Carrying the stock that shoppers want is what keeps independent retailers going, but they couldn’t do it at all without the basics and more from companies like Specialty Store Retailers. The Chicago-based outfitter has everything a store needs to stock, display and sell its wares, all ready for immediate shipment at the lowest prices around. Like all great success stories, it started with a problem and a solution.
“My father Marshall Weinstein and his friend, Malcolm Fink, started by selling supplies to the video store market back in 1986,” says Eric Weinstein, now owner of the company. “They had a friend with a video store in Omaha who couldn’t find what he wanted so they helped him out, and then put together a two-page flyer advertising their wares. Business just went crazy,” Weinstein recalls. “I worked there as a kid, and the phone never stopped ringing.”
These days, the company is more than 4,000 SKUs strong, and growing. “We sell our supplies to everyone,” Weinstein says, “including convenience stores, gift shops, tobacco stores, groceries and more. But about 75% of our business goes to independent retailers.” Right now, the company’s biggest sellers are the perennial basics. “Everyone always needs the store hardware, the peg hooks, bags, packaging and showcases,” Weinstein says. “We have it all.”
New customers are given a 5% courtesy discount off their first order, and new stores that need a complete lineup of products get 10% off. All orders are shipped within 24 hours. Specialty Store Services also has its own showroom right near Chicago’s O’Hare airport. “Customers can call ahead and their order will be ready for pickup when they arrive,” Weinstein says. “But they can always look around and see if there’s something in the showroom they might want as well.”
For More Information:
Specialty Store Services
454 Jarvis
Des Plaines, IL 60018
Tel.: 847-470-7000
Toll Free: 888-441-4440
Website: www.specialtystoreservices.com