Both sides of the fence

Craig and Melissa Garland, owners of Acme Liquidators and Store Fixtures, know both the pain and the joy that comes with liquidation of a store's furnishings.

One the one hand, there's the emotional pain that comes with shutting down failed businesses, while on the other there's the joy and optimism that comes with helping new business owners get their establishment started.

"When you take equipment out of a store there is a lot of heartache involved sometimes they have been in business for 15 or 20 years and you reposition things that were vital to their business into the rebirth of a new business," Craig Garland says. "But whenever you talk to somebody about a new business, it's like talking about a child; they are very excited, and they have a dream."

The Garlands moved their business to northern Nevada from Ohio three years ago primarily to capitalize on the northern Nevada sunshine; the Garlands say there just aren't enough sunny days in the Midwest.

The Garlands have found a profitable niche liquidating the store shelving, fixtures and racking that make up store displays. When a business fails, Acme is contacted to either remove the fixtures or find buyers for them. Acme Liquidators also has closed a lot of pharmacies, as the pharmaceutical industry shifts from corner pharmacies to larger retail pharmacies in chain stores such as Walmart and CVS.

"If Mr. or Mrs. Storeowner or Merchant goes out of business, they need to dispose of several thousand square feet of merchandise," Craig Garland says. "It is not garage sale stuff, it is specific to other merchants. Short of other merchants around them they can't really sell it."

The company's hottest-selling item is steel store shelving, such as those found in corner markets or larger groceries. Due in part to the large number of business failures in northern Nevada and California, Acme Liquidators and Store Fixtures opened its first retail location a few months ago at Moana and Kietzke lanes.

The primary challenge associated with owning a store filled with retail fixtures, Melissa Garland says, has been keeping inventory. "It goes out the door so fast," she says.

The biggest seller on the retail side has been clothing racks and shelving, and the company fields a lot of inquiries regarding walk-in freezers and other refrigeration items. Craig Garland says new refrigeration equipment is so costly that many businesses call seeking discounted equipment.

"On a second-hand basis, our items sell at most half of what something new is," he says.

Craig Garland says there is no set formula for liquidations. Sometimes the company is paid to remove items, other times it buys fixtures for resale.

"It depends on the circumstances, the value, and the condition of it; each one is pretty custom; there is not a cookie cutter to liquidations," he says.

Variables also include location, the amount of manpower needed to remove equipment, and how much has to be disposed of at a landfill. "All that determines whether you pay or get paid," he says.

Most of the company's recent liquidations have been in California, but Acme Liquidators sees fair amount of business in Nevada as well. Craig Garland has traveled throughout the country liquidating stores, but he says liquidations on the road are a logistical nightmare.

Although much of its business comes from independent retailers, Acme Liquidators also fields calls from corporate America. Currently the company is liquidating the furniture from a hotel chain in Sparks that's upgrading its rooms.

The majority of smaller liquidations currently comes from boutique and specialty stores that offer high-end goods.

Craig Garland says the couple chose the name Acme because it's memorable and shows up quickly in online directories. Although business has increased due to the weakened regional economies, he expects to remain profitable as the economy recovers.

"It is so expensive to go into any kind of business, whether it is a corner market or a dress shop clothing store," he says. "It is a great concept and has been working out well for us. It's nice to be able to help businesses start up here locally."