Garage organization retail stores.

[davidcalhoun]

Have any of you guys been to one? Ever buy from them?

I was in a couple of stores in CA and AZ a few years ago while visiting some relatives. One store in CA had a Cobra kit car in his front display. Of course the car was there to draw people in. It worked - I went in.

 

[snorvet]

I bought my wall storage system from "Garage store and more" in Naperville, Il. They were great to deal with, and had a bunch of cool things.

 

[BoostAddiction]

I've been in several of them and always came away disappointed.

Most of them sell some variation of Slotwall, some cheesy flooring and melamine or MDF cabinets, or the standard Gladiator-style stuff.

There is a place for some of that stuff (in another thread I admit to actually owning some Stack-On stuff - which is even cheesier still) but I think most people would want better stuff in the garage proper.

And though many don't share my opinion on this topic, I don't think you should hang anything on garage walls. Anything, that is, you might mind falling on your cars, which is a virtual certainty in every garage with people in it.

I'd like to see one real retail storefront with really good displays instead of the same old stuff (how many of these stores really believe that people haven't seen the Gladiator stuff everywhere?). For example, why not show a "mechanics garage" with well-designed cabinets from Lista, BaldHead or even the Tec3 system in use in most of the United Auto dealerships (the stores that Roger Penske's group owns). Show the details, and demonstrate where the value-add is compared to the rest of the same kind of stores. Or why not a display oriented towards the collector car hobby with faux finishes to look like old wood, maybe a mural and the front end of a Cobra coming out of the wall? Or another display with a make or model theme (Corvette or Mustang, for example). If you sell the same stuff everyone else does, it becomes a commodity and you then compete on price alone. That is always a recipe for a short tenure in retail, unless you are Sam Walton.

I'd like to see a store with something other than the microscopically thin "epoxy" floor coverings and Race Deck. Why not have a small area with different stone tiles as well, and colored grout?

I'd like to see a store with a consultative approach instead of "here's our line card, and here's what we picked for you from it".

I'd like to see people in these stores involved more at the front end when a garage is being contemplated. How many of us would do ours differently if we had known more? When I did my garage, it was before I even knew of the GJ, and I'm sure I would have benefited from some sage advice from others (although I am pretty happy with how mine turned out).

Whew! This really wasn't supposed to be a rant, but it is a topic I think about when I see the ads for these kinds of stores.

-Will

 

[nova65ss]

Biggest thing is price. Lista/ Bald Head, etc. are not cheap. I can afford to buy them but it makes no sense to me and I spend alot of time in the garage. A decent well taken care of MDF or wood cabinet will last a long time and for the most part store your stuff just the same.

Most people that can afford to buy the more expensive stuff usually aren't the ones interested in wrenching on their own cars either. I have been pushing cabinets on our door customers for over two years not the cheapest but not the best either. Alot of them are very interested but when it comes down to it don't want to pay. An average cabinet job for decent MDF cabinets runs around 3-5 grand installed for us to come in and do the work. I can only imagine what the upper end stuff goes for installed.

Bolis down to the guy that offers the best stuff will be like the Maytag man while the lesser expensive guys stay busy making a living.


My take on things anyway.

Jimmy

 

[davidcalhoun]

Good posts. Interesting points of view.

I know a lot of us dream about having a great looking garage. I guess it boils down to lookers and buyers.

Jimmy, If Garage Gear Store is your store, it sounds nice. It looks like you carry a wide range of neat stuff.

 

[davidcalhoun]

Will, your comment about someone helping with a design of a garage at the begining of the process made me think of another question.

I have design and built more than a dozen homes with some simple software. Is there a software that allows one to see certain garage products in 3-D? It would be nice to draw a garage and "place" items in it and then "click" a mouse to see what it might look like.

 

[BoostAddiction]

Will, your comment about someone helping with a design of a garage at the begining of the process made me think of another question.

I have design and built more than a dozen homes with some simple software. Is there a software that allows one to see certain garage products in 3-D? It would be nice to draw a garage and "place" items in it and then "click" a mouse to see what it might look like.

