He’s shopping for success

SANDPOINT RESIDENT GRANT MERWIN is protective of his friends. He wants to make sure none of them is hurt by the new kid in the neighborhood.

That “new kid” is the Home Depot store due to open in Sandpoint in January.

Those friends he wants to protect? They are the local business owners who, like himself, will probably feel the effect of one of the nation’s largest home improvement stores moving into the area.

Merwin owns Merwin’s True Value hardware store in downtown Sandpoint. His grandfather Lee Merwin started the business in 1946 with the father of another local business owner, Ernie Bellwood. Merwin said his business is sure to feel the effect of the new Home Depot, but he is confident his reputation will carry him through what may be a difficult first few months.

“I am sure we will feel the effect at first,” said Merwin. “But there will probably be about a six-month turnaround, and then we should be back to where we are.”

In August, Merwin was contacted by the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and told of a local Competitive Council that was holding workshops for local business owners.

With the opening of Home Depot approaching, the timing was perfect and Merwin jumped at the chance to be involved.

“It (the council) was formed in response to big boxes (large retail chains) wanting to locate in Sandpoint,” Merwin said.

During their workshops, Merwin and other local business owners share ideas about how to improve their businesses and, above all, how to provide good customer service.

“We are looking at how we can be successful in our own business, and we are all growing stronger together,” he said.

Merwin, whose store was honored this year by the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce for outstanding customer service, said he learns a great deal from his colleagues. From watching him in his store, it is clear that they too can benefit from what he has to offer.

As customers enter his store, Merwin addresses most of them by name. Not only that, he knows their animals, too.

“I always know who is in the store by whose dog is sitting on the sidewalk,” said Merwin, making a note to buy dog treats for those other special customers.

As patrons pour into his store on a snowy Saturday, he drops everything to help them find what they need, chatting about the weather and his customers’ projects.

“Unlike the bigger stores, I have the ability to change and tailor our merchandise to our customers’ needs,” Merwin said. “Our customers are in charge of us.”

Sandpoint resident Patti Dorval has been in the construction trade for more than 16 years and has been a Merwin’s customer for as long as she can remember.

She appreciates the treatment she receives each time she visits.

“The customer service at Merwin’s is over and above what you could ever ask for. You know if you have any problem they will bend over backwards to help you out,” said Dorval.

“The big merchants aren’t always as caring about the little guy.”

Merwin is quick to tell you that he is not critical of Home Depot or other big box stores. While he believes they serve a purpose, he also stresses that the money spent at local merchants often goes back into the community.

He said that in his experience, chain stores contribute generously to the community when they first arrive, but once the newness wears off, donations significantly decline.

“The locally owned businesses have a vested interest for the community to succeed,” said Merwin.

“The money spent in our store gets recirculated back into the community in the form of wages and donations. It is our community – the place our friends work and where our kids go to school.”

Merwin’s True Value contributes both time and products to local causes.

According to Merwin’s wife, Jennifer, the store donates materials to local schools and offers discounts to teachers.

“This year we donated paint to two elementary schools, as well as all the pencil sharpeners for Washington Elementary,” she said.

“We also donated the chairs for the (Sandpoint) high school basketball team for their locker room.”

To support Merwin’s and other local businesses, the Competitive Council is assisting area business owners in establishing a network for business referrals.

Its members are working on familiarizing one another with their inventory and compiling a list of phone numbers for area businesses.

Merwin said he already gets calls from other businesses such as Sandpoint Super Drug and Alpine Lumber asking about his inventory, but he looks forward to expanding that database into an organized referral system.

“The goal is for everyone to know what the other business has. We’ll have a list of phone numbers and can refer a customer to another store if we don’t have what they need,” he said.