You may not know it, but Northwest Aluminum in Preston has changed in several ways. First of all, it’s not Northwest Aluminum anymore.
“We changed the name about 10 years ago,” owner Jeff Knies recalled. After people kept asking what aluminum had to do with appliances, which are a big part of the business, he realized that the name was outdated and needed to be changed. “Local people knew who we were, but we decided to change the name to say who we are and what we are,” he said. Of course, old habits are hard to break so the business is still known as Northwest Aluminum to a lot of people, but legally, the name is Root River Appliances and Floor Coverings.
A more recent change to Root River Appliances and Floor Coverings is a little more visible than the name change.
Knies, who runs the store with his wife Roxie, recently decided that it was time to downsize the business a little. “I got rid of a lot of flooring samples and stuff that wasn’t selling,” he said. While he used to stock about 40 appliances in the shop, it just wasn’t practical or cost-effective to do so anymore. He now has just a handful of basic floor models in stock and special orders everything else. “Ninety-five percent of my appliance business comes from special orders now,” Knies noted.
With the smaller number of products, Knies realized that he didn’t need all of the space in the buildings that he owned in the St. Paul Street location in Preston. So, he listed the buildings with a realtor who warned him that it could be a while before he got any bites. However, just a week later, the realtor called back and told Knies that he already had several people interested in purchasing portions of the buildings. “It went quicker than I was prepared for,” Knies admitted.
Since he hadn’t been expecting to sell the buildings so soon, Knies wasn’t prepared to move out just yet. “I had no place to go and had no idea what I was going to do,” he said.
Despite the unexpected, things seemed to fall into place pretty quickly for Knies. Knowing that he was looking for a new location for his business, Ib Gatzke asked Knies if he would be interested in renting her building, the former Chic’s Pizza, just a block from Knies current location. After looking it over, he decided to go for it. He repainted, installed new lighting and carpeting, and moved in on April 14.
“I like the building. I get a lot of people coming in asking for pizza though,” Knies laughed.
Knies had Kelly Printing make signage for the front of his new building using the legal name of the business, Root River Appliances and Floor Covering. The City of Preston helped him install them, which he was thankful for after working on his own to take the old Chic’s Pizza signs down.
While the business has downsized, Knies still offers quite a bit at Root River Appliances and Floor Covering. As the name suggests, appliances and a wide variety of flooring options are the main part of the business. Knies continues to travel for appliance repairs, but tries to stay closer to the central Fillmore County due to time constraints. He also carries belts, filters, and bags for vacuums and furnaces, replacement windows, and more.
One of the biggest challenges Knies faces as a small business owner in a rural town is having to compete with big box stores in Rochester. A common misconception is that it’s more expensive to shop locally, but Knies says that’s just not true. He is an exclusive dealer with Whirlpool, which allows him to offer competitive pricing on appliances. The flooring options that Knies carries are generally less expensive than buying them in Rochester, as well. The problem is getting people in the door to see what Root River Appliances and Floor Coverings has to offer. “I can compete with the big stores if people would just give me the chance,” Knies pointed out.
Knies is planning an Open House at the new location on June 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. so people can enjoy coffee and cookies and become familiar with the updated Root River Appliances and Floor Coverings.