ColorTyme Franchisees See Big Future in Canton

By: ColorTyme | 1,021 Shares 122 Reads

Tony Trombley and Tom Smith Partner to Offer Superior Customer Service in New Store

June 01, 2009 // Franchising.com // Canton, Ohio –– Canton, Ohio is now the home of a new ColorTyme store – co-owned by Tony Trombley and Tom Smith. Located near the corner of Whipple Avenue and Tuscarawas Street West in Canton Centre Mall, the 5,000 square-foot ColorTyme offers residents a new choice in rent-to-own services.

"There are a lot of competitors in our area," said Trombley. "Our marketing will focus on the immediate area around our store. We plan to get involved with the Canton Chamber of Commerce and with the community. I truly believe that companies that get involved with their communities are more successful."

Partnering to open the store, Trombley and Smith evaluated a location where a number of old buildings were being demolished and reconstructed. This was an opportunity for them to establish their new store in an area that was viewed as fresh and up-and-coming.

"We were really lucky to find this location," Trombley said. "The biggest difference between this ColorTyme store and the three competing stores around us: We listen to our customers. They will notice a difference when they walk in here."

Not only does Trombley bring about 16 years of RTO experience to the new store, Smith already co-owns three ColorTyme stores: two in Pennsylvania and one in Maryland. Partnering with his brother Duane Smith, the two have a solid foundation by getting involved with their communities. This was demonstrated in successfully leading a recent fundraising campaign in Hanover, Pa., to help Jarrett Peck, who will undergo a complicated – and expensive – heart surgery.

"We're going to put the customers first, simple as that," Trombley explained. "We're going to carry the newest, latest products at a good value for our customers. Everybody speaks it, but it's not always the case: Customer service is top priority at ColorTyme."

Trombley and Smith see a bright future in Canton. Within the next two years they have aspirations for opening a second store in the area: "It can be here in Canton or in surrounding cities like Akron or Barberton. But, we have to get this one up and running first.

"I will make customers happy," exclaimed Trombley. "If I can make the customer happy, the results will follow. The store will be successful; it will be huge."

About ColorTyme

ColorTyme, Inc., founded in 1979, is America's oldest franchisor of independently owned-and-operated rent-to-own stores. ColorTyme franchisees operate 206 rent-to-own stores in 33 states, and the company's custom-wheels-and-tires franchise brand, RimTyme, operates 25 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 (NASDAQ: RCII).

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