Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Matt.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Debbie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I went to my 1st auction when I was 9 years old. They allowed kids back then. My mom was a single mom raising 4 kids, me being the oldest, would take me to the auctions & she would buy a variety of things mostly new to sell & make some extra money to support us. We would set up garage sales at our house as often as we could with the items she would buy & I would be her sales person! I was bitten.
As a young adult, I would go to auctions on my own & begin to buy things to sell to make extra money also. It was definitely addicting! At that time it was strictly a hobby doing flea markets every month at various locations for some extra cash. I worked for a long life lighting company as my full time job. And I sang professionally on weekend’s downtown at cabaret lounges because I was a trained vocalist entertainer. In 1992 I branched off & opened my own lighting company & was quite successful until about 2001. The lighting industry started changing & it was too costly to continue so I slowly phased it out. I did odd jobs for a while & still did the flea market more often & it was lucrative for a while but that changed too. It wasn’t until 2006 that I moved my inventory to a storage facility & started selling out of the there. I started with (1) 10 x 20 unit then added a 2nd one within about 6 months & that was fine for a while. Then in 2007 I started working for a commercial auction company. I started at the bottom & gradually learned everything possible to do an auction! I got my Auctioneers license in 2011 & have been licensed ever since! So that has been a 10 year learning experience to improve my skills. Working for an auction company has its advantages, oh the stuff that came up at auction. Let’s just say by 2013 I had 11 units (2700 sq. feet) filled with hidden treasures & would meet customers there after work or on weekends when I wasn’t working my day job. Selling out of storage was for about 7 years & financially it wasn’t as lucrative as I had hoped & I wasn’t really getting the benefit of showing my merchandise in the right setting. Time to move up in the world. December 2013 an opportunity opened up to sublease a 10,000 sq. foot showroom warehouse in Melrose Park. It was a big risk but I took it. It took a month to move everything out of storage and an additional 3 months to set everything up which I did with limited help. I did it though & I have been there now for a little over 3 years & have more than tripled my inventory from various estates & auction finds & have filled the place with a variety of everything including the kitchen sink! We are still working to get our name out there & it is happening!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not really! 1st obstacle: I still work full time so my store is only open on weekends & I see customers by appointment only during the week so I put in a lot of hours 7 days a week!
2nd Obstacle: My location is not visible to the public since we have the whole back half of the building and there is no advertising of my store on the street so unless you know I am here you have no reason to find out what you are missing!
3rd Obstacle: I have had some health issues over the last 3 years due to the stress of working full time & devoting so many additional hours every day to grow the business. All I can say is I know this is the right kind of business to have in this day & age & I am determined to make my efforts pay off!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Debbie’s Darn Good Deals – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
First of all as I mentioned early I am a licensed Auctioneer. I am experienced in doing almost any kind of auction from start to finish. My company: Debbie’s Darn Good Deals, at the moment is a massive 10,000 sq. ft. consignment/resale shop. We have taken in individual items & complete estates giving us over a million items in inventory. We specialize in unique, one of a kind, hard to find items as well as mid-century modern, antiques, and a huge selection of bar memorabilia & restaurant supplies to mention a few.
I am proud of myself that my passion, drive & discipline has enabled me to have grown from working out of my house to advancing to 11 units in storage for 7 years to now running a 10,000 square foot showroom warehouse single handed & manage to still work full time.
What sets us apart is that we go the extra mile to provide excellent customer service. Too many companies do not seem to think that is important! I try to make myself available 7 days a week to meet with buyers & sellers regardless if I have worked all day. I am also very knowledgeable about most of my inventory & know the history behind it. I do appraisals so I am constantly researching everything!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are getting ready to start doing online & onsite auctions in the near futures. This will open opportunities to hire employees & bring in more revenue.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1930 George St
Melrose Park, Il. 60160 - Website: www.debbiesdarngooddeals.com
- Phone: 708 997-5830
- Email: dsings1@sbcglobal.net
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