Marine Fabricator May/June 2022 - 13

W
hat's the best way to market your small fabrication
shop? It comes down to one simple concept, " word
of mouth. " It doesn't matter whether your shop is
in Arizona, New Hampshire or New Zealand, the
approach doesn't change-reputation is the most
signifi cant factor in growing a successful business.
" What works is some guy talking to his
buddy in front of his garage when they're
having a beer, " says Vorei Frost Reeves,
owner of In Stitches Customs, Lake Havasu
City, Ariz. " Word of mouth is its own
machine and will continue to happen
provided we continue to do good work. "
That good work recently won In Stitches
Customs a 2022 MFA Fabrication Award
of Excellence in the Marine Exterior
Upholstery Category and an Award of
Distinction in the Upholstery Category.
In the popular vacation community
of Lake Havasu City, boats are built for
high-speed fun. Their owners like them
fl ashy, which means a high demand for
the kind of custom upholstery work In
Stitches Customs provides. Upholstery is
just one of the company's services. It also
does biminis, boat covers, carpet, convertible
tops, stereo systems, and metal
and fi berglass fabrication. The company,
which recently expanded to Hurricane,
Utah, has four employees in addition to
Frost Reeves and her husband, Jason.
When Frost Reeves started her business
in 2000, her best advertisement was
her own boat, which she custom upholstered.
She and her husband would take
the boat out, meet up with other boaters,
and, invariably, the subject of who did
their interior came up. They also handed
out koozies imprinted with the business's
logo to keep their company top of mind.
She also advertised on the local radio station
and still does today.
Hits and misses
Frost Reeves says one successful marketing
strategy was joining the Lake Havasu
Marine Association. Her company was
one of the fi rst small boat businesses to
join and exhibit at the annual boat show,
which has grown to be one of the largest
in the region. While it rarely results in
direct sales, it's a good way to connect
with potential customers.
The company also has a website and
a Facebook page. Similar to the boat
show, Frost Reeves says that while these
platforms alone don't generate sales,
they are a fi rst step to showcase the
company's work. " It's the beginning of
the relationship, but it doesn't sell the
product. Usually, a phone call and a
meeting with the client is what sells it, "
she explains.
In Stitches Customs
won a 2022 MFA Award
of Excellence and an
Award of Distinction in the
Upholstery category for
this project (see page 15
for a larger photo). Owner
Vorei Frost Reeves says the
client's instructions were
to " make it bitchin'. " She
relies on word-of-mouth
marketing, social media,
boat shows and radio ads.
Photo: In Stitches Customs
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Marine Fabricator May/June 2022

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