ColorTyme is back in Clarkston, Wash.

Aug. 18, 2009 - PRLog -- CLARKSTON, Wash. – To the cheers of many Clarkson, Wash. residents, the much anticipated ColorTyme store at 205 Diagonal Street (on the corner of Diagonal and Second Street) has officially opened its doors for business.

“Everybody is so glad we’re back in Clarkston,” said Colleen Squires, one of the franchise owner partners at the new ColorTyme store.  “I already have 33 products out on rent, before our opening.  We’re the best thing in town!”

As many Clarkston residents know, this is the second ColorTyme store opening in the town’s history.  In 1990, the first was opened by long-time ColorTyme Franchise Owner Gary Hughes.  As one of Gary’s first employees, Squires worked with the store’s payday loan service: “The payday loan product was designed to be a convenience for our customers.  It was real easy.  If you were already a rent-to-own customer, you were already qualified to be a payday loan customer.  The whole point was to offer additional services our customers wanted at one convenient location.  It worked.  Our store grew to be the No. 2 ColorTyme store in the United States – one behind Gary’s store in Hawaii”

Hughes decided to sell the store to Rent-A-Center after many successful years.  Now, after more than four years, ColorTyme is back in Clarkston and the team is ready to put customers first.  The store also provides service to residents in neighboring Lapwai, Idaho, and Lewiston, Idaho.

“We have products that nobody else in town has,” Squires explains.  “I have lots of people helping set up because we had to remodel the building we’re in – known as the old TR Video building.  But, we’re back and we’re better than ever.  We’re doing business the way we know it needs to be done.  The people of Clarkston have to matter.  If it’s good for the customer, it’s good for the business.”

Colleen’s team not only includes Gary Hughes as an owner but also Mike Arringdale, Mike Olszewski and Joey Smith.  “Between all of us, we have more than 50 years of rent-to-own experience.”  

Now that the store is open, Colleen can focus on providing an excellent customer experience.  She feels that her unique connection with the residents of Clarkston is what will help her be successful.

“Clarkston is an awesome place to live,” Squires said.  “We’re very fortunate because we share a lot of heart with our customers.  I’ve lived here my whole life.  I’m not going anywhere.”

Of course, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  Colleen’s son, Daniel, has also joined the ColorTyme team: “He is just ‘head over heels’ wanting to learn the rent-to-own business and wanting to get involved.

“Because we’re locally owned, our store is more in tune with the community.  We’re very happy doing what we’re doing,” Colleen said.  “We’re not trying to climb the corporate ladder.  We want to do what we want to do, and that’s providing superior customer service to our Clarkston friends and neighbors.”

About ColorTyme
ColorTyme, Inc., founded in 1979, is America’s oldest franchisor of independently owned-and-operated rent-to-own stores. The company has added 114 new stores and 50 new franchisees in the last five years. Today, ColorTyme franchisees operate 204 rent-to-own stores in 33 states, and the company’s custom-wheels-and-tires franchise brand, RimTyme, operates 24 stores in 11 states. ColorTyme is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and is an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of the largest RTO company in the world, Rent-A-Center .

Contact:
Ryan Alford, ColorTyme, Inc.
972-403-4907 • ralford@colortyme.com