Page 49 - Lighting Magazine April 2019

growing your busiNEss
introducing bar stools and rugs to gauge custom- ers’ interest. While the bar stools took o , rug sales stalled, leading them to focus on adding more fur- niture pieces. Today, Rick’s is one of South Carolina Low Country’s premier destinations for lighting, furniture, design, and selection.
“Just to put it in perspective, the year we opened is the year the original Apple Macintosh computer went on sale,” says owner Rick Mappus. “So just like Apple, we’ve had to evolve our o erings. My advice to other showroom owners is not to be afraid of trying new things, even if they don’t work out. You’ve got to have the tenacity and ability to continually assess, re-assess, and change with the times to continue growing your business.
“One thing this experience taught us is to take it slow and try just one new category at a time,” Map- pus explains. “We also were very conscious about continuing to serve our customer base and keep- ing our customers and target audience in mind. I encourage others to look at what you can do be er than your competition — and then focus on that. In our case, we knew that to grow in our region we had to provide more than lighting.”
followinG His passion
Growing up in Montreal, Quebec, Fred Naimer always had a passion for design.
“You’ve got to
have the tenacity
and ability to
continually assess,
re-assess, and
change with the
times to continue
growing your
business.”
—Rick Mappus,
Rick’s Lighting + Home
“As far as I can remember, I enjoyed reading about architecture and design,” he recounts. “My mother was an artist and taught me about colors and proportions. My family was in the electrical wholesale business and had both commercial and decorative lighting. I came into the business when I was 18 years old and learned about every product from cable to motor control, but I gravi- tated toward lighting. It was the only product we had that added to the design of a project and where we had the opportunity to up-sell.”
When Naimer opened Montreal Lighting & Hardware approximately ve years ago, he chose to include other categories beyond lighting. The showroom also o ers decorative hardware for doors, cabinets and bath, as well as occasional furniture, mirrors, wall art, and decorative acces- sories. The showroom also sells motorized blinds and home automation systems.
“When you get into new product categories, it’s important that you have a good understand- ing of them,” Naimer comments, “and that you are comfortable selling them. Our team has the desire to be the best in our market. That doesn’t happen by just saying it — you have to actually be it. We work hard to provide the very best service and knowledge to our customers on all of the products we sell.
At Montreal Lighting in Quebec, the showroom has added categories such as wall art and mirrors to encourage repeat customer visits.
april 2019 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 45