Kole Imports: Your Profit Source

Twenty five years ago, when Danny Kole, his brother Rob and their parents, Pearl and Art Kole, launched Carson, CA based Kole Imports, it was essentially the two brothers and their dad working the telephones all day, selling general merchandise to discount variety stores around the country. The Kole brothers became very good at painting vivid verbal pictures of their products, because there was neither email nor Internet at the time, and people were just starting to use fax machines. Soon after the business’s launch, the dollar store phenomenon... 

Total Display Resource

A critical question for many small business people with big dreams is: how do you take a bright idea that may start off in a garage or other less than ideal location, and grow it into a multi-million dollar company? For Michael Fried, founder of M. Fried Store Fixtures in Brooklyn, NY, who started a shelving company in his basement in 1991, the critical keys to success were quality products, a passion for customer service, and competitive pricing, says Michael Lebor, director of sales and marketing for the firm. “When you furnish great customer... 

3D Moves Beyond Belts

The 3D Belt Company started producing its, “Authentic Cowboy Tough,” line of Western products in a 10 by 30 foot building in Schulenburg, Texas in 1988. Twenty-two years later, the company is still in Schulenburg, but now its offices, warehouse and distribution center are housed in a 150,000 square-foot facility, and its top quality line of Western products has been enhanced with new lines, including Silver Strike jewelry, Badger leather products, Sentry leather products, and an exciting new line of personal care fragrance products,...