Friday, Sep. 26, 2008

Woman says variety store appeals to those on a budget

In Jennifer Thorp’s mind, the store she would own would be like an old five-and-dime.

“When deciding to open a store, I knew I didn’t want to stick to just one thing,” Thorp said. “I wanted the store to carry everything like those stores used to, but keep the prices down.”

Rail Sales Depot is at 705 S. Kansas Ave. and carries a variety of items from makeup to cleaning products. