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While many mid-sized, family-owned businesses would fear a neighborhood full of big-box adversaries, Home Valu Interiors / Drexel Interiors, based in Minneapolis, Minn., is taking the competition headon. "Being near Menard and Home Depot is working to our advantage," contends Gerry Boschwitz, president and CEO of the company. "It's like a home remodeling neighborhood."
The nine-store home improvement chain took a chance last year when it opened its newest, and most elaborate, showroom adjacent to a Menard and down the street from Home Depot.
The 29,000-square-foot store opened in Oak Creek, Wis., a suburb of Milwaukee, and sells everything needed for a home remodel, from kitchen and bath cabinets and fixtures to flooring, wallcoverings and window treatments.
In addition to a strong focus on customer service and competitive prices Boschwitz says that his Drexel-Interiors store also has a team of designers for each department: Six of them are in kitchen and bath, another six focus on flooring, and seven others cover wallpaper. And unlike its big-box neighbors, the showroom is a splashy experiment in merchandising, featuring tall windows, high ceilings and a layout that allows customers to see each department right from the front door.
It's a family-focused effort that started almost 40 years ago.
Home Valu Interiors was founded in 1963 by Gerry's father, Rudy Boschwitz, who later also served as a United States senator from 1978 to 1991. In the beginning, Home Valu Interiors was called Plywood Minnesota. Back in the early '60s, the company carried mostly plywood, lumber and pre-finished paneling. The concept was strictly cash and carry. As Plywood Minnesota grew, it began to carry more do-it-yourself products, like kitchen cabinets,...