Business Opportunities Weblog

Take the Store to the Customers: ExTreme ReTrailers

By on December 13, 2012 in Profiles

Extreme Retrailers

Every small business owner can attest that location plays a big part in success. In this economy, an off-the-beaten-path location could make a bad scenario worse for store owners. Thousands of small businesses face the dilemma of being in a location that is not working, yet they are bound by a lease which is difficult to rescind. Malls and Main Streets across America are full of empty storefronts and “For Rent” signs.

ExTreme ReTrailers is giving merchants a creative way to confront the decline in in-store traffic head on. This new company specializes in state-of-the-art, modern, fully-functional retail outlets operating from 7’x14’ trailers. Complete with exterior and interior branding, ExTreme ReTrailers will custom-design a trailer for almost any type of business, including housewares and hardware, fashion and accessories, racing and automotive, children’s gear and toys, plus service and instruction-oriented businesses. Once operational needs are defined, the company styles the trailer to meet the desired theme/ambiance inside. They’re then outfitted with unique components like music systems and attention-grabbing LED lighting for night use.

The recession has taken its toll on retailers and being stuck in one location puts merchants at the mercy of customers. This progressive concept brings the store to the customer, versus the other way around, allowing businesses to reach a highly targeted and enthusiastic buying audience – wherever that might be. ExTreme ReTrailers can be delivered anywhere in the U.S. and merchants become mobile in a snap. Open up “shop” at events, fairs, festivals, concerts, restaurants, bars, well-trafficked lots or anywhere that might attract your ideal customer demographic.

Founder Julia Hutton was inspired to start the company after her own experience as a retail shop owner in Arizona. She owned and operated two motorcycle apparel shops in Old Town Cottonwood, AZ and Prescott, AZ for several years. In spite of the fact that the stores were located in these premier biker destinations, traffic and sales slumped since the market crash of 2008. Determined to adjust to the economic times, Julia outfitted the original ExTreme ReTrailer with the merchandise from her store and began selling at motorcycle rallies, bike weeks, and car and bike shows across the U.S. The mobile store grossed double in just one weekend what the brick and mortar store ever sold in one week’s time. In time, sales from the trailer continued to exceed those from the store, even on its best days, and Hutton saw a 300% increase in sales. She knew she had to help other small business owners take advantage of this solution and ExTreme ReTrailers was born.

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Business Opportunities Weblog editor and publisher Dane Carlson lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, just 15 miles from Yosemite National Park. He accidentally became a professional blogger in 2001. He has added 12,198 posts to the site.

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  • http://wahm.business-opportunities.biz Angela Shupe

    Stores based inside a trailer are not really new, are they? Flea markets and fairs tend to have tons of vendors selling out of a tent/trailer/etc. I admit, though, location is important. That is why a business like this can do reasonably well. They are where the people are. Also, when they set up shop at a fair, people are expecting to buy things. I know I go with a little extra cash just in case I find “that” item I want to purchase. A portable store front really helps bring in new customers, too. I have also noticed it helps to have an online presence in combination with the vendor spots, so they can receive repeat customers without waiting another year or month.

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