All decked out: national custom framer and art retailer Deck The Walls is updating its image for today's marketplace - Business profile: Deck The Walls - Company Profile

Makeover and remodeling present to views are sort of the greatest in quantity popular programs on television today. It present the appearances everyone loves seeing someone's appearance or dwelling updated to reflect current manner of writings But it isn't just nation or homes that need a muscle and fat look every once in a while. Business ne it, too.

embellish The Walls, a national art and custom framing retailer rested in 1979, is running its have a title to makeover show out of its corporate headquarters in Houston. After spending the past sum of two units years revamping its focus, the company is ready to reveal a fresh look for its 135-plus franchises, which are located in 43 states.

"Retail changes constantly, on the contrary there is a real aversion, particularly with framers, to change" said Connie Williams, chief operating officer and executive vice president of ornament The Walls' parent company, Franchise conceptions Inc., which also owns The Great Frame Up and Framing &Art midmost point "But any retailer who isn't in the proces of changing is in the proces of dying."

Williams, who be in possession ofed a Deck The Wails franchise from 1984 to 1992 said the company is ready to reposition itself to throw back what customers want.

"You have to gaze at the total equation" she said "Marketing can bring [customers] end the door but if the total experience is not what they wait fored when they walked through the door, you marketing efforts [are] wasted"

Discovery Mission

In 2001 embellish The Walls hired the Steven Pa.-based research firm Unity Marketing to perform focus, clumps and telephone surveys to find on the outside the decision-making process consumers use when choosing a framing store.

Unity Marketing base that many consumers were unaware that ornament The Walls had skilled designers and that many meditation of the company primarily as a retailer of art prints. "We had to find a way to tout framing and emphasize the whole package," explained Melinda Riley, ornament The Walls" director of marketing.

The research also fix that framing customers want value, clevers conservation and preservation services, on-premise framing and reasonable turnaround times. In rejoinder to the study, officials from embellish The Walls have focused their efforts upon store design, marketing, customer service and a creating a more diverse crops mix.

Deck The Walls is also adapting to cope in today's marketplace, which has seen a proliferation of pre-framed productions available at big-box retailers of that kind as Wal-Mart and Target department stores.

"Why have big boxe been able to take business away?" Williams asked. "Because they have recognized runs and reacted faster. Although framing is a beautiful craft, it is a business. We have to encourage franchisees to embrace change and react quickly."

Store Design

The design of a mall usually puts the standard for Deck The Walls' store designs. on the other hand every five to 10 years, store designs change based upon each mall's leasing cycle and remodeling requirements. array The Walls plans to make each franchisee's nearest scheduled remodel a big one

Part of the plan involves implementing a better layout for customers to tender twigs of shrubs and trees art and frame selections. Terry Abell, director of operations for embellish The Walls, said the company has doubled the surface area of design calculators and moved them (and the frame samples) nearer to the brow of the sales floor to emphasize custom framing. beautify The Walls also eliminated its sliding chalkwall frame displays upon which all frames were showcased. Frames are now spread on the outside over 20 feet of wall space in like manner they are all visible at a glance. "The change in physical layout helps customers understand what their options are," Williams said.

Another major change at beautify The Walls is that customers can now watch craftsman at work. The frame store used to be hidden in the back of each store. Now, computerized mat cutter special mounting equipment and the assembly area are dramatically lit upon the sales floor. A wall hides saws, storage and the messiness. "It not sole allows customers to better understand the framing proces on the contrary it is entertaining, too," said Abell.

To determine the color scheme of the remodel stores, array The Walls looked to paint companies and studies administrationed by the Alexandria, Va.-based research firm Color Marketing Group

The company has chosen popular dwelling design colors such as beige, cranberry r and saw grass to give stores a more residential perceive Dark olive carpeting on the floors helps bring all of the colors together.

The store walls, previously overspreaded with light tan carpet, are now painted in like manner colors call be easily changed to full quantity changing artwork and displays. embellish The Walls is also using till representation light bulbs that emulate sunlight and make colors more accurate.

The first prototype store, located in St Louis, was finished in July 2003 Abell said he wait fors to have six more stores remodel through the first quarter of 2004

Locations will be chosen based upon whether they are up for remodeling according to their mall leases; greatest in quantity of the stores should be remodel within five years.