Keeping your business fresh and relevant for customers is a challenge in any circumstances. Zach England, owner with his wife Mallari, of the Boise, ID Great Harvest told me, “In a tough economy, it’s more risky NOT to make changes than to move ahead with them.”
Zach worked for the Ogden, UT Great Harvest for several years before deciding to purchase the Boise, ID bakery in 2007 from its long time owners, Paul and Peggy Bohl. The Bohls’ bread store was one of the original Great Harvest bakeries in the U.S., started almost three decades ago. Over the years, they built a loyal clientele with their excellent products.
Zach and Mallari came in with new energy and enthusiasm, excited to put their own mark on this local small business and build on what the Bohls started in Boise in the early 1980’s. Zach admits he likes a challenge and to keep busy. A good personality fit for a retail business owner, especially the bread business!
After purchasing the store, the Englands looked for opportunities to expand and grow the biz. They opened an additional bakery, which they ended up selling a few months later to their Great Harvest Meridian neighbors. For the next challenge, they considered 3 options: doing an additional store, moving their current location, or expanding where they are.
The opportunity came up to expand in their current location when a neighboring business
moved out. The space doubled from 1250 to 2500 feet to allow more customer service area and seating. The additional seating almost immediately doubled their sandwich business. In addition to the inside remodel (including a new sound system!), they put up a new sign, new awnings and a patio with additional seating. They were able to do the remodel without closing down their other operation – customers were able to observe the progress. Zach was able to do some of the work himself to help with expenses.
Zach said he examined all the costs carefully; there were still a lot of unexpected things that came up, like “impact fees” that can run from $20-30K. While it ended up costing almost twice what he had originally calculated, he said it was well worth it. They were able to tighten way up on their personal finances and pay outright without borrowing money. Since they opened the new “addition” last August (2011), sales have been up and they are really happy with their investment.
The added space gives them room to offer more products with better merchandising, but Zach
says top-notch customer service makes the difference. His crew is friendly and serves people quickly, even during the rushes. During the crunch from 11am-3pm, he makes sure he has additional customer service people available to jump to the counter when needed. And he emphasized that nothing works as well for training customer service than mentoring employees yourself.
Zach says it’s much more fun to come to work with a fresh, new store. More importantly, customers love the changes and the newness. Updating and improving your business always speaks to the customers that you care, and want to keep it fresh for them. In ever more competitive markets with lots of choices, keeping things updated and relevant is paramount to success. Zach and I discussed that you can never rest on your laurels. This goes for any work; it’s not just for small business owners!
The Englands are now looking at adding an espresso bar inside the bakery as their next project. We look forward to watching as these bright, energetic people continue to show us “how it’s done”!
Anyone been to Zach and Mallari's bakery? What did you think?
