A slam dunk for sports and framing: marketing merchandise and framing to sports-minded patrons puts one creative framer at the top of his game - The Creative Play store - Company Profile

Art Business News, July, 2002 by Tricia Bisoux

A former store display designer for the likes of JCPenney and Robinsons-May department stores, Lonnie Voss has a knack for presentation. Combine that knack with a flair for framing and a love of sports--any and every sport--and you've got The Creative Play, a frame shop and sports memorabilia store in Costa Mesa, Calif.

The inspiration for this winning business came to Voss after a friend asked him to watch his baseball card shop while he went on his honeymoon. While Voss was minding the store, a customer came in and bought a Willie Mays baseball card for $200 cash.

"I asked him what he planned to do with the card--he said he was going to put it in a shoebox in his closet," recalled Voss. "After he left, it dawned on me that if people were willing to spend that much on a baseball card, they'd be willing to spend money to display and protect it properly."

In 1989, Voss opened a 500-square-foot frame shop and hung a single, framed baseball card, priced for $10, on the wall. When it sold, he hung several more, and they sold as well. He continued to add to his lineup of sports memorabilia until The Creative Play grew to fit its current 2,100-square-foot location.

Voss' clientele includes Olympic athletes and major-league baseball players, as well as sports fans, soccer moms and even brides-to-be. When they come to the shop, customers are treated to an array of merchandise, such as collector's cards, signed memorabilia, jerseys and figurines. They also can try their luck at sports-themed novelty games that Voss has set up in the store.

For example, customers at The Creative Play receive a "batting card." With a $5 minimum purchase, they can spin a large "wheel of fortune" divided up into baseball-themed sections--foul, out, single, double, triple or home run. The result of each spin is recorded on the card; once they've accumulated 10 runs, explained Voss, they get a $20 gift certificate to the store.

For golfing fans, Voss added a "putting" wedge to the wheel. Customers who land on "Pack Putt," can try their luck on a mini-green. If they sink the putt, they win a pack of collector's cards.

"We try to interact with customers as much as possible," said Voss, who has one employee to help with framing and sales. "`Play' is the common denominator for us. Customers often don't know what to think of us when they first come in, because it's very different and unique. But once they discover us, they say, `Wow, this is a fun place!'"

The Frame of the Game

Voss noted that the greatest challenge in managing The Creative Play is in integrating its two personalities. "I must get the identity of the store's two halves to merge," he explained.

Voss uses his talent for store displays to bring the store's split personality together. He rotates the window display and four large interior display cases regularly between sports and framing themes. As a result, he said, customers who come in to buy sport items will learn more about the store's framing services, and those who come in for framing will be treated to elaborate sports displays.

In the latest rotation, Voss replaced his sports-oriented displays with displays devoted to four flaming themes--prints, family, weddings and achievements. Voss uses these displays to promote his shop and to create goodwill with customers, who often find themselves and their treasures featured in one of the cases. In the store's "achievements" window, for example, is a framed certificate honoring a local boy who scored a perfect 300 at the local bowling alley and a customer's flamed Daughters of the American Revolution certificate.

"I want customers to know that even though I specialize in sports memorabilia, I frame everything," Voss said."My slogan is, `If you can picture it, we can frame it.' I've even flamed a mummified cat that a school teacher found under her house, so she could put it in her classroom," Voss added with a laugh.

He also uses his displays to share his own history. The "family" window includes a framed 1953 picture of Voss' mother with her report card and a picture of his grandmother on her 100th birthday. His grandfather, whose claim to fame is his invention of the three-way light bulb, is memorialized with an acrylic box that displays the light bulb and his grandfather's original blueprints. Displaying such personal items not only starts conversations but also helps Voss build relationships with customers.

"It's so much fun to look at your life. I want my customers to know that their blank walls can be turned into great conversation pieces," Voss remarked. "I encourage my customers to frame and hang items on their walls that are unique and different. Why spend $200 on a sunset, when you can put your own life and interests in your home and make it interesting?"

The Display's the Thing

Voss' talent for display not only benefits his framing; it also allows him to offer expanded services to customers who want expert advice about displaying items in their homes. When former Anaheim Angel outfielder Rex Hudler came to Voss to design a home sports museum, Voss put his eye for presentation to work. Voss designed the cabinetry for Hudler's display and collaborated with a contractor to create the space. Now an announcer for the Angels, Hudler was so pleased with the work that he refers Voss to others in his social and professional circles.