Published:
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Thrift-store hobby generates couple's business idea
By M.L. Dehm
HBJ Freelance Writer
SULTAN — For the past few years, a record number of people have been going back to school to learn skills for a new career. But Sultan residents John and Kelly Hoyt took that trend one step farther. They went back to school to get help starting a business.
The Hoyts are proud new owners of Thrifty 4 You, a secondhand store that specializes in refurbished and affordable household goods and clothing.
John Hoyt originally worked as a long-haul trucker and Kelly Hoyt worked alongside him. A serious accident made them question whether trucking was really what they wanted to do.
John Hoyt then worked as a machinist while Kelly Hoyt stayed at home to raise their children. But a work injury forced him to think about another career shift. The couple knew that they wanted to start a business together but they weren't sure where to begin.
That was when they both signed up for the business program at Everett Community College. The Hoyts have nothing but good things to say about EvCC and the Business Administration course that ended with associate in technical arts degrees. The financial advisers and administration were extremely supportive, the Hoyts said, allowing them to take all of the same classes and be study partners.
The Hoyts had special praise for the guidance of their adviser, Lynne Munoz, and all their instructors including Juergen Kneifel, Jennifer Beebe and Pat Coughlin. The Hoyts found that the program was a great way to network and meet other business professionals.
Through course assignments, the Hoyts were able to identify the types of businesses they might like to open and whether those businesses were viable.
For example, John Hoyt had been in on the ground level of a startup in California years ago. That business purified ocean water for saltwater aquarium use. Thanks to what they learned as part of their classwork, the Hoyts learned that Puget Sound's water isn't chemically suitable for tropical fish tanks and ruled that out as a business venture.
The Hoyts thought hard about another business idea that would work. They found it in one of their favorite hobbies. The Hoyts are thrift-store enthusiasts, always looking for a bargain. They hate to think of anything being taken to the dump, John Hoyt said, and enjoy finding good used objects and fixing them up like new again.
When one of Hoyts' neighbors lost a house to foreclosure, the couple was offered their pick of many good items that were otherwise scheduled to be thrown away. They took it all. That was when their idea for Thrifty 4 You began to take shape.
The Hoyts already enjoyed refurbishing free items found on Craigslist and reselling at a profit. Could this hobby become a full-time business? As they toyed with the idea, they heard of other homeowners wanting to clear out garages or give away unwanted items. The couple rented a storage unit and started to stock up on inventory.
More ideas for the business started coming in from their EvCC instructors. They learned there was a niche for such a business in Sultan. Outside of a second-hand furniture store in Gold Bar and a few thrift stores in Monroe, there were few places for the community to shop for affordable used goods.
The Hoyts leased a former laundromat and dry cleaning space at Third and Main streets in the city. Following in their thrifty ways, they refurbished the space using second-hand materials. A barter exchange was made with professional paint contractors Loerke and Sons for the paint job.
A designer friend offered them leftover materials to assist with renovating some of the used objects they had been collecting. Display racks were donated.
Everything fell into place as their business plan, formulated as a class assignment, blossomed.
Thrifty 4 You is a for-profit secondhand store that strives to keep prices affordable. Everything has been washed and sanitized, especially the clothing. As longtime thrift-store shoppers, the Hoyts said that the worst thing about secondhand stores is a distinctive odor. That's something they vow their store won't have.
The key to this business, they said, is to keep the inventory affordable for local shoppers. As parents, they know that raising children is expensive, especially keeping growing children in school clothes. In this way they hope to build a loyal customer base. They also hope customers will keep them in mind if they have unwanted reusable items that are too good to throw in the garbage.
The couple plans to give back to the community by donating 10 percent of their profits to Sky Valley Senior Center, a community resource that Kelly's mother told them could use a boost.
Although remodel work has been going on inside the Thrifty 4 You building, the Hoyts don't officially take possession until June 15, the same day that they graduate from EvCC. The grand opening is scheduled for June 20.
Learn more
More details can be found on the company's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Thrifty4You and later at www.thrifty4you.com. Questions can be emailed to savings@thrifty4you.com.
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