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Oct 30, 2023

Signergy flying high after Main Street fix

LAS CRUCES - Fortunately for Marvin Herrera, flag sales are once again flying

LAS CRUCES - Fortunately for Marvin Herrera, flag sales are once again flying high. The local businessman owns custom flag, banner, and sign shop, Signergy Productions, which suffered some financial setbacks as a result of recent road construction.

Located at 1695 Main St., Signergy was one of several shops up and down the corridor impacted by road improvements that exceeded a projected completion time of one year. Now that construction has mostly concluded, Herrera said business is picking up again.

"It was really rough, we were struggling because the street right out in front would be completely closed," Herrera explained. "And then for two whole months there was no place to park, our parking lot got closed."

The $5.2 million project to improve North Main Street inconvenienced commuters and shop owners alike. The contractor for the project, G. Sandoval Construction of Las Cruces, could be required to pay liquidated damages because the work wasn't completed on time.

"At times like that you have to be inventive," said Herrera, who purchased the business in 2004. "Usually our customers have come to us, but in situations like that you have to go out to find those customers, to try and sell your product."

Although some of the shop's regular customers were lost, many are just now returning.

"We're getting there, but I'm not back to where I was," Herrera said. "During the construction we went from $10,000 in sales a month to only about $1,000."

Herrera attributes approximately 25 percent of his business to the curious driving by. "So many people see us here, they say they pass by all the time. But they don't know what we have, what exactly we make," he said.

Appearing part print-shop and part toy store, some of the visible merchandise shelved, hung and displayed around the interior, include magnetic signs, vehicle decals, posters, banners of all sizes and construction, and kites and windsocks. As varied as its product line is Signergy's customer base, Herrera said. Daily shop activity can mean fulfilling custom orders for municipal fire departments for example, to assisting children and families choose kites and garden flags.

While visiting Las Cruces in early 2004, Herrera learned Signergy was for sale. "We were living in Los Angeles and I could see there weren't any gangs or any of those things from LA, over here," said. "So I thought it'd be a good place for us to relocate. I talked to my wife, sold my house, loaded a truck and we moved."

The shop's previous owners, who established the business in 1994, provided advice and consultation for four months after the business changed hands. Looking ahead, Herrera said he will incorporate strategies learned as a result of the construction.

"Right now our website is down because we're redoing all of it," he said. When customers couldn't come to the shop, Herrera added, a lot of his business was done online. He relied heavily on email to communicate and coordinate with his established customers. "We also want to do more advertising and publicity."

Most of Signergy's local competition comes from other sign shops, Herrera said.

"But when it comes to our sales of flags, and especially flag poles, our only real competition is on the Internet. People will see things like flag poles online for $90, which is less than what we sell them for," Hererra explained. "But then they get the bill, showing all the shipping costs, and it ends up being a lot more expensive for them."

Noting slight seasonal sales variations, Herrera said flags always sell well. "In the summer especially, everybody wants to fly a flag. And in the spring, when it gets windy, we always sell a lot of our kites."

From traditional diamond-shapes, to box kites, stunt kites, and windsocks, Herrera said he sees some customers buying as many as five kites at a time during the spring and summer.

"We end up restocking the kites almost every week because they sell so good," Herrera explained. But garden flags, team flags and traditional state and US flags, and the poles on which they are attached are always big sellers, Herrera added.

And some customers, he pointed out, can be choosy about which of those traditionally sized flags they purchase.

"People want their US flags made in the US," Herrera explained. "There are some US flags that are made in China that are a lot less expensive, that you can get like at Walmart, but customers who want American flags made in America can come here."