Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Kaiser.
Aaron, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We started in October of 1989. We had a plumbing contracting business specializing in service (repair) work and noticed that our volume was decreasing due to a decline in the economy. Our rational was that we had an expertise in plumbing repairs that we could help the public and professionals with the correct information and repair parts and make a living helping others.
We started with an eight foot by eight foot pegboard with products and have grown ever since. We are in the planning stage of increasing our current 7,500 square foot location to 21,000 square foot. We have expanded from our sales line of repair parts for faucets and toilets to selling plumbing fixtures and faucets.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, among some of the issues with the business is:
DIY and professionals are not aware of repair procedures and purchase incorrect items. Growing pains moved our location three times as business. As we grew our inventory requirements increased. As economy degraded we had to adjust our business plans and slow our growth and service to our customers.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the North Shore Faucets story. Tell us more about the business.
We started as a plumbing and mechanical contracting firm known as P.H.C. Mechanical in October of 1975 serving the north shore suburban and north side of Chicago. We noticed that in the late 1980’s with an economic downturn there was a lack of service calls and locations that were able to aid professionals, amateurs and D.I.Y. with knowledge and materials for plumbing replacement and repairs.
We opened the doors for North Shore Faucets, Inc. in October of 1989, to fill the needs of the plumbing parts specialty market on the north shore and northwest side of the Chicago. In 1999 we moved to our current 7,000 square foot location in Morton Grove, Illinois.
This year we plan to increase to 21,000 square feet to keep up with the increasing diversity of parts demand. North Shore Faucets has over 50,000 different SKU in stock, and a wonderful knowledgeable staff to handle customers’ needs and wants in the plumbing replacement, fixture and faucet field.
In 2014 we decided to launch our website to grow our business. Through our website, we ship all over the world on a daily basis. Our future is looking exciting, with the addition of staff who are dedicated to providing our mission of providing our customers with the best most knowledgeable and personal service possible in the plumbing arena.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We believe that our industry is on an upward trend and we are riding along that trajectory as long as we stay true to our mission and vision. We are actively going after the institutional and hospitality market as our next spurt in growth. We believe as the economy grows our business will grow with it.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5628 Dempster Street
Morton Grove, Illinois 60053-3110 - Website: www.northshorefaucets.com
- Phone: 847 470 0306
- Email: sales@northshorefaucets.com
- Facebook: north shore faucets inc
- Yelp: North Shore Faucets
Image Credit:
Aaron Kaiser
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