Today I made 16 stops to check out the businesses in my area that I thought could use large format digital printing. It would not be fair to call them “sales” calls because I was 'testing the waters' more than trying to close a sale.
My first stop was Publix. One, because they could become a major client, and two because I saw an opportunity for Lifewalls there.
Publix has two large high walls as you enter. Currently, they have two posters on each side that are small for the space. These are paper prints on foam board. I spoke with the manager (Michael) and he pointed me to Corporate in Lakeland, FL. He mentioned those posters had been in place for 13 years and he would like to see something new as well.
A local branch of Children's Health Care was my next stop. The entrance and waiting areas are plain paints with some pictures. I talked with the staff and they said they too would love a makeover for their environment. Another section of the building is called Sports Medicine they had many large walls with nothing on them. The staff there said they would also like to see some large prints.
Some of the businesses I checked out like CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreen's had murals, but only as a guide to product areas in the store. Target only had one large print and it was paper on foam board, but I was impressed with the quality. It had to be at least 6 color at 1440 DPI.
Both Hollywood Video and a Blockbuster in my area are being rebuilt. The HV will be a dentist building soon and Blockbuster is still undetermined.
LA Fitness was a great stop. They had well over 2,000 square feet of large format digital graphics. Most of the high areas and highlight points of 100 square feet on every large low wall. The prints were professionally installed, but the quality of the print was less than what we produce at Lifewalls.
The Manager said they would build 50 more units in the next year.
Coast Dental has three large walls in the entrance and waiting area. Even though the walls are knockdown with vinyl wallcovering below, they are still a good candidate. I will contact Corporate of the chain tomorrow.
Kids R Kids and the Goddard school had painted murals that were done by the staff: not a good candidate for our services.
Heritage Assisted Living Center may be a good contact. They have many walls, mostly painted above paper, with art prints here and there. Graphic murals of happy seniors could upgrade this environment nicely.
The local Kroger's had one large brick wall at the entrance that had potential and I will follow through when the manager is in.
Pet Supplies Plus took over the space that used to be Ace Hardware. The entire front of the store was large prints of happy people and pets. All of the glass in the front of the building was filled with these two-sided murals that were on a mesh-reinforced vinyl. The manager said they were mail ordered from Graphics Industries in Michigan which I did not find with a Google search.
This was only a four hour outing, but I was able to draw some conclusions. Most of the workers in any space are glade to see me and wished for an updated environment. I will need to contact corporate to find the right buyer for the larger potential jobs, but I think that will be well worth while. Many shops are living on a shoestring and will not be good candidates.
Next stop: pediatric doctors and dentists.
