Smiths Falls welcomes new Sears hometown dealer store
Posted Oct 28, 2010 By Ashley Kulp
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EMC Business - There was plenty for owners David and Anne Ryan to celebrate Oct. 22 as they officially opened their new Sears hometown dealer store in the former Lockwoods location at 75 Elmsley St. North.
Ashley Kulp, Smiths Falls EMC
The new Sears hometown dealer store in Smiths Falls held its grand opening Oct. 22. From left: Owner David Ryan, Smiths Falls mayor Dennis Staples, owner Anne Ryan, and sales representative Michael Podwalski celebrate the opening with a ribbon cutting. Staples also presented the Ryans with a special certificate of appreciation from the Town of Smiths Falls.
Smiths Falls mayor Dennis Staples was on hand to cut the ribbon to mark the occasion. The dealer store, which is 1,500 square feet and is stocked with a wide selection of electronics, appliances, mattresses, hardware, seasonal and bath and bedding items, actually opened June 1 after the previous location on Highway 15 closed.
According to David, who also owns The Source business which is also operated out of the Elmsley Street location, he wanted to see Sears back in Smiths Falls.
"It's a new venture for us," David said. "We run The Source store here and felt we had too much space...and we decided to approach Sears Canada with a business plan, knowing the other store was closing."
"...Living here in Smiths Falls, if someone didn't open it (Sears) then it would have left town and people would still be shopping for their products but would have been going to other towns," he continued.
David noted that the community has been positive about the opening.
"It has certainly given us a lot of walk-in traffic and trade and it's nice to see the store back in the centre of town," he remarked.
Customers can expect to see all the features of Sears dealer stores they've become accustomed to in this new location. In addition to the large showroom with products, including Sears' exclusive brands Kenmore and Craftsman, there is also a section for people to order or pick-up items from Sears catalogues in the store.
"What any big city Sears store can do, we can do," said David. "We have all the Sears inventory backed by their whole system...as well as the retail section with the large ticket items."
The system David refers to is something Sears has installed which allows items to be purchased in the store and reserved immediately, with delivery options available to suit customers' preferences. As well as third party credit card acceptance, all merchandise in the store is under Sears' satisfaction guarantee and their sizable parts and service division.
Another detail of which David is proud is the two additional full-time jobs he has been able to create here in Smiths Falls.
"That's two more jobs in the community that benefit it and we're keeping some business in our own community at the same time," he stated.
The Sears dealer store is open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The catalogue section is available to customers Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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