senior service
A VOLUNTEER BECOMES A BUSINESS OWNER
Minnesota firm operates “miniconvenience shops” in seven Twin Cities area nursing homes — resulting in significant social as well as commercial exchanges.

Ron Quilling of Eden Prairie, Minnesota served as a volunteer for an organization whose purpose was to enhance the lives of disabled adults. When the organization decided to disband the program nearly 20 years ago, Quilling saw a for-profit potential in the convenience shop it had operated at a nursing home. Initial response was encouraging, leading Quilling to open similar outlets in other Minneapolis area nursing homes. That’s how Easy Shopper, Inc. got its start.

Currently, the company operates “miniconvenience” shops in seven Twin Cities area nursing homes. “We’ve been trying to develop many aspects of the operation, such as customized displays and inventory controls,” says Candy, Quilling’s wife who joined the company ten years ago. “But one of the things we are exploring is working to secure equity investors or some kind of partnership to get a better capital base.” Easy Shopper registered sales of $126,000 last year.

“As is the case with many small businesses, our challenge now is the financing,” Quilling adds. “One of our main objectives, though, is to involve individuals who will be interested in preserving the integrity of the business. We deal with vulnerable adults and the original purpose of the business was to give them meaningful work. Involving the residents is what makes this business a challenge we believe few others would be interested in, but which is integral to our plan.”

FROM STORES TO CARTS TO STORES

The original store operated by Wheels of Wonder was at the St. Louis Park Plaza Healthcare Center, located in a small room cordoned off by an accordion door. It closed shortly after the organization disbanded and the nursing home’s administration found another use for the room. With space at a premium, Quilling developed “Handi-Karts,” mobile shops of snack and personal care items which were placed in nursing homes around the Twin Cities.

In addition to the Handi-Karts, Quilling set up two “dairy stores” that carried grocery items in senior citizen high rise buildings. “I soon realized that shops in nursing homes would be more profitable than those in the high rises,” Quilling recalls. “My first store was in a small (70 bed) nursing home in northeast Minneapolis. Using the knowledge gained from the high rise experience, I began to focus more on the shops and less on the Handi-Karts.”

Quilling caught a break when an administrator from another location where he had a shop moved to St. Louis Park and allotted him space. “Today, St. Louis Park Plaza houses our largest and most lucrative store,” Quilling says. “Over the years, many of the converted (Handi-Karts to shops) accounts have come and gone — along with those set up only as stores — but this was all part of the learning process bringing us to where we are today. Of the seven current stores, three have been operational for well over ten years and two are approaching their tenth anniversary. We have not closed one in over ten years.”

FLEXIBLE PLANS

There is no standard floor plan or minimum space requirement for the Easy Shopper. “We can make any space doable. We’ve got shops in the corners of dining rooms and we’ve transformed a whole employee lounge,” Candy notes. The name of each individual store is determined by the residents who hold contests. Past winners include The Country Store, The General Store and The Munchie Market.

Items such as sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks, milk, juice, yogurt and limited personal care items are available. The Quillings set up a display case for dry foods, a two-door glass-front cooler for juice, soda, milk and yogurt and, at the larger locations, a small freezer for ice cream. They own all of the equipment, except for a handful of supplemental soda machines which they lease. Easy Shopper is looking to enhance their existing product lines and make more items available to residents such as gifts, greeting cards and flowers.

“What makes it unique is that the residents and their family members act as clerks,” explains Candy. “They are responsible for opening the store and making transactions. In exchange, they receive a commission on the sales.” A portion of the profits goes to the nursing home resident councils which have used the money to purchase items such as large screen televisions and aquariums.

SOCIAL VALUE

Easy Shopper’s main competition comes from vending companies. But there are social elements to the shop that can’t be achieved by plunking coins into a machine and waiting for a treat to drop. “The situation puts residents in a position of responsibility rather than the patient role that they are normally in,” Candy notes. “They are helping the staff or the staff is coming to them for their needs. It also puts residents in touch with one another.”

Ron concludes: “What might seem trivial to the average person — the exchange of a can of pop, bottle of juice, candy bar, etc. — is significant when you realize the number of transactions, and thus, interactions it creates. On average, 75 to 100 such transactions happen every day in each of our stores. Although the business is economically viable on a commercial level, it is priceless on a social level.” — K.G.