This Local Entrepreneur Has Been Bringing the Christmas Spirit to Dayton for 16 Years with Christmas Decor

After graduating from college in 2003, Isaac Kearns joined his family landscaping business. He soon began to notice a gap in the winter months when it came to business. The entrepreneur set out to fill that gap with another opportunity. It was then that he discovered Christmas Decor*, the 300-plus unit strong holiday decorating franchise. 

In 2006, Kearns brought Christmas Decor to the Dayton, Oregon market. Since then, the business has continued to grow, innovate and bring joy to the neighborhood. For over 15 years, Kearns and Christmas Decor have gone above and beyond for local businesses, nonprofits and residents to create an environment of community during the holiday season. 

1851 Franchise spoke to Kearns about his franchising journey with Christmas Decor. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Kearns: I graduated from college in 2003 and started working for my family landscaping company. I noticed that we lost a lot of money in the winter but made a lot in the spring and summer. I wanted to find a way to make money in the winter. A friend of mine that I went to college with was a Christmas Decor franchise owner, so I reached out to him and he told me about the business. I decided to reach out to corporate and bought a territory. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee? 

Kearns: A lot of entrepreneurs are resistant to franchising because of control. They want to do it themselves, so there can be fear when buying into a system where you're responsible for a whole network. Those were some of the reservations at first. 

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Kearns: I picked this brand because we have that time as a landscaping company where we needed that work. At the time, there weren’t any other holiday decorating brands on the market. We were the original. What excites me the most is the pursuit of better. The brand is always innovating and looking for a better client experience. It’s not stagnant. We’re always on the cutting edge and trying to grow. 

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Kearns: We’re close to the million mark, and I want to hit that in the near future. Eventually, I want to expand into a larger territory and have a significant footprint in the Pacific NorthWest. We do really well in the Portland metro, but I would love to become Christmas Decor Oregon. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Kearns: I would encourage them to know that the franchise works. If you join Christmas Decor, you will sell Christmas jobs, and you will make money. If you follow the system, you will be successful. 

About Christmas Decor 

Founded in 1986 by Blake Smith, Christmas Decor has become the leading holiday decorating brand in the U.S. and Canada. Originally created as an off-season supplement to the landscaping business, the Texas-based franchise now brings holiday cheer to over 300 communities across North America, ultimately creating jobs for 3,000-plus seasonal workers that might otherwise be unemployed. Backed by a strong business model and double-digit revenue increase year-over-year for the last 11 years, Christmas Decor is looking to grow in markets across the U.S. and Canada. For more information on Christmas Decor, please visit christmasdecor.net/franchise.

About The Decor Group

The Decor Group launched in 1996 out of Lubbock, Texas and has grown to international success in the holiday decorating and landscape lighting space. The Decor Group is composed of four uniquely positioned entities, including Christmas Decor Inc., NiteTime Decor, Barcana and PermaLites365. The Decor Group, along with its national network of franchised service providers, is dedicated to providing premium quality products, and committed to constant and never-ending improvement in everything they do every day. Visit thedecorgroup.com for more information.