Tell me your new, bigger, more expensive shop in a new location, brought in more business!
I am moving out of the getto and into new diggs, finally.
2000 sq ft, 500 sq ft office. Wow, room to roam. My old shop & office would almost fit into my new office/showroom.
Hopefully, with marketing & a better location, business will be enough or better to justify the move.
Cheers & keep positive.
Posted by Joe Endicott (Member # 628) on :
Congratulations! and don't worry, all that space will get filled up and you'll be trippin' over stuff again in no time!
Seriously, just like any tool or convenience item you've ever added to your shop, you will wonder how you ever managed in the old place.
Posted by John Lennig (Member # 2455) on :
Hey Great, Robert!
Sounds like lots of room for graining samples.
Too bad tho, you'll miss all your old friends back in the old place!?!?
Wish you the Best in your new adventure!!
John Lennig / SignRider
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Robert
I took a peek at your web site...
With your skills and obvious talent your new place should be a real showplace in short order... which should greatly assist you as you expand. I look forward to seeing pics as you develop your new digs.
Good luck to you!
-dan
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
It'll work...don't forget to put a sign up! Posted by Arvil Shep' Shepherd (Member # 2030) on :
Congratulations, Robert.
I have the utmost confidence that you could succeed in ANY size shop !!!!
Once you get settled in....post photos.
Good Luck......."Grasshopper"......he he he
Shep'
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
Congrats Robert! I'm jealous!!! Not alotta elbow room for me here.
You are gonna do just fine ... just you wait and see!
I wanna see your new place once you get settled in.
Nettie
Posted by Cheryl Lucas (Member # 1656) on :
Congratulations, Robert!
I know you've had this on your mind for quite awhile, I'm excited for you!
Keep in touch, and let me know if ya need some help movin'...
Cher.
Posted by Robert Thomas (Member # 1356) on :
Thanks Everybody,
I am going to be three minutes away from home instead of 30-45 minutes. I checked with the county about the size of a sign I can have on the building.....get this, up to 120 sq ft!
Cheryl, I am just this side of Lee County, off Old 41, near where another Real Estate Co. declined me due to another sign shop protesting.
Now I am even more determined to break into the action in the area.
I will be having an shop warming party in a month or two, free wood graining demo.
Shep & John, New woodgraining tool for big stuff, (a 9" paint pad)
Cheers
Posted by TransLab (Member # 470) on :
Congratulations Robert... Best of luck
.. so where exactly are you going to put the 6' x 20' sign..
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
Congratulations Robert, that is around the size of shop that I have, it's a great size shop. Good Luck! Hey Mike I thought that you got buried onder all that snow, we had over 60cm. over the last 2 days, I can't see a frigg'n thing outside my shop except for that white stuff.
Posted by Chris Elliott (Member # 1262) on :
Hey Rob,
Congratulations on the new shop!! You're going to love the extra room and don't worry, with the quality of work you folks turn out, I'll bet you'll find that location more than pays for itself!! It's got to be especially sweet to get a toehold in the market that other shop tried to freeze you out of!! Not to mention that 3 minute commute will give you an extra hour or two each day!! Sure sounds to me like you made a good move!! Best Wishes and if I can help in any way just let me know.
Mike & Neil,
Thanks for bumping this up!! Can't believe I missed this post earlier!! (maybe old age is startin' to set in!!) Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Hey Rob!
Way to go on your new digs! We hope it works out o your best advantage for you!
Have a great one!
Posted by bill riedel (Member # 607) on :
Hi Robert, the answer to your original question is, yes you will make more money. I can tell you from experience. When we planned to enlarge our shop our accountant told us we would be making more money. The first year after completion we doubled our income. We had more room and could produce more work. Location is not as important as your reputation, service and quality. If they want good work, they will find you.
