In business since 1966, Henry Brandt and Company is a second-generation wholesaler that had its beginnings in a garage. “My father in law, Henry Brandt, started his own business after selling his corporation,” says Charles Pugh, now co-owner of the company with Henry’s daughter, Anita. “A true entrepreneur, he then started this business out of his garage in Chicago,” Pugh adds.
Brandt began by liquidating bank-incentive leftovers from promotions. “That led him into the wholesale business, where he met some merchandise brokers in the Chicago area,” Pugh says. “On a subsequent trip to Branson, MO, he fell in love with the area and moved his business there. We then evolved into the Hallmark closeout dealer in the U.S. in the 70s and early 80s.”
Flash-forward to today, and Henry Brandt is still going strong, selling to “discount and independent retailers, medium chains, and mom & pops,” Pugh says. “We also export to the Caribbean and South America, and ship all over the world.” Carrying more than 5,000 skus, the company’s biggest seller is its extensive line of greeting cards, followed by gifts and books. “Yet for the last 16 years, our main focus has been inspirational gifts, cards, books, and jewelry,” Pugh notes. We bill ourselves as the ‘inspirational closeout company,’” and the company just rebranded its website as “Inspirational Wholesale.” Because Henry Brandt stocks such a wide inventory, it’s able to offer excellent wholesale pricing on everything. “Retailers who buy from us enjoy a tremendous amount of markup depending on their operation,” Pugh says. “Sales can be very good based on our competitive pricing.”
The company’s ongoing success is directly traceable back to founder Henry Brandt’s philosophy, which is still practiced today. “He constantly told us,” says Pugh, “Always take care of the smaller customers, and treat everyone equally.”
For More Information:
Henry Brandt & Co., Inc.
8017 East State Highway 76
Kirbyville, MO 65679
Tel.: 417-334-0988
Website: www.henrybrandt.com