Diana Cuellar, Manny Ramos and their team have done an outstanding job over the past year. They run a great store – probably one of the best looking stores in our system.
Chris Higgs, President, TLH Enterprises, ColorTyme franchisee

Photo/RTO Online

ColorTyme's Jessica Duffey directs franchisees during the company's recent convention in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. See complete photo gallery of the event here.

ALICE, Texas – July 9, 2009 – TLH Enterprises, owner of more than 40 ColorTyme stores, relocated its ColorTyme store in Alice, Texas, to a more visible location – from one side of Main Street to the other. ColorTyme is the nation's oldest rent-to-own franchisor. TLH is the company's largest franchisee.

Related: See video interview with Bob Bloom, CEO of ColorTyme

"Our store has been in Alice for about 15 years," said Diana Cuellar, co-store manager. "I've been here for about 12 years. We've been looking and looking for a new building. We were right in the middle of Main Street, in a historic building, but it was hidden. We happened to find the perfect spot to relocate, right where Main Street and Front Street meet, in the center of downtown."

Since being incorporated in 1888, the city of Alice has seen its population grow to more than 19,000. Many of the buildings in the downtown area are historic and largely require some remodeling before new businesses can open.

Manny Ramos, co-store manager, has been with the ColorTyme store in Alice since day one. "I love this community. It's wonderful to see our store grow and, with this new location, continue to build friendships with our customers. When we chose this location, the owner remodeled the store and we quickly moved it. The rest is history; we landed in the right place at the right time."

Once the move was made, it generated a lot of excitement for Alice and invited new clientele to ColorTyme. Cuellar says her customers are generally looking for rent-to-own appliances and furniture – their two top selling product segments.

"We used neon lights and the ‘Your Hometown ColorTyme' sign on the front," Cuellar said. "Everybody says that we have a beautiful store. In a way, it's become the centerpiece of our small town. With lots of new customers coming in, we are selling mattresses, sofas, bedroom sets, washers, dryers and refrigerators."

TLH Enterprises was co-founded by Mike Harwood with the acquisition of three stores in Texas. Today, the company has more than 40 ColorTyme stores in Texas and New Mexico.

"We are very proud of our new location in Alice," said Chris Higgs, president of TLH Enterprises. "Diana, Manny and their team have done an outstanding job over the past year. They run a great store – probably one of the best looking stores in our system."