Contour Creations Inc. is Colorizing Curves
Contour Creations Inc. is out to colorize Curves and, in so doing, help Curves for Women franchise 
owners give their clubs a fresh new look.
Curves for Women franchise should check out the interview with Contour Creations founder Jennifer Lehn at FranBest.com (See Featured Vendor: Contour Creations Inc. Custom Fitness Pads)
Here’s an excerpt:
Contour Creations Inc. is a family owned and operated business that manufactures hand-crafted upholstered vinyl fitness pads and rollers for Curves clubs. They offer our pads in black as well as 9 different colors. Their priority is to cater to the needs of Curves owners and their clubs.
The two main players in this operation are Jen and Karl. With past careers of accounting and teaching, Jen is ideal for the job of office manager, doing the accounting, marketing and being the all round trouble shooter. Karl has ten years experience in upholstery, including expertise in a range of things from boat seats, to antique furniture, to Curves pads. Karl oversees the production of the pads and is the shipping and quality control department.
FranBest interviewed Contours Creations Inc. co-founder Jennifer to learn more.
FranBest: How and when did you first come up with the idea for the Contour Creations Inc. product line? What was the initial reaction?
Jennifer: Karl gets credit for the initial idea. He had taken a contract with a Curves club in BC six years ago to reupholster their entire club. In the process of remaking the pads, he thought how boring it must be for all the owners and members to only have the color black available to them. He saw how colorful the rest of the club was, and then he looked at the pads and felt they didn’t fit. Speaking with the owners in his area, he found his idea for colored pads was a hit. He received immediate interest and got to work on reupholstering with color.
FranBest: Over the past 6 years, how has the Contour Creations Inc. product line grown and evolved?
Jennifer: Initially we didn’t even make fitness pads; rather our service was to reupholster the old pads in black and color. However, owners kept enquiring if we sold new pads as well, which got Karl to thinking. It didn’t take long for him to have a full line of all the pads available. For the first few years all the boards and foam were cut by hand, which worked, but costs and time were high, and keeping consistency was difficult. Over the past six years we have done a lot of R & D, and have refined the process. Now all of our materials are precision cut, and we have trained upholsterers working hard to keep up with orders. We are continuously working to improve and expand our product line and services, and are always happy to receive feedback from managers and owners.
FranBest: Today, what Contour Creations Inc products are available for Curves owners?
Jennifer: All the fitness pads and rollers for the Curves machines are available through Contour Creations Inc. As well we have sheath covers to protect back pads, and wedge cushions and seat cushions. We have a few new products in the works, but don’t want to blow our cover until they’re ready for launch.
FranBest: What are the color choices?
Jennifer: Black, Deep Violet, Forest Green, Grotto Green, Royal Blue, Oak, Cinnamon, Grey Stone, Burgundy and Claret
FranBest: How else do your pads differ from the standard-issue pads?
Jennifer: We have designed a new kind of roller pad that is completely upholstered in vinyl. This means that no foam is exposed resulting in greater durability, as no chunks get ripped off during use. The upholstered vinyl also slows down the process of the foam breaking down, as well as makes it easy to keep the pads clean and sanitized.
Another product we’ve come up with is a 2” hybrid-foam squat pad. The two differing densities of foam allow for comfort as well as proper resistance thus stopping members from “cheating” when using the squat machine. We also offer the old style 4” upholstered squat pads that have been discontinued by the leading supplier of Curves pads. In the past month we have also added the option of a more slippery vinyl on seat pads, making sliding on and off the machines easier for members.
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH CONTOUR CREATIONS INC.? WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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