News
ENLARGE
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Claudine Bogart grew up framing.
Bogart graduated from college, where she studied journalism and history, and after working various jobs, she discovered she preferred working in the family custom-framing business.
In 2000, Bogart began running the day-to-day operations of Frame Depot, which her father Randy started in 1988. Frame Depot is located at 529 Bogart Lane, just east of Sam’s Club.
Bogart participated in a Rotary Exchange program last year in which for five weeks she shared business ideas with her hosts in the Czech and Slovak Republics. They asked her questions she found hard to answer.
Growing up in the family business, she did things a certain way because that’s the way she had been taught, Bogart said. But it was difficult for her to articulate the reasons why to her foreign hosts.
Last fall, after returning home to Grand Junction, Bogart signed up for The Business Incubator Center’s Leading Edge class, an intensive 12-week course covering cash flow management, marketing, finance, personnel and legal issues, and how to prepare a business plan. The Incubator, located at 2591 B 3/4 Road, offers affordable rental space, low-cost workshops and free consulting to new and expanding businesses.
“It filled in the gaps why we do what we do,” Bogart said. “It was a perfect fit for what I was looking for. It was a good overview on what you need to know to be in business.
“Plus it was a lot of fun. It’s a good place to network. I still see people from the class.”
The Leading Edge class cost $300 and was “well worth it,” Bogart said. She still uses the manual that came with the class.
Sometimes people repeat the course after they’ve been in business for awhile, Bogart said.
Bogart also uses the Incubator’s free services, such as the “healthy business check” and help with QuickBooks, a financial software program.
“I send people there,” Bogart said. “It’s a huge success story here in town. It’s a good mix of business owners and people thinking about it. And it’s a great place to network with people in all different stages of business.”
Frame Depot recently expanded its shop, increasing its floor space by 2,000 feet after the owners purchased the entire building last summer (they had previously owned one-third of the building). Bogart learned banking and financing skills in the Leading Edge class, which helped with the building purchase, she said.
The expansion has allowed Bogart to add gifts, home decor items and McCall’s candles to her store, as well as providing more space and tables for customers seeking custom framing — which is 90 percent of the shop’s business.
The building purchase also allowed Frame Depot to add another entrance facing Highway 6 & 50. Previously, the store could only be accessed in the back via Bogart Lane.
Bogart also now has space for local artists. Every second Saturday the shop hosts a reception for a an artist, whose work is exhibited in the shop for a month. Their first reception was last Saturday for artist Lorraine Sells. Next month’s featured artist will be Terry Bridgeman.
“I’ve always wanted to do that. The local art community has been good to us,” Bogart said.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
Bogart graduated from college, where she studied journalism and history, and after working various jobs, she discovered she preferred working in the family custom-framing business.
In 2000, Bogart began running the day-to-day operations of Frame Depot, which her father Randy started in 1988. Frame Depot is located at 529 Bogart Lane, just east of Sam’s Club.
Bogart participated in a Rotary Exchange program last year in which for five weeks she shared business ideas with her hosts in the Czech and Slovak Republics. They asked her questions she found hard to answer.
Growing up in the family business, she did things a certain way because that’s the way she had been taught, Bogart said. But it was difficult for her to articulate the reasons why to her foreign hosts.
Last fall, after returning home to Grand Junction, Bogart signed up for The Business Incubator Center’s Leading Edge class, an intensive 12-week course covering cash flow management, marketing, finance, personnel and legal issues, and how to prepare a business plan. The Incubator, located at 2591 B 3/4 Road, offers affordable rental space, low-cost workshops and free consulting to new and expanding businesses.
“It filled in the gaps why we do what we do,” Bogart said. “It was a perfect fit for what I was looking for. It was a good overview on what you need to know to be in business.
“Plus it was a lot of fun. It’s a good place to network. I still see people from the class.”
The Leading Edge class cost $300 and was “well worth it,” Bogart said. She still uses the manual that came with the class.
Sometimes people repeat the course after they’ve been in business for awhile, Bogart said.
Bogart also uses the Incubator’s free services, such as the “healthy business check” and help with QuickBooks, a financial software program.
“I send people there,” Bogart said. “It’s a huge success story here in town. It’s a good mix of business owners and people thinking about it. And it’s a great place to network with people in all different stages of business.”
Frame Depot recently expanded its shop, increasing its floor space by 2,000 feet after the owners purchased the entire building last summer (they had previously owned one-third of the building). Bogart learned banking and financing skills in the Leading Edge class, which helped with the building purchase, she said.
The expansion has allowed Bogart to add gifts, home decor items and McCall’s candles to her store, as well as providing more space and tables for customers seeking custom framing — which is 90 percent of the shop’s business.
The building purchase also allowed Frame Depot to add another entrance facing Highway 6 & 50. Previously, the store could only be accessed in the back via Bogart Lane.
Bogart also now has space for local artists. Every second Saturday the shop hosts a reception for a an artist, whose work is exhibited in the shop for a month. Their first reception was last Saturday for artist Lorraine Sells. Next month’s featured artist will be Terry Bridgeman.
“I’ve always wanted to do that. The local art community has been good to us,” Bogart said.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
