How RJ's was Started

Approx. 34 years ago RJ's was started. Phyllis (Mother) was on a flight, when she sat next to an older gentleman that gave her a phone number of a location to get JCP merchandise for pennies on the dollar. He said his kids were older and not interested in starting a new career. Well that piece of paper was stuck in her purse and forgot about. Then approximately one year later, while cleaning out that purse she ran across the number. So a couple days later she called and sure enough it was JCP in Lenexa Kansas. Then Phyllis, Rick and Bob decided to start with a garage sale and approx. 1/4 of a 26' U-haul truckload of merchandise. That grew to 1/2 loads and then Full U-haul loads in a garage sale setting. Then that went to a store setting and then 2 stores and then had to get a warehouse to supply those stores. Both stores were going very well but we also started dabbling in the wholesale market also which took off like wildfire. With 2 stores and a large warehouse it was just to much to keep up with and not enough family, so it was decided on to close both stores and just keep the warehouse for wholesale. So the company went from retail stores to wholesale of semi loads of merchandise from Department stores to other retail stores. So in 1997 I decided after many years with the Franklin County Sheriffs Department that I would start at the family business in trailers sales and have now been with the business for going on 25 years as salesman moving full semi loads of merchandise all around the United States and some export. Well, as all of our children start graduating High school and college we decided to give the Retail market another try. So 2 years ago we opened a 20,000 Sq. Ft retail store next door to our warehouse. So that is a quick version of how RJ's got to be where it is at today. After all these years, RJ's is still the same family business with the same family values and have been at the same location after all these years. We have recently opened another even larger warehouse 3 miles from our current location to add another 50,000 sq feet of space.