…to match the design in the picture I posted

The picture I posted is NOT of the actual mount/mat I cut, the picture I used is from a thread I found on the Grumble… http://www.thegrumble.com/showthread.php?t=39248

There is enough templates that can be re jigged in the Valiani data base to keep even the most industries picture framer busy for a long time.

[Dermot]

I wouldn't want to do that

I’m a bit lost about your post!!!! or what you mean!!!!

Anyway…..

Sorry John, it was late when I “miss” read your post ….last night, I thought it read that no customer would be interested in the design…

[kev@frames]

about the only two real uses we have in the shop for computers are POS pricing, and driving the CMC. other than that they are a luxury.
I would not like to be without estliye pricing, purely because it stops the haggling and makes priciung consistent and easy, and of course a CMC wont work without a computer. But neither need internet.
Sharon, who I took on in january for 3 days to answer emails and take orders could probably do that from home, or on dialup if necessary.

ive been in other framers shops where they seem to spend half their working day on skype to each other, or trawling over other people's web sites, instead of making anything. Nice to have that sort of time on your hands

Over the past ten years we have seen our workshop turn from somewhere that looked like it made picture frames, into a replica of the borg ship. And with Tom's alleged dyslexia this amounts to "We were the Borg, Your *ss will be laminated"....

[ross]

Found this to be an interesting site!

John - what a range of product to manage, shift, present and be ever mindful of future trends to what must be a very supportive customer base - your summary ought to be a reference point for any framer contemplating broadening their product range

Dermot - like John, I think the arrow head corners dominate what has been framed - but as you say later, the finished product looks different. I wonder if reverse bevels on the top matt would soften the overall impact of the design. Neverthe less, framing wouldn't be fun if we all stayed on the straight and narrow!!

Kev - like you, I often wonder about the time some must commit to the internet

Now, on the subject of the internet, is anyone using "blogs" as part of their website or have something setup separately. I shall post an extract shortly from a local newspaper, so this is just an enquiry at this stage

Ross

[Dermot]

First pass at my "blog" http://preservationpictureframing.blogspot.com/

And this http://ontheedgepictureframing.blogspot ... -1995.html

Not sure if a blog is of much use, I'm still thinking about it...

[Merlin]

We have two computers in the shop.
One on the design desk running our own pricing programme and PreView. Not internet connected.
The second in the workshop, running the Valiani CMC. This is internet connected.

I do not consider either of these as a luxury, more as a necessity.
As Kev says the POS computer takes all the hassle away and is consistent. I could not manage without the internet connected one especially as I am running an ecommerce web site. I get many enquiries during the day and if I ignore them, there is a potential lost sale/order and loss of credibility.

As for Skype, Yes, we do have it on the workshop machine and whenever the shop is open I am logged on. What a Godsend that has been. There are presently some 16 picture framers and 2 distributors/manufacturers in my contacts list.

There are days when there is no Skype interaction at all. Yet it is just so comforting to know that if I need advice or help then there will be somebody around who may be able to help or point me in the right direction at the time of asking. Not having to wait for somebody on a Forum to answer.

On two occassions when I did have a query with the CMC, I just put the headset on clicked on the CMC link and I was talking to an engineer who was half way round the world using live Chat. I was up and running again in minutes and not having to wait for an engineer to check his diary and make a booking for maybe days / weeks ahead.

[Dermot]

Many years ago in the days when you could not get a new telephone line in Ireland under any circumstances, I worked for a business that bought a building in a less than desirable area at the time ……..because two working telephone lines/numbers came with the deal….they were able to install one of the first computers ever used in Dublin…five of the other business that were around at the time and laughed at the move made by that business are no longer around…

The company is now the biggest business of it’s kind in Ireland……..some of the main contributing factors to their success is that they embraced technology and were prepared to move out of their comfort zone….and invest some time and energy embracing the new technologies.

The MD of that business at the time was a gentleman in his late sixties, who had never used any sort of technology other than a telephone, he did not even own a car.

Right now the main areas that one should look at if they are thinking of embracing computerisation is POS, CMC, and possibly a Visualisation system, the most that will take is two basic computers.

[prospero]

I remember not all that long ago a news item in the local rag. It concerned a firm in the village that had taken the momentous leap of Going on the Internet. OK, sometimes they are a bit hard-up for news out here in the sticks, but it just goes to show how fast times change.