Christmas is such a busy time of year with many families working hard to ensure their children have a holiday to remember. But shouldn’t the season have some joy for the adults too? Five Star Holiday Decor thinks so, which is why they are celebrating their 10th year of delivering Christmas to local homes and businesses.
Five Star Holiday Decor installs Christmas light displays on residential and commercial properties across Alberta.
Five Star originated in Utah and reached Edmonton as a franchise in 2010. When the Knight family invested in the business in 2016 Five Star was servicing 100 properties in the Edmonton area. In 2018 Five Star joined the Mosaic Home Services group of companies, and the Edmonton operation grew to be the largest franchisee in operation. Shortly thereafter, they struck a deal to acquire the entire franchise network and US based franchisor.
Today the company continues to grow and services 600 residences and 144 commercial businesses in Edmonton, Calgary, and Jasper – including annual installations with Rogers Place, Edmonton Valley Zoo’s Zoominescence, Southgate Shopping Centre, and more.
“We deliver holiday cheer to your door,” says Steven Knight. “We are not selling Christmas lights. We are selling time. What we really sell and deliver is that unmistakeable feeling of holiday cheer. The season is short – at the end of the day we are selling time and joy to families.”
The shortness of the season is a challenge, one they conquer with extreme organization and remaining narrowly focused.
“We only supply lights,” confirms Knight. “We are not a provider of trees or decorations. If we branched out, we wouldn’t have time to be good at what we are great at. We supply, install, take down, store, and maintain the lights for the exterior of homes and businesses.”
He continues, “We hand string every bulb we install. If a customer wants one white, then a blue, then a green, we make that pattern. Our lights are custom fabricated for each customer’s home. We custom build and cut for the home so the lights are installed perfectly. All our lights are installed on photo-sensitive timers. When the sun goes down the lights come on so when you come home from your commute, you get to pull up and experience the display.”
The depth of their operations is vast.
“We have a warehouse full of Christmas lights. If you strung them from end to end from our office in Edmonton they would reach the US border! We have a very detailed inventory system. From the minute a customer’s lights come off the house, they are tracked, repaired, catalogued and stored. It’s a very complicated process but it keeps us efficient – we have to be in order to succeed in the small amount of seasonal time we have.”
With the success of the business, Knight is ready for the next step – and it’s an exciting one.
“Our long-term goal is to develop a franchise network with hundreds of locations across North America. Our intent is to bring on three new locations in Alberta in 2020, and to continue to branch off into other provinces in the coming years. A Five Star Holiday Decor franchise is a great opportunity for landscaping companies, roofing contractors, and any other business that operates on a seasonal basis. It is a way to keep people working through the winter. Franchising is the future of our business and we are excited about the potential.”
As with every other company under the Mosaic Home Services umbrella, Five Star Holiday Decor actively gives back to the community throughout the year, and especially during the holiday season.
“Without the support of the Mosaic Home Services Group we would have struggled to achieve the growth we did over the last five years,” Knight adds. “Mosaic is focused on helping businesses and entrepreneurs grow. We are also very grateful to our trade partners, staff, suppliers and our team. But most of all we’re thankful for our clients who trust us to deliver their Christmas every year. It’s an incredible responsibility that we take seriously, and I can’t thank my team enough for their dedication to making Christmas happen for hundreds of families.
Knight and the team at Five Star Holiday Decor look forward to continuing to bring Christmas joy while helping property owners reclaim their time during the busy holiday season.
