Jul 22 2008 8:43AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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This month, I wrote in the magazine about adding a second (or third, etc.) location for your business.

We talked quite a bit about this topic before we decided to go forward with it, because it does seem strange to suggest doing this in the current economic climate. But we talked to several remodelers who have done it and they seemed to agree that a down market is a great time to do it. (see the article for more on that)

Besides the companies we talked to for the article, I recently talked to Dave Hollars of Kitchen Mart in Sacramento about this. (You can read more about Kitchen Mart in our April issue.) Just last year, Kitchen Mart opened a second showroom in Rocklin, a more affluent part of the market.
According to Hollars, the new location has "made the year for us," accounting for more than a third of the company's sales. And that's in a year where overall revenues for the company are going to be flat.

It's certainly not a cure-all and not something to be entered into lightly. Just as there are success stories, there's also failures, like the experience of Landis Construction outlined in the article. Just last week I was talking to a remodeler here in Chicagoland who is closing his second location.

So it's not for everyone, but if you've been thinking about making the leap, now might be the time.