Fall 2021Hardlines Strategies

CUSTOMER PROFILE

want and need. Both owners spend as much time out on the salesfloor as possible, interacting with customers. “If I see a customer walk out of the store without making a purchase, I ask them, ‘We see you couldn’t find what you were looking for, how can we help you find what you need?’” Izquierdo says. “We make a note, and after we get four or five customers asking for the same item, we know it’s an indication we need to sell that item in our store.” Sharing Ownership Duties While neither Izquierdo or Almanza comes from a hardware background, each brings unique skills to the business. Izquierdo handles all of the advertising, marketing, social media and e-commerce, and he also has retail experience. Almanza comes to the partnership with over 20 years of experience in management. He manages and trains

Both of the owners came from work backgrounds outside the home improvement industry, but have used their professional skills in marketing and management to make the store successful.

36 Fall 2021 • Hardlines Strategies