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Why you should advertise in the Niagara Falls Reporter

By Frank Parlato

Enzo Luciani, owner of Pine Ave. Hardware with the 100 year old scale he inherited from his father and has personally used in his store to weigh nails and other items for 75 years. It would be worth the effort to buy nails from Enzo just to have them weighed on this machine even if they cost more. But here’s the funny thing. They don’t: they cost less. And Enzo may be one of the few places that still sell nails in any quantity. When I was there I saw him weigh out three nails for a customer.

Enzo Luciani has been at his business, Pine Avenue Hardware, since 1937. It is one of the oldest businesses on Pine Avenue. His father and mother worked in the business too. And for all those who think only the chain and Big Corp America that buys their products from China and hires, for its employees, the children of the pioneers, for $8 an hour, that only these guys can provide the pricing, and the guts to succeed, the Reporter would like to submit Pine Avenue Hardware to contradict it.

The Reporter did an investigative report recently and found that Pine Avenue Hardware sells products on average as low or lower than every chain hardware store and home improvement store in the area including Home Depot, Lowes and True Value.

Of course, it would not make sense to advertise in this paper or any paper, if the product, service or price is not good. Enzo has succeeded through decades because he has all three.

But even Enzo will admit that, even for a man in business as long as he has been in business, one still can get a boost from advertising.

You have to let people know what you have. One new customer often leads to three or more as word of mouth carries what advertising starts.

“The paper’s helped me very much,” Enzo said of the Reporter, “I even had customers come out of Buffalo. I had two slicer machines which are to me big sales. They told me they came from Buffalo and they said they saw the ad. This has happened many times. The paper has helped me very much.”

Still, of course, one needs more than advertising.

“I think the secret of good business is service,” Enzo added, “and price. I keep my items priced correctly. That’s about it. I serve customers personally; there’s no dispute when they bring something back. I have a good rapport with my customers. And I have the right sources for buying.”

It’s old fashioned. It hearkens to a day when freedom-loving Americans set up businesses for themselves, not working for minimum wage or demanding overtime or whining when they worked 80 hours a week. But they didn’t go to work for corporate masters.

Enzo Luciani shows it can be done even today. A little faith in oneself; the desire to work and be your own boss and a little boldness to advertise that what you have is as good as the best.

Enzo should know. When the Home Depot billionaire guys were still in diapers, he was running his store, serving the people - Americans.

 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter www.niagarafallsreporter.com Oct 30, 2012