Jay Goltz

This year marks our 30th anniversary.

November 25th, 2008 by Jay Goltz

Wow! There’s been a lot of change – that’s been a big theme lately.

Clybourn used to be an abandoned factory district and a drag race mecca on weekends. Picture frame materials have become more sophisticated, and conservation has become far more understood and popular. More significantly the customers have changed. I can remember being in a business group 25 years ago and many people had a hard time understanding what I did for a living – frame pictures. The world has become more home-furnishing oriented and custom picture framing has taken on a more important role. Many people now recognize that as they move to a new house or change furnishings, a well framed picture can follow you from house to house and room to room.

Here’s my thought of the day: it’s a great idea to write a message on the back of the framing. Write the date. Maybe the occasion. Or a message. A framed picture that your kid made in 6th grade or a photograph at a baseball game will have special meaning in 30 years. Framed items frequently become heirlooms.

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The Three Big Mysteries

July 22nd, 2008 by Jay Goltz

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Left-Brain, Right-Brain Hiring

July 9th, 2008 by Jay Goltz

I have hired hundreds of people over the years. In the beginning I had no clue what I was doing. I eventually figured out this is an unusual company to hire for. I have always respected the fact that I am dealing with art and the people designing the framing should understand art. I also know that designing framing requires creative abilities. The obvious solution is to hire artists. That would probably be half right. I have learned that the artistic people I hire also have to understand and respect business – use a computer, follow proper procedures, honor deadlines, take care of customer requests, have professional business behavior.

You’ll notice that Artists Frame Service employees don’t casually walk in five or ten minutes after 9:00 and then leave their coffee cups on the counter. They are competent on the computer. They understand the responsibilities of working in a retail environment. While they might be free spirits, each in their own right, they are also business people. I take a little credit for giving them some business skills, but more credit goes to genetics and childhood development. I always make sure I thank parents when I meet them for creating such a wonderful, well-balanced person.

The average person in the showroom has been with the company for 8 years, in an industry where 8 months is a victory. It works for me. It works for them. And ultimately it works for the customer.

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In Search of the Perfect Frame

May 5th, 2008 by Jay Goltz

Since the day I started this business, I have always appreciated the difference between “average” frames and really nice frames. I like different colors, shapes, finishes and textures.

Frame design has become increasingly sophisticated over the last thirty years. Most of the nicest designed and manufactured frames come from Italy and Spain. Many don’t make it to America’s marketplace. Most frame shops aren’t big enough to order direct from Europe and local distributors carry commodity mouldings. About 15 years ago, as soon as we got big enough to handle large international shipments, I started going to the international trade show to buy directly from the manufacturers . We are still one of the few American companies attending the show.

We just came back from our annual trip and found some really great new finishes that have just been created. We have a whole new line of veneered mouldings in magnificent looks and colors, in addition to some really beautiful detailed smaller mouldings. We even have some really wild frames – including glittery frames, zebra and giraffe prints, snakeskin and other couture fabric-wrapped mouldings.

The right frame should speak to you; I hope you speak Italian!

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Criticisms

February 20th, 2008 by Jay Goltz

I recently read how a parent that criticizes all the time really can screw
up a kid’s development, self-esteem and confidence. It made me wonder where
do you draw the line between helping your kid learn and develop versus doing
damage by criticizing? I have to believe that part of the answer is to be
sure there is also positive reinforcement, but as importantly it’s knowing
when being critical will not be productive.

Management is similar. I will say though, whether it’s taping a box or
cutting a mat, there’s a good way and there’s a best way. I would be
hesitant to hold back my criticism if I thought something could be done
better. I think for a company to be as good as possible, criticism needs to
be encouraged, valued and listened to. As the customer, when a company is
gigantic, there’s little chance that your opinion is going to make it to the
person who makes the decisions.

