|  |
 |
|
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Pagosa Springs Office Supply |
Patsy Lindblad | 2/13/09
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pagosa Springs’ only office supply store re-opened its doors at a new site on December 29 — at their new location, 2035 Eagle Drive, at the top of Putt Hill in the Mountain View Plaza.
Lorri Hill-Bayger came to Pagosa in 2001 especially to buy the Pagosa Springs Office Supply business, leaving Florida and her convenience store and full-service car wash business to start a new adventure. Now eight years later, this dedicated businesswoman is still operating successfully. Continued...
A more compact shop in a better location is helping Lorri Hill-Bayger and her staff weather a slower economy in Pagosa Springs. |
The previous owners of Pagosa Springs Office Supply had opened the store at a location in the midst of downtown and operated it for eight years. Lorri ran the business there too, and then a couple of years ago, she moved to Park Ave on the west side of town — to what seemed to me an out- of-the-way location .
I asked Lorri why she decided to move again. Without hesitation she responded: “Economics and better location.”
“The economy is tight. Everybody needs office supplies… They just need a lot less of them. With the economy the way it is in town, we wanted to get our overhead down, so we could keep our prices in line.” The economy hit their (and everyone else’s) business “really hard” last year, and “people found it difficult to find us.”
Besides office supplies, Pagosa Springs Office Supply offers a copy center that includes color copying; and you can email your copy jobs for printing and pick up when ready. They also offer binding services, business cards, and fax service. Lorri runs the business with the help of a small staff — Betsy Chavez, Sales Manager; Ellen Tuller, Sales Associate; and Shane Tuller, Deliveries .
I asked if she had seen any impact from the move. Lorri responded with a smile that she was definitely seeing a difference in their overhead.
 And Pagosa Springs Office Supply is now closer to both downtown and uptown now — it’s in between. The store has more visibility. Their customers’ response to the move has been pretty favorable too.
“People like that they can get off (Highway) 160 easily. Everybody seems to think it’s much cozier. They like to be able to look out the windows at the great view of the mountains while they’re waiting in line.”
Like others in the community, Pagosa Springs Office Supply would like to see more businesses doing business locally. They’re working on a plan to help boost the local economy. Big customers like Parelli and the School District actively shop with Pagosa Springs Office Supply because they can often get as good or better products and prices right here in town, Lorri says.
Lorri said she thinks a lot of people have stopped going to Durango due to recent gas prices and the time involved. People are shopping harder. They make lots of inquiries, checking around. “People have commented that they didn’t know we would be as competitive.” Continued...
Pagosa Springs Office Supply has self-service copiers available, but can also do your copying for you — just email or deliver your job to them for quick, competitive copying service.
Lorri does her best to keep those "must have" items in-stock and available, while also having 26,000 additional items from their online catalog just a one-day delivery away. |
Betsy pointed out that “people are pleasantly surprised when they find we’re $5 to $10 cheaper than Office Depot. It makes it unnecessary to go to Durango. And we keep the income and tax dollars circulating in Pagosa.”
Lorri and Betsy want people to know that if they’re shopping out of town, they should come in to Pagosa Springs Office Supply for a quote. “We might be able to match or beat it. Just because we’re little, doesn’t mean we can’t be competitive.”
As you walk in, you immediately notice the smaller size of the store. “We reduced inventory, but kept the basics on the shelf,” Lorri told me. “We pretty much have the same offerings. There’s not always a sample of every offering here. We just don’t have as many items for you to touch and feel.”
They do, however, have a 26,000-item catalog from which you can order — either by calling Lorri and her staff, or through an online service they introduced last March. That online move helped to streamline the business a lot — it cut down on the phone ringing so much, Betsy says. Customers can go online and search the catalog. Lorri’s regular supplier stocks the items in Denver, eliminating the need for her to maintain a warehouse. Most deliveries are the next day to the store. The benefit is that customers can come pick their orders up without have to incur shipping charges.
“Online ordering with us is very easy. Everything in our catalog is online. You can do comparisons. With online, you can save all your favorites, so you can just go in and click on it.” Anyone who’s interested can come into the store to learn how to do online ordering, Lorri explained. "It's very user friendly."
Sometimes people know what they want, but can’t remember a product number or what the product is called. That’s where customer service comes in. Personal service is one thing that Pagosa Springs Office Supply has over big online providers, like Staples or Office Depot. Lorri and her staff will take the time to do look-ups for the customer, which frees them to do their work. “We take the time that the customer can’t.” Continued...
Lorri, Ellen and Betsy outside their new location in the Mountain View Plaza. |
With the way the economy is, Lorri and her staff know that customer service is critical because it’s very competitive out there.
“Customer service will help a business to shine. We do try harder with customer service. If somebody brings something in, we’ll try to fix it for them or find what they need. We go out of our way. If we don’t supply it, we’ll usually go find it and tell them where they can get it, or order it. We deliver. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a big customer or a small one. If we can accommodate, we’ll do it.”
Pagosa Springs Office Supply is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. The store is located at 2035 Eagle Drive, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147, in the Mountain View Plaza at the east end of Put Hill. Call them at 970-731-6977 or visit their website. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|