Don’t call Bargain Warehouse a thrift store, or else owner Ronald Floyd will promptly correct you. He prefers to compare his shop to an old mercantile exchange.
Whatever it is, it’s got a little bit of everything. Mounted deer hang high on the back wall. Metal shelves are stocked with various household wares: toasters, George Foreman grills, piggy banks, etc. There’s also used (and new) toys, DVD and VHS movies, bicycles, and ceramic mugs. Floyd probably has it all.
The huge open space on East Boone Street holds many big items, too, particularly furniture, such as couches, nightstands, and a lot of hardwood kitchen table sets. Nothing like the stuff found in Ikea, but “quality-made” items, according to Floyd. A hardwood maple dining set sells for $695 that, according to him, normally sells for twice that amount, or more, brand new.
“There’s just stuff here that no one else has,” Floyd said.
What’s his secret? He’s been collecting stuff for decades, much of it passed down from family members. Between six uncles, four aunts, and a lot of in-laws, Floyd’s inventory is expansive.
He also gets much of his inventory from estate sales. He’s got a network of informants roaming around the state who send him tips on where to find good sales. What’s inside the store is merely the tip of the horde, according to Floyd, who said he has enough stuff—at least eight more trailers—to fill the warehouse several times over.
It’s more than just stuff to Floyd. There’s history and sentimental value here.
“American history is going by the wayside,” Floyd said. “We’ve become a throwaway society.”
Stores like Bargain Warehouse can be profitable. Floyd believes he found the perfect location: in between Allan Hancock College and a new housing project currently in development on the next lot over. Floyd said it’s the perfect store for young couples getting started with a new house or someone looking for a few things to decorate their home.
While he’ll sell to just about anybody, he hopes for “good custodians” to come along and put his merchandise to good use. Someday, Floyd realizes, he won’t be able to take any of his things with him.
“You come to a point in your life that the hearse doesn’t have a trailer hitch and you can’t take it with you,” he said.
Bargain Warehouse is located at 700 E. Boone Street in Santa Maria. To find out what Ronald Floyd has in store, call the shop at 266-9399.
Highlights
• Going green’s the topic of discussion in the Fountain Pavillion at the Santa Maria Fairpark on July 28. There, Frances Gilliland of the Green Business Program of Santa Barbara County will show how to become a certified green business and how to involve staff in becoming sustainable and energy efficient. The class runs from 7:30 to 9 a.m. There’s no cost, but an RSVP is required. To sign up, email register@santamaria.com or call 925-2403, Ext. 812. The Santa Maria Fairpark is located at 937 S. Thornburg St.
• Just because rain’s a rare occurrence in California these days, it doesn’t mean people don’t want to stay dry when it does rain. The Boys and Girls Club in Santa Maria needed a new roof but didn’t have the money to pay for it. Luckily for them, Jake’s Roofing in Porterville and Aera Energy LLC came to the rescue. According to Kathyrn Scott of the Boys and Girls Club, both companies donated $50,000 to install a flat roof using polyurethane foam to provide insulation and stop leaks. An estimator from Jake’s also donated some of the labor to replace the roof, according to Scott.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Jul 23-30, 2015.