For example, I’m a big fan of American Express cards – that is, of course
until I need to call the number on the back of the card. It is minuscule.
Even with reading glasses. There seems to be plenty of room on the back of
the card to make that phone number bigger. On more than one occasion I have
complained to the person on the phone, and almost every time, they have said
I was not the first person to say that. It makes me wonder, how many
thousands of people have complained about it and what would it take for
someone to make the type bigger? One advantage of being a smaller company is
that I have changed things that just one customer has complained about.

Compliments make me feel good. Criticisms make my company better. I value
both.

Posted in Thoughts | 1 Comment »

A Very Large Table

February 6th, 2008 by Jay Goltz

We’ve been interviewing a lot lately for a few open positions. There’s a
stark contrast between looking for people in December and January. It would
seem that people that already have jobs are not looking for jobs in
December. In January, you may be getting people that made a new year’s
resolution to get a new job. Why people want a new job is always
interesting. I have found, contrary to what you might think, that looking
for more money is not why people are leaving their jobs. Frustration with
what goes on at the company, lack of support, and lack of advancement
potential just to name a few. One candidate said something that I found
poignant. She was interviewing for a higher level sales management position
and she said she wanted to find a job where she would have a “seat at the
table”. She was looking for a company where she could make daily decisions,
not a place where she just took orders from the top.

I thought that was interesting. I would like to believe that most of my
employees feel like they have a seat at the table. That their input is
encouraged, valued and counted on. Our turnover here is very low and I do
believe that one of the key reasons is that people feel included and that
they are sitting at a very large “table”.

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Cashmere Socks

January 22nd, 2008 by Jay Goltz

It was inevitable. We finally have temperatures in the single digits. I
decided it was time to do something drastic – I bought some cashmere socks.
I’ve never had cashmere socks. When it got really cold, I put them on. I
wore them to work, and lo and behold I found out something. While my body
was at work, my feet were on vacation. Warm and toasty. Every once in a
while you buy something that you get tremendous satisfaction from.

That’s our goal when someone comes in to frame a picture. Picture framing is
an opportunity to do something just for you. For something that you have
chosen to look at everyday. If you do it right, I mean really right, every
time you look at the picture you are going to get that same toasty feeling I
get when I think of my warm toasty feet. The difference is you will enjoy it
365 days a year, not the 30 or 40 days I anticipate pulling out the big
guns.

Posted in Thoughts | 2 Comments »

Does Customer Service Matter?

December 17th, 2007 by Jay Goltz

It’s been a while since I’ve last blogged. Time flies.

For those of you who have been in retail shopping mode lately, you might – like me – be yearning for the days when more sales people knew more about their product than you did. With the Internet so much a part of everyday life, I find myself telling store salespeople (whether it’s a car or a watch) things about their product they didn’t know. Back in the “olden days”, people working in stores could be counted on to give advice, direction and council.

What’s changed? Some very subtle things in the marketplace have contributed to this lowering of customer service expertise.

First of all, many companies only hire part-time employees as a way to not pay health insurance. As a result, the employees are not at work to learn things and the turnover is much higher.

Another reason is that many stores have gotten so hooked on the constant sales that price is the main tool they use to get customers in the door. As a result, they can’t afford or recognize that giving service is worth something to people – even if it means paying 2% more.

And lastly, businesses used to be run by merchants – people who had it in their blood to deliver great products and service. Now the people at the top of these organizations are just generic business people. They are not retailers. They do not have an appreciation for the nuances of retail and their name is not on the door. There is little passion for the product, only for their pay package. There are certainly exceptions to this, but they are becoming far and few between.

It’s getting to the point that just having product in stock, delivering it on time and having quality control makes you stand out from the crowd. Add to that someone behind the counter who knows and cares about the product, and you are in retail heaven. It’s actually becoming a niche.

Posted in Thoughts | 4 Comments »

Jay Goltz

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This year marks our 30th anniversary.

The Three Big Mysteries

Left-Brain, Right-Brain Hiring

In Search of the Perfect Frame

Criticisms

A Very Large Table

Cashmere Socks

Does Customer Service Matter?

Hanging With Jay