Chris'
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Camera Center
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South
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The saga continues: Week 2
It's important to get the message out to the public. I don't
like hand-painted paper signs - the only time they're appropriate is when you're going out
of business! So the first piece of equipment I buy for the store is an Epson Photo Stylus
1200 printer. It prints "photo quality" images up to 13" x 19" (it can
also do longer images on banner paper.) Along with it I buy several packs of photo quality
glossy 13" x 19" paper. I make several signs like the one above to go into the
front windows, after they are cleaned and the window area vacuumed.
I scan in the Kodak resellers' logo and use that in
Pagemaker 6.5 to make a variety of signs. From an Olympus Press Kit cd-rom picked up at a
PMA convention I find the IS-20 image above and use that to make the sign at the top of
this page. (For more on sign making techniques check this article.)
There's a ratty looking outdoor carpet inbetween the deep
show windows. For the first time in months that gets cleaned…
On Tuesday the Chamber of Commerce has its
breakfast meeting. About 85 people meet at Newberry Hall at 7:30 AM. I've already fallen
into the habits of retirement and the hour seems awfully early, but the meeting is great.
The speaker is Director of the South Carolina Insurance Commission. He describes SC's
attempts to control the hight cost of auto insurance; coming from New Jersey I wonder why
they're concerned, since my auto insurance bills have just been cut in half… There's
a great deal of enthusiasm in my new community.
Tuesday night we go back to the same hall for a meeting of
the ADDA (Aiken Downtown Development Association.) Reps from all the
media are there - television, cable TV, radio and three newspapers.
There's a ratty looking outdoor carpet inbetween the deep
show windows. For the first time in months that gets cleaned…
I meet with Ed Hudak from The Signworks and start batting
around ideas for the outdoor signage. In downtown Aiken, illuminated signs are
discouraged. That will save some money, but there's nothing like the good old Storefront
ID Program signs that Kodak used to offer to let people know there's a camera store in
town. I have Kodak send me some good copies of their resellers' logotype to incorporate in
the sign. Not that I love Kodak - sometimes I do, sometimes I don't - but there is no
other name and tradedress that is as universally recognized.
I develop a business plan to go to the bank for some money.
If you'd like guidance on business plans, go to www.quicken.com
and you'll find a wealth of info.
It's time to start work on the building itself.
Next Step
Go back to the beginning of the
project
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