Midtown Antique Mall, the Midwest’s largest antique mall with over 65 dealers, has been a cornerstone for collectors and enthusiasts since 1991. When you visit the mall in historic Stillwater MN, it feels like you’re in a museum, but you can actually purchase the exhibits! They have an eclectic array of items for sale including artifacts dating back to Roman times, Victorian furniture, collectible toys, traffic signs, and much more. Midtown Antiques considers itself to be in the recycling busines–bringing joy to people through pre-owned items.
With annual sales exceeding a million dollars, managing their complex operations required a robust yet flexible solution. Their custom FileMaker system had become the backbone of their business, however, to keep pace with modern demands and unlock new efficiencies, Midtown sought LuminFire’s expert assistance.
With goals including enhancing their existing FileMaker POS solution to integrate seamlessly with a modern payment terminal, providing dealers with real-time online access to their sales data, and enabling multiple checkout stations, Midtown recognized that LuminFire’s specialized expertise could deliver these critical features successfully.
A Comprehensive Transformation
LuminFire’s partnership with Midtown began with a strategic overhaul, ensuring their FileMaker solution was ready for growth.
- Establishing a Solid Foundation: We upgraded their FileMaker solution to the latest version and migrated all their data to our secure, managed FileMaker cloud hosting platform. This improved system availability, ensured reliable backups, and improved data security.
- Optimizing On-Site Infrastructure: In addition to working on their FileMaker solution, we made several visits to their location, addressing several critical hardware needs, integrating their printer systems and optimizing their network and Wi-Fi speeds. LuminFire’s holistic consulting approach, extending beyond just development, proved invaluable in tackling these broader operational improvements.
- Precision Deployment: To ensure flawless transitions and minimize disruption, we implemented a devops workflow utilizing BrilliantDeploy. This allowed Midtown Antiques to thoroughly test all changes in a controlled environment before deploying them live.
- Enabling Secure Transactions: The cornerstone of the project was the integration of a modern payment terminal that supported EMV (aka tap and chip payments) and modern PCI-DSS standards. Leveraging BrilliantConnect and Stripe Terminal, we delivered a credit card processing solution that seamlessly integrated with their FileMaker system.
- Increasing Data Visibility: One of the most impactful achievements was providing each of the antique dealers with immediate, cloud-based access to their individual sales data. This level of visibility transformed how dealers managed their businesses within the mall.
A Solution that Delivers Consistent Value
The investment in their FileMaker solution continues to deliver a daily ROI for Midtown Antiques, including:
- Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Streamlined operations allow for faster, more efficient, and secure (PCI compliant) transactions. Long lines at checkout on busy weekends were reduced thanks to an additional station and streamlined payment process.
- Reduced Operating Costs: Automated processes and integrated systems streamlined the checkout effort and reduced data entry errors. Integrating the payment terminal with FileMaker removed the need for manual reconciliation with the previous merchant account/solution.
- Boosted Dealer Satisfaction: Removing frustration from manual reporting systems lead to a more productive and happier dealer experience.
Dick Richter, Manager of Midtown Antique Mall, expressed his enthusiasm: “What was particularly exciting was the speed and ease of getting the dealer’s individual data available to our clients from the cloud. In the end LuminFire delivered exactly what we needed. We are very pleased and would recommend LuminFire to anyone requiring a technology partner to help with Claris FileMaker.”
Is Your FileMaker Solution Needing a Modern Makeover?
LuminFire has the expertise to modernize and transform your Claris FileMaker solution, unlocking previously unimagined capabilities.
Tim Cimbura – CEO, CFO and Solution Engineer
Tim is an expert in creating custom business solutions that make businesses more effective, productive, and profitable. He specializes in rapid application development with Claris FileMaker, Laravel, and WordPress. He also knows Apple macOS technology inside and out.