Winter is always a challenge for Northern Virginia retail storefront businesses. Snow, hail, sleet, and cold winds will almost always resort is less foot traffic visiting the shop. Precisely because there are fewer shoppers, business owners need to ensure that their storefront has a curb appeal that says “warm, dry and welcoming.”

Reston based All American Painting Plus, exterior painting contractors serving all of Northern Virginia, has a few ideas that can help the business community put its best “look” forward to ensure they get their fair share of customers who brave the elements.

With over a decade of experience as professional painters for commercial and residential clients, All American Painting Plus has an excellent feel for what works and what doesn’t.

Freshen Up Your Storefront with New Paint

Not surprisingly, professional painters place a lot of stock in the value of a fresh coat of paint. There isn’t a faster or more affordable way to freshen up the exterior of a business. Winter painting however, can be problematic. Inclement weather can delay or preclude large projects. What works though, is focusing on features like window trims and doors. Painting trims in bright colors like a shade of red, blue, or green gives a great first impression and will draw attention to display windows.

Install an Awning

Gimme Shelter was a great Stones tune and may well be the theme song for shoppers on foot in bad weather. Awnings are fairly affordable, promise at least some immediate relief from the weather, and makes casual window shopping more desirable. Awnings say “You’re welcome here” about as well as any other marketing tool. A nice bright welcome mat also encourages entry and captures some of the grit and grime customers track in. Make sure you clean it regularly.

Ceilings, Lights and Fans

Look up. Are your ceilings clean or do they need a good cleaning or even an interior painting project to freshen up the appearance or even set a new tone. Are all your lighting fixtures at 100% or do they also need a dusting. Pay particular attention to the lighting in the display window area. You want your goods to appear in the best possible light. Fans are another concern. They can move warm air from the ceiling down to the sales floor…if you have remembered to change fan direction from the summertime direction. If your storefront is a professional business and you have blinds on the windows, open them up. This is called daylighting, taking advantage of what natural light sunny winters can offer.

Keep Your Floors Clean

This is a challenge. Your winter customers will be tracking in the remnants of the weather. Wet shoes and boots, rock salt (or other chemical deicer) residue, grit and other undesirable stuff. Scrapper mats at entrances and other places where debris seems to accumulate will help but count on frequent floor cleaning. Have sufficient cleaning supplies and make sure your staff understands the importance of clean floors. Aside from the obvious liability issues, dirty floors turn off buyers.

If you have any questions about improving your winter storefront appearance, don’t hesitate to contact us. We think you will be surprised how affordable exterior painting costs are.

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