The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
BACK IN BUSINESS
Northeast Factory Direct thriving in former B&B Appliance location
Alex Nemet was in Las Vegas attending a furniture show when he received word that one of his stores was on fire.
“It occurred in the middle of the day while I was talking to an Ashley (HomeStore) representative,” he said. “Store manager Dustin Lowry was in the middle of selling a hot tub when a customer told him there was smoke coming from the back of
the warehouse.
“They’re still trying to determine what caused it,” Nemet added. “They think it might have been a cigarette. How does a cigarette catch a brick building on fire?”
After the Aug. 1 blaze forced the closing of Northeast Factory Direct at 33599 Curtis Boulevard in Eastlake, Nemet
“Our biggest asset is our people. Our turnover is zero.” — Alex Nemet, owner of Northeast Factory Direct, which moved to 24470 Lakeland Boulevard in Euclid after a fire damaged an Eastlake location.
considered keeping only his Cleveland location operating.
“I thought about it, but our customers and employees are important,” said the Westlake resident. “I feel I would have done a disservice to them. The biggest positive, the silver lining, you could say, was all our people came together. We kept everybody. Our biggest asset is our people. Our turnover is zero.”
In April, B&B Appliance, which served Euclid for 93 years, closed. Nemet, 42, wasn’t exactly targeting the location, at 24470 Lakeland Boulevard, but knew the location could prove suitable space.
“We needed to get into a place fast, and this was ideal because it was just a couple miles down the road from the Eastlake location,” he said. “We were kind of nervous getting into a bigger place because the building was their showroom and warehouse. We’re just a warehouse.
“The store was such a staple in the community and we want to carry on their legacy. At first I couldn’t wrap my head around it, but now that we’re here, it’s really a good fit. We’ve
added a lot more inventory, and we’re stocking a lot of stuff so people can have it right away.”
Since the store opened on Black Friday, business has been strong, Nemet said,
with the “awesome” community fully supporting the new addition.
“The city has been great, they welcomed us with open arms, and everyone was so helpful — Mayor (Kirsten)
Holzheimer Gail, (Planning and Development) Director Jonathan Holody, Euclid City Council, everyone. Euclid is up and coming. There is so much going on with the Amazon center and the
waterfront improvement project.”
On the strength of the new location, and overall business, Nemet is weighing the possibility of opening a third store in the
Cleveland area, though as it stands, mum’s the word. Not bad for a business that started in 1999 out of a Lakewood garage with only $2,500 and a sole diningroom set.
“We’ve been successful because we’ve disrupted the industry,” said Nemet. “We have to position ourselves to be better. That was always our business model. We don’t do the same old sales, we don’t have a fancy showroom, we don’t have all the fluff and the overhead, but we sell the same stuff. It’s simple. We have a no frills concept. Fifty to 60 percent of our business is repeat and referral. Just be real with people and they’ll trust you.”
Two of those people are Mentor residents Kelly and Robin Gillmore, who both frequently visited the Eastlake location.
“This is a beautiful place, it’s always nice when something positive is able to come from something terrible like that fire,” said Robin, adding that the new location is also more inviting.
“They have 10,000 more square feet here, and we always like supporting local business. We recommend everyone to come out here. The staff is so friendly. Plus, it’s nice to be able to talk to the owner. Doing business with him, you can tell he really cares.”