Posted by R.Jones (Member # 2795) on :
Just another boost for you.In November we moved from a 20'x 30' family room to a 3000sq ft shop.We are so busy we have the rent.elect,and insurance money put away already for the next 4 months.Maybe a paycheck will be coming soon for the wife:)
Posted by Robert Thomas (Member # 1356) on :
R. Jones, Did you do any additional marketing to boost sales???
Posted by R.Jones (Member # 2795) on :
We put the word out about 45 days before we moved to all our customers and asked them to let their network of business owners that we were opening a larger shop.Put signs up as soon as we could .I personaly went to every business with in 5 miles .Handed them a few cards,let them know that I have been in business for three years and expanded to a larger shop and if they need any types of signs,logos,business cards I would appreciate their business.Most of the businesses had jobs to be filled I just had to jog their memory on items like an "A"frame signs on the sidewalk or magnetic business cards with their logo on it.I have an "SIGN" educated family that can do everything I do so it helps to have three people either talking to potential customers or actually doing jobs for customers.
Posted by Robert Thomas (Member # 1356) on :
R. Jones, Looks like you have the marketing thing down. I am going to be doing the same thing soon. Passing out cards seems to be the way to go.
What are you paying for 3000 sq ft in Baltimore?
$1160 for 2000 sq ft here, includes tax, CAM & dumpster.
[ January 23, 2003, 10:37 PM: Message edited by: Robert Thomas ]
Posted by R.Jones (Member # 2795) on :
1k a month for 1000 sq ft is the average around here I am in a huge warehouse with plenty of growing room.The owner owns a ton of property and I befriended him so my rate is dirt cheap.I had to put in about 8000.00 for the counters and work tables.He had to install heaters ,AC ,and ceiling panels,Sheet rock the walls for the area I wanted.
Posted by Murray MacDonald (Member # 3558) on :
Your new shop will be a success! Moved in '99 to our own building. 100 year old, former lutheran church - complete with bell tower. Former sanctuary at 3000 sq ft for shop and the same attached in rear for our home. Moved shop one week, house the next. And business took off. Quadrupled the amount of small house and cottage signs we do. (And in cottage country that is a wonderful thing). When it's cold and nasty outside - I pour a cup of coffee and am at work within a minute.
Posted by Dave Draper (Member # 102) on :
We just moved into our new location along a busy street with a lighted sign already in place over the door. Its sort of an industrial business park.
We have 1450 square ft. Sorry I dont have pictures, but we call it the "shop that rocks" because we built all the desks out of styro-foam and sculptured the entire desk to look like rock.
A sign that looks like a huge slab of rock hangs on the wall with edged printed pictures of animal faces ( lion tiger owl and more)
We advertised our move, had the Chamber of Commerce do a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on the day of our Open House.
We emailed everybody we could think of and Steven Fleck from Advantage Sign Supply came down from Chicago to join in the fun. ( of course he wants to be my Oracal supply source now..hahahaha) Ok by me!
We also belong to BNI, a business referral group, of which there are four groups in Bloomington. Two thirds of the people that showed up at our open house were BNI members. BNI members are extremely supportive of fellow members even in other groups.
We also had the local paper come out and do a story on how we created "the shop that rocks" and they were so blowen away by it they took 200 pictures and did a story on us that appeared in the paper the same day as the open house.
I told everyone that this was the FIRST "theme" sign shop as everything will carry the look of rock and granit, even though its just foam and faux painting by hand. The work tables, the floor, the main desk, the walls, EVERTHING will eventually look like something you would see in Disney World. Most of it does now, but I want to add so much more. At the RT. 66 Letterhead meet this summer, which is 20 minutes south of here, we will offer a special day to come tour it. We will, WE WILL ROCK YOU!
Is it getting me business? Is it getting me Attention? Demn Straight it is!
We are projecting such a stong ART theme that the type of client that comes in now are the ones that have bigger projects in mind. One is the world's largest indoor paint ball facility covering over 4 foot ball fields indoors. He thought we might be just the creative people he is looking for. Lots of signs and interior themeing on this project. We'll see. I ain't working for free!
[ January 26, 2003, 05:30 PM: Message edited by: Dave Draper ]
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)