A Solid Company
Eurowalls, LLC

by John P. Ribner___________________________________________________

Eurowalls, LLC is a company as rock solid as the products it provides for tanning salon professionals.
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Eurowalls, imported into the U.S. by Eurowalls, LLC, are products specifically designed for tanning salons. Maybe that’s because it was a salon owner who first brought them to these shores in 2000. These modular tanning rooms offer many benefits over traditional walls and have become quite a hit among salon pros. Now, the company has branched out into offering counter systems and many other things salon pros need to furnish their businesses – evolving into the EuroLine system – making Euorwalls a one-stop-shop for the tanning industry.

A Great Find
Eurowalls, LLC is a company born of one man’s idea to create the perfect tanning salon. “Dan Humiston, owner of The Tanning Bed salon chain in W. Seneca, NY, was looking for a better way to build tanning salons,” recalled Craig Colling, EuroLine President. “He was tired of building traditional walls in leased buildings and having nothing to show for his investment, so he began to look for another solution.” Dan found the answer he was looking for in Europe, which is, ironically, the birthplace of the indoor tanning industry.

What Humiston found was a type of modular wall unlike any of the portable wall systems being used in offices across the U.S. “These walls were designed specifically for salon pros – they assemble quickly, allow for easy integration of the electrical systems and allow for good air circulation,” Colling explained. “Realizing these walls were exactly what he was looking for, Dan began to import them for use in his growing salon chain.”

Bringing Them Home
Being an entrepreneur, Humiston quickly saw the commercial potential in the product, thinking it would be great to make the modular wall systems available to U.S. salon pros by importing them to America; but his work with The Tanning Bed salons and the Indoor Tanning Association kept him too busy to take on another project. He contacted his friend, Craig Colling, to head up the new company. “At first, I was willing to devote about 10 to 12 hours a week to this project, just to see what it would do,” Craig commented. “We soon saw the potential and I realized that I would have to put a lot more time into it in order for it to grow.”

Craig took the helm of Eurowalls, LLC and began his mission to convert salon pros from traditional walls to the new modular systems, which wasn’t easy at first. “When we first introduced the Eurowalls system to American salon owners, they were a bit reluctant to give it a try,” he recalled. “But that’s only because the concept was so new. Once they became familiar with all of the benefits these walls provided – they can be assembled quickly, they last a very long time and salon pros actually own the walls – the idea really caught on.”

Everything You Need!
When it comes to wall systems, selection is the name of the game at Eurowalls. The company offers more than 200 custom colors, as well as a variety of wood grains, solids and fantasy décor colors, and 60 stock colors. The latest addition to the company’s offerings is its “Salon-in-a-Box™” program, which was launched in fall 2003. “During our first couple of years in business, we could offer our customers great rooms, but then we’d have to send them elsewhere for counters, reception desks and point-of-purchase displays,” Craig explained. “Now, we’re able to provide all of these items, making us a more complete company.” Thus, the evolution of the product name to EuroLine – to represent a full line of salon components.”

Eurowall’s American headquarters occupy a 3,000 square-foot office and a 10,000 square-foot warehouse facility in Lockport, NY. The company employs eight people in the U.S. and EuroLine products are manufactured by a team of eight people at a 40,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Europe.

Ready In No Time
Even though its various systems are imported from Europe, Eurowalls assures salon pros that there’s no additional waiting time for product delivery. Craig said that a custom-designed order takes just to six weeks to eight weeks, and is readily available for a salon’s grand opening. “When a salon owner takes possession of their vacant retail space, it will typically take them 60 days to do all of the work necessary to open their salon.

If placed at any time during the beginning of their build-out process, their order will typically arrive at just the right time. If the order is placed somewhat early – which happens about 75 percent of the time – we will hold onto it until the customer is ready for delivery,” Craig explained. He said that when the matching rooms and counter systems are delivered, it will typically take a couple of days to complete the salon with – unlike sheetrock construction – little or no mess to clean up.

More to Come …
Although Eurowalls currently has plenty to offer tanning pros, the company doesn’t plan to rest on its laurels. “We currently have a lot of things in the works,” Craig commented. “We’re offering increased services to our clients, as well as continuing to develop more items that make for a complete salon.” The company plans to introduce its latest offerings at the Indoor Tanning Association World Expo 2005 in Nashville, which should make the EuroLine exhibit booth a very exciting one.