Growth from finding

"fr ROWTH is a matler of philosophy \-t vou can almost will it. We are set up to g.o* urrd prosper and we do."

The man talking is Herb Haimsohn, president and general manager of the Handyman chain of stores that in five years has opened six stores.

o'What we have done here is to find a need in the market and fillit. There really isn't a term to describe our operation. We're neither a discount house nor a lumber yard, though we often outsell both. I guess you'd call it a lumber-building materials-hardware store for the do-ityourselfer."

Whatever you call it (and some old-line lumber dealers have called it a number of things) the public obviously likes it.

The first store opened in La Mesa, April 27, 1962 and was followed by stores in nearby Pt. Loma, Chula Vista and Escondido. This summer they opened one in Sacramento, the first outside the greater San Diego area.

Location

This newest one, at Kearney Mesa, is well-situated on one of two roads that connect two new, big housing areas just north of San Dieeo.

It is a big, brilliantly-lighted, one story building that makes doing-it-yourself look good even to the an-handyman,

Carefully chosen store personnel contribute the needed know-how necessary to keep the home handyman coming back.

While some of the clerks are the mindless minimum wage type, most are experienced carpenters, builders and the like who have opted for steady work. Handyman also draws upon San Diego's large population of retired persons, many of them from the military for help.

Handyman stresses the home and how to fix it up in both in-store displays, banners, promotions and demonstrations plus in their newspaper advertising.

Advertising

One 12 page' newspaper supplement, placed in the big metropolitan daily, and in two small local papers, was the only major means used to promote the opening. They have tried radio but found it did not deliver results.

The supplement devoted two pages each for housewares and hardware and one page each for decorator items, electrical, plumbing, paint, giftware, nursery and, oh yes, lumber. Only two specialprice coupons were used in the entire piece.

Handyman ads, while stressing price, do not claim to be the cheapest, nor do they get into competitive advertising, i.e., was 69{, now 39{. Their prices are, of course, highly competitive.