Kevin and Jennifer Moore in their newly rechristened Western Slope Appliance showroom.
BrandSource helps Sears Hometown owners go independent
By Andy Kriege, YSN
The remarkable decline and the ultimate demise of the once mighty Sears is well documented.
Less than 100 Sears Hometown stores remained when the company filed for bankruptcy in December, putting an end to the last of these quasi-independent retailers scattered across the county.
See: Sears Hometown Calls it Quits
Kevin and Jennifer Moore owned one of those Sears Hometown stores, and were left hanging in the lurch in Montrose, Colo. The Moores were facing a tough decision: find a way to keep the business open or pack up their lives and move on to something else. Having been established in the area for nearly nine years, they decided to stay and try to build upon the fledgling retail business they purchased in 2015.
Related: Sears Disappears
“We explored several options before we decided to keep the store going. We have a great reputation in the area for solving people’s problems,” Kevin Moore said. “Sears had its share of issues, but we never shied away from them and always tried to do right by the customer.”
A New Sign of the Times
The couple plans to keep the store in the same location it has occupied for 30 years and chose to rename it Western Slope Appliance. But along with the new sign on the door comes the responsibility of making all the decisions. Going forward, it will be entirely up to the couple to decide on the appropriate product mix, pricing, promotion, financing and marketing.
Enter BrandSource
“We realized that if we are going to fly solo, we’re going to need some help,” Moore said said. They determined that BrandSource was the best support system to help them navigate through all the complexities of being fully independent. “I don’t have the tools or the skills to do it all,” he said. “Having mentors like those in BrandSource, who do have the expertise, has been a tremendous help. We literally said, ‘Please tell us what we need to do,’ and we did it.”
The business is in the process of launching a new AVB website and the two new members plan to engage all the BrandSource services at their disposal. Group VP Jarred Roy, said he is a firm believer in the Moores’ success.
“They have been very trusting in our process of taking him step-by-step through the transition,” Roy said. “Kevin is not afraid to ask questions and is willing take advice from not only us but other dealers as well. They are going to be successful.”
The couple’s first BrandSource event was the March 2023 Summit in Las Vegas. “It was an awesome event,” Moore said. “I maximized the heck out of it by taking in everything,” including the launch of the Institute of Service Management (ISM). “I loved it all. I was like a sponge soaking up everything I possibly could.”
The Better Half
Moore credits Jennifer for preventing him from getting out over his skis. “It was important that we did not overreach; we had to be methodical,” he said. “I have an awesome partner in my wife, who keeps me in line and on track with the plan we have laid out.”
Jennifer left her job in the microbiology lab at the hospital to work full time in the store, and found her new job had a lot in common with her old one. “I held a supervisor role in the laboratory for the past 10 years,” she said. “I was responsible for managing inventory, adhering to budgets, training employees, writing policies and reviewing quality control — all skillsets that translate well to operating a small business. We have learned the areas in which we are strongest and made each other responsible for those aspects of the business.”
Still, Jennifer said closing their Sears Hometown chapter has been a bittersweet experience.
“I was sad to see the household name of Sears fade away, but relieved to be free of an organization that was failing” she said. “The BrandSource team helped instill the confidence in us to start our own independent venture. Everyone we have met within the AVB Brand Source organization has been helpful and supportive. We are so excited to grow our business with this group.”
YSN publisher AVB BrandSource is the nation’s largest merchandising and marketing co-op for independent appliance, mattress, furniture and CE dealers.
