Spring 2014 Hardlines Strategies

RETAILER FEATURE

From the Ground Up Blish-Mize Helps Post Commissary Expand Its Store

Expanding on History Originally established in 1858 as a Settler’s store, housed within the old Fort Garland, Post Commissary served the sur- rounding area with everything an Old West Settler could need. When the Martinezes first took over ownership in 2001, they didn’t make too many changes to the store’s retail layout. But last year, Bill and Matt decided it was time for some major updates. “As we kept adding more and more inventory, the existing space we had just got more and more cramped,” Bill says. “It was not well merchandised, either, so we would have to dig through products to find them for customers.” The best solution was to make their building larger. However, being a 155-year- old store comes with its set of challenges. Located adjacent to the Fort Garland Museum and Visitors Center, the store is an historic landmark in the southern of delivering best-quality products to customers. That’s why they decided to align with long-time industry veteran, Blish-Mize, when it was time to make some big changes to their store’s historic building. A s owners of one of Colorado’s oldest hardware stores, brothers Bill and Matt Martinez understand the value of preserving a legacy

Updated signage on the front of the building is just one part of Post Commissary’s recent remodel. Inside, the store now has wider aisles, more organized assortments and a more cohesive look.

the RMS process involved developing mer- chandising and store layout plans. The expansion plan called for a much more open concept to appeal to the store’s majority d-i-y customer base and to keep shoppers from going out of town to buy hardware items. Wider aisles; more orga- nized assortments; a brighter, more cohe- sive look throughout the entire store; and updated signage on the front of the build- ing also were planned to draw in custom- ers, Bill says. From initial project conception to completion, Blish-Mize was there to help move inventory and assist with updating the store’s layout. “Blish-Mize helped us from the begin- ning, and without their help and without the services they offer we wouldn’t be in the position we are with this expansion, and for that we’re grateful,” Bill says. “It has always been clear that they are eager to see us succeed as a business.”

Colorado community, so when it came to making the store larger, making any struc- tural changes to the original building was out of the question. Instead, the brothers decided to build on to the existing structure. Both Bill and Matt worked in home construction prior to buying the store, and, with fam- ily members’ help, set upon building the 4,800-square-foot addition themselves. An Updated Look As soon as they made the decision to expand early last year, Bill and Matt called in their long-time distributor, Blish-Mize, to help stock and reset the store. The Blish- Mize team sprang into action with the Retail Merchandising System (RMS) pro- gram, one of the company’s best tools for helping its customers find the best product mix for their stores, and then display it in a way that captures each shopper’s atten- tion. In the case of the Martinez brothers,

8 Spring 2014 • Hardlines Strategies