STOR-X, which is a brand dedicated to helping people visualize and experience custom storage solutions tailored to their needs, has launched a new showroom in Calgary.
Wolf Nickel, founder of STOR-X, said the Richmond, B.C.-based company began in 1989 under a different company name. It was initially a manufacturer in Vancouver, selling closet organizers primarily.
“That grew in Vancouver for about 10 years and then we sort of switched our model to an exporting model. So we shipped a lot and learned a lot about shipping and we primarily exported to the USA. We had some other accounts in Japan and the Bahamas but primarily we learned the business of shipping and packaging and all of that for our product line,” said Nickel.
“Then in 2010, right after the crash in 2008 that happened in the U.S., it forced us to look around and figure out what we wanted to do with the business so we decided to give franchising a try so that’s what we’ve been doing since then.”
Sharon Cohen has successfully run the business in Calgary as a franchise owner for the past 10 years. The opening of a new showroom offers a hands-on opportunity for those facing storage challenges to explore and envision more organized, livable spaces in their homes.
The new Calgary STOR-X Showroom – located between Blackfoot Trail and 46th Avenue SE – caters to both residential and commercial clients, enabling them to visualize their ideal solutions and find the perfect fit for their needs.
“Essentially we’re a home organization company so anywhere that you need basically case goods to organize your home we are there. We started as a closet organizer company but we’ve branched out to all areas of the home. We’ll do pantries, home offices, garages. In the last few years we’ve started with kitchens,” said Nickel, adding that all the product is manufactured in the company’s headquarters in Richmond, B.C.
Nickel said the company has showrooms in Calgary, Kelowna, Vancouver, Regina and opening a second one in Richmond.
The first showroom opened when the company started franchising.
“Most of our franchisees start as sort of a man in a van with a plan. They’re owner-operators. They learn the business. It takes them a little while to get their feet wet and understand the scope of it. Eventually when they develop their business and they grow, they have to invest in a facility like this (showroom) and the effort it takes to build this. This just leads to more and more business and so it’s sort of an evolution that our franchisees take over the course. Some of them are doing it over a shorter period of time. Some of them it takes a little bit longer,” explained Nickel.
Cohen said he previously had a locksmith business prior to becoming a STOR-X franchise owner.
“For almost 10 years, I worked without a showroom,” said Cohen, adding it gives clients a place where they can visualize and touch and feel possibilities for their homes.
STOR-X has local owners in 19 territories.
