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Boston
Resident Frames New Career
Peter Crossley graduated from Boston University
with an MBA in Finance and went on to hold positions as an investment
banker in areas as far away as London and Brazil.
So, how did he end up back in Boston as the owner of a successful
franchise? “I didn’t start out looking for
a franchise, but I did want to own my own business after going
through one too many mergers in the banking industry.” His
search for a custom frame shop began when his sister Cindy, who
had 12+ years experience in the industry, agreed to work with
him. He found the FASTFRAME franchise through an Internet
search on Google. “After exploring what they had
to offer, I decided a franchise was the way to go.
The marketing materials, strong vendor relations and overall
support offered were critical factors in my decision to move
forward.”
He opened his store in Boston’s historical
South End neighborhood, in the section referred to as “SOWA” or
South of Washington Street. This former “crack neighborhood” has
been transformed to the trendy side of town and now boasts upscale
restaurants, specialty boutiques and houses a large artist population,
all thanks to the GLBT community leading the charge.
Crossley notes, “Even though the neighborhood has grown
more diverse in recent years, the “South End” is
definitely the “gay neighborhood” of Boston. I
would say 70-80% of my clientele is gay.
We see each other at neighborhood events and
support similar causes, so I think it’s natural for them
to choose me as their local framer. There is also the comfort
factor for some people in bringing in gay themed artwork for
a gay man to frame, as opposed to a straight man.” He
also runs advertisements in magazines such as “Boston Spirit” tagged
with the announcement,
“New Gay Owned Business in the South End”, in an
effort to increase the awareness about his business for the gay
community in his area.
His advertising efforts have paid off as his
customer base includes local residents, business owners, artists
and designers. Shortly after opening, one of Boston’s
most sought after interior designers came to Crossley’s
store with a project.
The intricate order involved an oversized custom mirror with
cutouts for light fixtures. “I knew this was a tremendous
opportunity, so I called everyone I knew from my franchise contacts
to my local vendors to make sure I had all of my bases covered.” His
attention to detail paid off. The designer is a regular
customer and the intricate order, the designer’s signature
piece, has become a standard job for Crossley’s store.
While he spends much of his time developing
and catering to his customer base, he also knows the importance
of giving back to the community. Most recently, he donated
close to $10,000 in framing to support two local charities; the “Men’s
Event”, an annual black tie fundraiser to support the Fenway
Community Health Centre, the largest health facility in the nation
dedicated to the health care of the GLBT community, and to Artcetra,
a bi-annual fund raising event for Aids Action. “I
hope my store is perceived as a good neighbor. I try to
actively participate and donate my resources for causes that
are important to my client base.”
In
the two years since Peter has opened his FASTFRAME, he has
become one of the top 20 producing stores in the country; quite
an impressive feat considering there are currently over 300
locations. It’s also one of the many reasons he
was chosen as
“Rookie of the Year” at the franchise’s national
convention, an award definitely worth framing.
About FASTFRAME
Based in Newbury
Park, Calif., FASTFRAME is the largest dedicated custom framing
franchise organization in the United States. FASTFRAME stores
are owner operated and provide high quality craftsmanship with
quick turnaround. FASTFRAME offers franchisees an excellent
business opportunity and an enjoyable work environment with
low start-up costs and ongoing marketing and operations support.
With more than 300 locations, FASTFRAME is among the nation’s
fastest-growing franchises. International locations include
Japan, Australia and Brazil. For more information, call 1-888-TO-FRAME
or visit www.fastframe.com.
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from franchise companies? How will you know when you’ve
found the right one for you? Let’s deal with these questions
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