Palmerworks Web and Print Design is a Garden City company that specializes in affordable websites for small businesses. In 2017, Palmerworks will celebrate fifteen years in business, and owners Rick and Katherine Palmer will mark their twentieth wedding anniversary.
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From hobby to small business
The company began In 2002, when the couple lived in the Washington, D.C. area. Rick Palmer was working as a writer/designer in the communications department of an international union. Katherine Palmer telecommuted to her job as writer, editor and web designer for an engineering firm in Westland.
The couple began creating websites as a hobby and soon decided to begin their own part-time web design company. Their first customers were an auto repair shop and a music store in Maryland. They enjoyed working with their new clients and decided to focus on small business websites as their specialty.
In 2006, Rick Palmer was transferred back to Michigan, and the couple purchased a home in Garden City. He had been a lifelong resident and was a graduate of Garden City East. Katherine Palmer graduated from Cambridge Adult Education and worked for 10 years as a secretary for Garden City Schools while completing her bachelor’s degree in English at University of Michigan-Dearborn. They were both happy to return to their hometown.
Serving the small business customer base
The couple began to build their business in earnest. Soon, they had dozens of clients and discovered that the small business customer base was underserved in the Detroit area. There were few choices in web designers and they often quoted exorbitant prices. Small business owners were often forced to attempt to design their own sites.
“Several of our clients came to us after wasting time and money trying to create their own websites using companies like Wix or GoDaddy,” said Rick Palmer. “They found they lacked the expertise needed to design a professionallooking website, and Palmerworks was glad to step in and help.”
Palmerworks meets personally with clients to discuss their website needs, which is almost unheard of in web developer circles. Their clients welcome the specialized attention, and the simple explanations of the website process that are free from industry jargon. Many web designers require customers to provide their own written content, photographs, and graphics.
Palmerworks has a different approach. In addition to designing the site, they will also write the content, visit the business to shoot photos, and develop graphics and unique logos. They help select a domain name and provide hosting and maintenance, all for an affordable price.
“Our prices are very competitive,” Katherine Palmer said. “We charge toward the low end of the scale. Clients would tell us horror stories about being quoted thousands of dollars for a basic website. Even now, we’ll create a full-featured website for well below a thousand dollars.”
Building websites in the Garden City area
Palmerworks designed the website for the Garden City Business Alliance and has created signs and print media for their annual events. They also designed the Garden City Taste Fest website and the new GC Business Guide. Some of their other area websites include the Garden City DDA, the Great Bacon Run, Guardian Martial Arts, the GC Cafe, and the 2015 Alumni Arts and Crafts festival. They write weekly blogs for SERVPRO of Westland and several other sites. The company created and maintains the Garden City Friends of the Library website as a community service.
A diverse cross section of clients
In 2012, Rick took an early retirement to focus on the business full time. The company now has a diverse cross section of nearly forty clients in Michigan and around the country, including Florida, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and D.C.
The Palmers say they have seen small business websites evolve from a luxury to a necessity. Technology has advanced, and the company has adapted their designs to meet current needs. For many people, their phones will be their first contact with a small business. All Palmerworks sites are mobilefriendly and automatically scale themselves for readability on many differentdevices and smartphones.
The Palmers also design print products, such as full-color newsletters, posters, and flyers.
[Source:-Home Town Life]