Sarah Dubay first heard about Wine & Design when she had a birthday party at a similar concept in her South Carolina community. She\u2019d been given a gift card at the time of the party, so when the studio rebranded to Wine & Design not long after, she attended another class on a date night
\nwith her husband, Bryan.<\/p>\n
During that evening of fun, Dubay learned that Wine & Design had franchise opportunities available. Captivated by the idea, Dubay contacted the brand and eventually left her job as a teacher in 2012 to open a Wine & Design studio in Charleston, South Carolina.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main thing that stood out to me about the Mount Pleasant Wine & Design, which I actually ended up buying, was how awesome and thriving the studio atmosphere was,\u201d Dubay said.<\/p>\n
One of the main contributing factors to that atmosphere was the Mount Pleasant studio\u2019s wildly successful Art Buzz Kids division, a part of Wine & Design\u2019s business model that offers various programs for the under-21 crowd that include summer camps, after-school classes and birthday parties, to name a few.<\/p>\n
Dubay shadowed at the studio when she was in the \u201cin-between period\u201d of being interested in investing in the brand, but not yet signed. It was during this time she became familiar with each of the brand\u2019s five divisions, but gained a particular understanding of how lucrative a successful Art Buzz Kids program could be.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe previous franchisee there actually created the brand\u2019s ArtBuzz Kids division, so I learned from the best,\u201d Dubay said. \u201cI was able to see firsthand what she\u2019d been doing for so many years to make the programs successful, and I think it kind of launched the emphasis I placed on Art Buzz Kids at my own studio.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a mom herself, Dubay has always been drawn to the simplicity of Art Buzz Kids: sign up, show up, let your child make a mess in a space that you\u2019re not responsible for cleaning up and they get to leave with an awesome creation. When she opened her Wine & Design studio in Charleston in June 2012, she did so with 10 weeks of summer camps on the calendar. She faced an uphill
\nbattle getting the community to recognize a paint and sip business as a space for engaging children\u2019s activities, but through in-studio advertising and word of mouth, Dubay filled her camp schedule and never looked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince most people don\u2019t think of a paint-and-sip studio as a place for kids camps, we make sure to market it through word of mouth in our classes,\u201d Dubay said. \u201cWe also always have Art Buzz Kids paintings up in our studio and make sure our artists call them out. Seeing the paintings and has really helped the division grow. Social promotion is also a huge aspect of our success\u2014when moms see a group of kids at a birthday party in our studio and how simple it is for a party to be done well, it makes a big impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through a well-executed Art Buzz Kids division, Dubay has been able to enjoy a consistent revenue stream that buoys her business year-round. As far as her advice goes for making Wine & Design\u2019s Art Buzz Kids division a reliable revenue-generator, Dubay said it\u2019s important to remember that success doesn\u2019t happen overnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won’t have 20 kids at your camp right away. It\u2019s something that builds,\u201d she said. \u201cThe most important part of generating interest is to work hard to ensure the kids that are attending have such a great time that they\u2019re eager to come back. Having the drive and determination to form the connections in the community necessary to make it work is what makes Art Buzz Kids a
\nsuccess.\u201d<\/p>\n
Start-up costs for a Wine & Design franchise range from $69,950 to $221,200, including a $25,000 franchise fee. For more information about franchising with Wine & Design, visit www.wineanddesign.com\/franchise<\/a><\/p>\n By:\u00a0 Madeline Lena<\/p>\n 1851- No Limit Agency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sarah Dubay first heard about Wine & Design when she had a birthday party at a similar concept in her South Carolina community. She\u2019d been given a gift card at the time of the party, so when the studio rebranded to Wine & Design not long after, she attended another class on a date night … <\/p>\n