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June 2, 2008

Borders | A chat with Todd Beach, founder of Beach's Custom Framing in Augusta.

Founded: August 2007
Employees: None
Startup costs: $20,000
Projected revenue, year one: $60,000
Projected revenue, year two: $75,000
Contact: 622-6840
257 Water St., Augusta 04330

Can you tell me about what you do here?

Yup ˆ— the main thing is, people bring in things they need framed, and I will frame them. Any custom frame would take about two weeks on average. And also, I sell artwork, pottery. Back when I first came in here, I had a show for a couple from Farmington, I had an art show. I do that, too, when I can, not all the time.

Tell me how you got started with this.

Well, about 10 years ago, when I was out of high school, there was a job [at] Michael's, the craft place, they had a framing place. That was where I first went, while I was going to [the University of Maine at Augusta]. That's how I learned it, and I was going to school, so I did that part time. Then I was in Hallowell for a little while working for a smaller frame shop.

And then, how I started this, it was way later, and I had [transferred to the former Kennebec Valley Technical College] for things not even to do with this, doing like telephone poles and electrical-line work. But then, I think it was a new year, it was 2007 probably, and I decided to just go ahead ˆ— I had nothing to lose. I don't have many assets, and just I wanted my own business. I thought this would probably be the best thing for me because I had the experience.

I went to a few workshops over at the town hall. They were having them, right before I opened, about small business. And that's kind of how I [met] Gerard Roy, who is the [city's associate developer] and he'd sit in on some of the meetings and the main thing was, when I was trying to start it, I needed to find a location. So he showed me some of the spots down here that are open. We came to this one and I liked it immediately. I could just see through the window [into the space] and I could see the brick [walls] and I liked it. And I did want to be downtown. It's strange because it's kind of a dying place down here. It's kind of sad. It didn't used to be. And they're trying to get things in here and I just thought, maybe, I was young and maybe [I'd] try to get it going again. But I'm glad I'm down here.

How do you attract business?

Well, I advertise in the paper, in the [Kennebec Journal] and the Capital Weekly, and I'll be doing it again, and especially with the senior-picture time coming up. I'm just putting an ad in, "Don't forget, it's senior picture time, have your pictures framed," you know, because it's about that time. But I've had pretty good luck with the paper. Most people have seen the ads in there. That's all I've done.

Have you had any really challenging framing projects lately?

One of my more, not fun, but it was kind of neat, [projects] was a jersey. It was a basketball jersey that was for UMA. It was kind of a sad thing, though, because it was for a girl that got murdered, she had died and they wanted to give it to her parents, so they came to me to do that. It was her basketball jersey. So it was really big, and it was kind of thick, but it looked really nice.

What was the hardest part about launching your business?

Well, I guess the financing. That was personal loans at my credit union. My family actually helped out, so I didn't have to get too much [in loans]. I didn't get a business loan like people talk about. I did not do that. They actually really wouldn't let me. They wouldn't give me any money right off. So I basically did it on my own. And then I had money given to me by my family. So I was lucky. And my mom does accounting and was kind enough to offer to do it right now. I'll probably be taking over later.

Any ideas for the future of the business?

The other thing that I might expand on, and this was the idea right when I opened, was art supplies. I don't know when I'm doing that. I do want to, and I have room for it. In the future, I am going to have more shows in here, like [for] UMA, no charge, so hopefully this fall I'd like to get that together.

Interview by Kerry Elson

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