Latest / Small Business Success with Fexingo: Local Companies, Main Street Stories, and Community Commerce / How a Local Print Shop Built a Design Club
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, I was over on the west side last weekend and walked past Iron Press Print Co. — you know, that little shop with the screen-printed tote in the window. And they had a chalkboard sign out front that said: 'Join the Design Club. First month half off.' Luna: I love that place. I got my wedding invitations printed there. But a design club? That's a new one. What is it exactly? Lucas: It's a membership. You pay a flat monthly fee — I think it's forty-nine bucks — and you get a set number of print credits, a dedicated designer you can brainstorm with, and a spot in their monthly member showcase. It's basically a retainer for design and print, but for regular people and small businesses, not just corporate clients. Luna: That's smart. And it's the kind of thing that makes me think about how we run this show. You know, we keep Fexingo ad-free because we think that's the right way to do it. If you've gotten something from these conversations, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Every little bit keeps us independent. Lucas: Yeah, and honestly, that's exactly what Iron Press figured out. They didn't want to compete on price with the online giants. They wanted to compete on relationship and creativity. And the Design Club is how they did it. Lucas: So I sat down with the owner, Maria Chen, and she told me the whole story. The shop had been around for about twelve years, doing posters, business cards, wedding suites — the usual. And it was steady, but it felt like every job was a one-off. She was constantly chasing new customers. Luna: That's the classic small business treadmill, right? You do great work, but you're always starting from zero with the next client. Lucas: Exactly. So about two years ago she looked at her numbers and realized that repeat customers were only about twenty percent of her revenue. Twenty percent. And the average customer came in once every fourteen months. That's a long time to wait between sales. Luna: Yikes. So she needed a reason for people to come back more often. And a subscription does that. Lucas: Right. She'd seen how gyms and software companies use subscriptions, and she wondered if she could apply that to print. So she launched the Design Club in January of last year. Members pay monthly, and they get three print credits — each credit covers a standard-size poster or a set of fifty business cards. Plus, they get a one-hour design consultation every month, and access to a members-only Slack channel where she posts design tips and templates. Luna: A Slack channel for a print shop? That's kind of genius. It makes the membership feel like a community, not just a transaction. Lucas: And that's the thing — it's not just about the prints. It's about the relationship. Maria told me that the first month, she had about thirty people sign up. Most of them were existing customers who loved her work but had never thought about a monthly commitment. And within three months, she had over a hundred members. Luna: A hundred members at forty-nine bucks a month — that's like five thousand dollars in recurring revenue. Not bad for a small shop. Lucas: And that's just the base. Members often go over their credits — they pay for extra prints at a discounted rate. And because they have a dedicated designer, they start to trust her taste. So the average order value for members is about forty percent higher than for non-members. Luna: So the membership not only brings them back, it makes them spend more. That's the flywheel effect. Lucas: Yeah, and the retention is the real story. After a year, she had an eighty-plus percent retention rate. That's insane for a subscription, especially one in a creative service. She attributes it to the personal touch — the designers actually learn your brand, your style, your pet peeves. Luna: And that's something an online printer can't do. They have templates, but they don't know you. Lucas: Exactly. And that's where the community piece comes in. Every month, she hosts a 'Print & Sip' event at the shop. Members come in, see each other's projects, get feedback. It's become this little hub for local makers and small business owners. And it's created a network effect — people join because their friends are in the club. Luna: So it's not just about the prints, it's about the connections. I bet that's hard for a chain to replicate. Lucas: Impossible, honestly. And the numbers back it up. Since launching the club, Maria's revenue is up about thirty percent year-over-year, and she's been able to hire two more designers. She's also noticed that members are more likely to try new services — like the shop's new line of sustainable packaging — because they trust the recommendation. Luna: That's a great point. A subscription doesn't just lock in revenue; it opens the door to upsells. And it gives the shop a stable base to plan from. Lucas: Right. Maria told me that before the club, she was always guessing at her monthly cash flow. Now she knows exactly how much she's getting from memberships, and she can plan her inventory and staffing around that. It's a completely different way to run a small business. Luna: But I have to ask — what about the people who don't want a subscription? Are they still welcome? Lucas: Oh, totally. She was really clear about that. The club is for people who want an ongoing relationship. But she still does one-off jobs, and she's even spun off some of the club's most popular templates into a small retail section. That way, walk-ins can grab a nice card or a print without committing to a membership. Luna: So she's not alienating anyone. She's just giving people a choice. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the lesson I took away from this. A subscription isn't about forcing people into a commitment. It's about offering a way to deepen the relationship for those who want it. And when you do that right, you build a loyal community that's almost impossible to compete with. Luna: I love that. So if someone wants to start a similar club for their own business, what's the first step Maria would recommend? Lucas: She said to start small. Don't overcomplicate it. Pick one core service that you can deliver consistently, set a fair price, and focus on making the members feel special. For her, that meant extra care on the design consultations and making the events feel exclusive but not cliquey. Lucas: She also emphasized that you don't need to be a designer to do this. A florist could have a monthly flower club. A mechanic could have a maintenance membership. It's about shifting from a transactional mindset to a relational one. Luna: That's such a good framing. And I love that it's not just about the money — it's about creating a space where people feel like they belong. Lucas: Yeah, and that's why it works. Maria's Design Club isn't just a revenue stream. It's the heart of her business now. And it's a reminder that even in a digital world, there's enormous value in face to face, creative, human connection. Luna: That's a great note to end on. Thanks for sharing that story, Lucas. Lucas: Anytime. And if you're curious about starting your own club, maybe start by visiting your local print shop and asking if they have one. You might just find your new favorite place.