Allstate Home Leisure by Watsons

RetailMichigan, United States11-50 Employees

In 1992, Gary Jordan decided to make a risky career move. He left his job at GM and opened a 3000-square-foot store in Redford, Michigan. The wares: billiard tables and accessories. And Allstate Home Leisure was born. Gary’s son-in-law Roy Farmer, now CEO at Allstate Home Leisure, says that Gary “started with a very, very small amount of money – probably $2,000 or so.” Luckily, from the first day Gary opened the doors, people were coming into the store to look at the game room accessories.

Marketing and promotion – without the digital networks.

If you can wrap your mind around it, imagine how marketing worked in 1992. There was no LinkedIn, Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest, and certainly no personalized advertising on your favorite (sponsored) websites.

Gary and a few of his colleagues would go out to bars around town. He would approach people playing billiards and darts and let them know where they could get high quality, at-home equipment to improve their games. He would let people know where Allstate was located, stay to chat, and be on his way. Allstate saw a good amount of business from those one-on-one, in-person interactions – and also from the word of mouth that ensued.

Customer demands help shape small businesses.

Gary had more business than expected in the first few years after opening Allstate – and so he called in reinforcements. Roy and his wife, Shawna, joined the team in 1994.

Allstate has grown to include five locations across Michigan – and even an e-commerce site. The company participates in the regional Small Business Saturday event. And in the meantime? Roy and the family continue to deal in relationships rather than numbers. And in a business that’s all about relaxing with family and friends around the fireplace or shooting some pool to unwind, that’s exactly what makes people come back.

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