David,

I use a sophisticated tool about 9" long, 1/4" in diameter and typically made of wood with a lead/graphite core to draw my garage layouts.

Sadly, I'm not kidding. I'm embarassed to admit that I don't use any of the popular CAD programs that exist for home design. Many of the ones I've looked at seem to have objects that can be placed as you are asking, but I don't know if you can obtain specific ones (e.g., a Lista DW cabinet in 700 high) or even if you can make them.

One day I'll take some time and play around with some of them. It surely would be a useful skill, even as just a hobby.

-Will

 

[BoostAddiction]

Biggest thing is price. Lista/ Bald Head, etc. are not cheap. I can afford to buy them but it makes no sense to me and I spend alot of time in the garage. A decent well taken care of MDF or wood cabinet will last a long time and for the most part store your stuff just the same.

Most people that can afford to buy the more expensive stuff usually aren't the ones interested in wrenching on their own cars either. I have been pushing cabinets on our door customers for over two years not the cheapest but not the best either. Alot of them are very interested but when it comes down to it don't want to pay. An average cabinet job for decent MDF cabinets runs around 3-5 grand installed for us to come in and do the work. I can only imagine what the upper end stuff goes for installed.

Bolis down to the guy that offers the best stuff will be like the Maytag man while the lesser expensive guys stay busy making a living.


My take on things anyway.

Jimmy

Well, you have the advantage of actually doing it, as opposed to me just talking about it!

I understand that too many people don't want to spend the money on high-end garage cabinets, but there clearly is a market for them. Many of my aquaintances in the Porsche Club have pretty elaborate garages, though I agree with your assessment that those who have the high-end stuff tend not to do much mechanical work on the cars themselves (I like to think I'm an exception to that rule).

I think we are probably both right: most people don't want to pay the high-end prices for the best quality stuff. But there clearly is a market for that high-end stuff, evidenced by some of the garages on this site, and others we all have seen. For example, I helped a friend with an 8000 sq ft garage (on two levels of a custom commercial building he made for the purpose) and he didn't seem to have many budgetary limitations, going with the best stuff pretty much everywhere. So it does happen.

I still think that if people could see and touch the highest grade stuff in a showroom setting, more would buy. We have a brand new tile and stone store in our area that sells imported tile. Most of the very large store is their stuff in small displays so the prospects can actually see it on a wall, or on the floor in a bath or kitchen. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have invested in the great expense of elaborate displays if they didn't think they would drive more sales. I think the same applies to garage stores.

-Will

 

[...dave]

Most people that can afford to buy the more expensive stuff usually aren't the ones interested in wrenching on their own cars either. I have been pushing cabinets on our door customers for over two years not the cheapest but not the best either. Alot of them are very interested but when it comes down to it don't want to pay. An average cabinet job for decent MDF cabinets runs around 3-5 grand installed for us to come in and do the work. I can only imagine what the upper end stuff goes for installed.

i know that there is a wealthy car collector segment that doesn't do their own work, but i would also think that even if you don't spend huge amounts of time in your garage, if you have the money, and you value your car and the craftsmanship that goes into it, you would choose to equip your garage with quality, well-finished products. It's hard to picture, say, a Mercedes SL600 or 911 Turbo sitting in the garage of a big suburban home, on a dingy concrete floor, surrounded by Tupperware bins and white particleboard cabinets from Walmart and hanging off of $60 plastic shelving units. But, that may just be me.

i bet there is a market for higher-end garage work and even a retail storefront, but only in certain areas... like Ultgar in the NY metro area (if i remember correctly). You could probably do pretty well in such an endeavor in, say, LA, an upscale Detroit suburb, maybe Miami and Houston.

Having never actually seen Lista or Baldhead gear in person, i couldn't justify paying the premium over Craftsman, but as BoostAddiction says, maybe if i did, i would.

...dave

 

[davidcalhoun]

Will, nice pics of your garage on the other tread. Got any pics of your buddy's 8000 Sq. Ft. garage?