Correction 07-24-06 1:16pm CST: We originally reported that this was ColorTyme's first Kentucky location. After many reader emails (thank you) we have revised the story. There have been several ColorTyme locations in Kentucky. All have been acquired by parent company Rent-A-Center. Troy Colon's Louisville location represents ColorTyme's re-entry into the Kentucky market. The article has been revised.

I don’t just make a sale, I build a relationship. We can beat everyone else’s price, but if we don’t have the superior customer service, we’ll lose our customers.
Troy Colon, ColorTyme Franchisee

ColorTyme franchisees recently held their annual convention in Memphis Tennessee. See over 300 photos from the event here .

ColorTyme has re-entered the Kentucky market, thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of a Louisville resident. Thirty-six-year-old Troy Colon started in the rent-to-own (RTO) industry as a young man making deliveries for a local rental company. Now Colon has opened the first of what he hopes will be several ColorTyme stores, continuing his legacy of serving the Louisville area, one customer at a time.

Colon has worked in RTO for more than a decade, but left the corporate side of the industry to pursue a dream. That came true shortly after responding to a ColorTyme advertisement in an industry-geared magazine. What impressed Colon most was ColorTyme’s strong brand identity and its commitment to treating its franchisees like family. Once his application was accepted, he focused on location and employee selection as well as remodeling his new location and stocking it with the best inventory.

“They really make you feel welcome and part of something larger, without losing a hometown feel,” he says. “It’s the kind of treatment I pass onto my customers. I don’t just make a sale, I build a relationship. We can beat everyone else’s price, but if we don’t have the superior customer service, we’ll lose our customers.”

“There’s no question that ColorTyme provides a unique service,” says Colon. “We provide excellent quality products at a fair price and my staff all has RTO experience. That’s how we can offer a higher level of customer service.”

ColorTyme, Inc. is the oldest franchised rent-to-own or rental purchase company in the United States with nearly 300 stores.