True Grit: intent on opening her own frame shop, Peggy Allen took the plunge

Art Business News, June, 2004 by Cedric Rose

The story of how Peggy Alien started Gold Line Framing in West Columbia, S.C., has its share of serendipitous twists, but it is mostly the story of Allen's resourcefulness and grit.

When Allen decided to start her own business in 2002, she had seven years of experience working for frame shops, as well as the knowledge she gleaned from college business classes, frame shows in Atlanta and discussions with small business experts she found on the Internet.

She knew she liked the work, and she knew what she wanted to do, open her own frame shop. However, as one person on the Internet told her, starting her own business would be like stepping off a high cliff without a parachute, but--if she didn't at least try it--she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"That parachute had a lot of holes in it," Allen joked. People asked her if she was crazy, opening a business with the economy being the way it was. "I did it because I could," she said.

Allen had yet to pick a name for her business when she went to apply for her retail license. She remembered that one of her former co-workers had always found it amusing that the frame shop they worked for charged a large fee to paint a gold border around a mat. To them, such lines seemed like minor additions to a piece.

Thinking of this, she decided on the name "Gold Line Framing."

"Home of the free gold line," Allen said. "Gold lines and V grooves at no extra charge. People love something free."

A Rough Start

Allen suffered a setback in her first location in Cayce, S.C. She opened just as a city ordinance limiting the height of signs went into effect. With her sign down lower, it was easily blocked by parked trucks.

"If a truck pulled in front of my sign for the day, I was dead," she said. Allen watched in dismay as her business struggled. Its second Christmas was awful, she said, so she went back online, seeking answers.

"One thing I found out," Allen explained, "if you are not getting new customers, you're dying. A picture lasts a long time if done properly." Seeing the situation was serious, Alien went to her husband, James, and told him they either needed to close down and cut their losses or try something different. James thought there was something about the flame shop worth saving.

The Aliens decided to downsize, get back to basics and get rid of their giftware and jewelry lines. Alien also scouted the area for a new location, paying close attention to traffic. The location that attracted her attention didn't have a rent sign, so she tried to find out who owned the building. Her research paid off and, eventually, she said she cut a fantastic deal.

The new location took work, but--after the Allens hauled out trash and made repairs--it turned out to be a better location and a bigger space. Business has improved, as has the area into which Gold Line moved.

While her business is on the upswing, so too is West Columbia, which is becoming increasingly popular among younger people, who are moving in, settling down, starting families--and redecorating.

Staying Savvy

It makes sense that Gold Line's new 5,000-squarefoot storefront used to house a thrift store. Allen's own thriftiness has made her business's survival possible. While her sundrenched workshop houses plenty of expensive equipment, in some cases she's more fond of equipment she bought cheaply at garage sales and auctions. She even learned how to build her own vacuum press from framing forums on the Internet. Framer's Grumble (www.thegrumble.com) is one of her favorites.

The relationships she has fostered with framers in the area allows her to borrow equipment she cannot yet afford to own. And those relationships are often reciprocal.

Allen will sometimes send customers to her competitors if she feels that the competitor will better be able to take care of their needs. In the long term, if customers have a positive experience, they will return. When asked if sending business to her competitors might cut into her sales, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "Like a lot of framers, I have an all-for-one-and-one-for-me attitude."

Gold Line's clientele comes from a mix of tax brackets, and Allen works hard to maintain all of them as customers. For example, when an elderly woman recently came in to have a diploma refrained, Allen made her recommendations and put together an example of what the finished product would look like. When the customer said she liked the results but it was slightly out of her price range, Allen offered a way to get a similar effect with less expensive materials.

Allen considers it sound business strategy to offer customers affordable products and services. "Why make all of your money off one customer when you can make the same from many?" she said.

"Peggy is really great with color," customer Mary Androne said, adding that the choices and ideas Allen provides help her make educated decision about her framing needs.

The gallery sells a number of small items: trinket boxes, prints and postcards, many modestly priced under $5. Customers who come in for flaming orders often spend money on additional items before they leave the store.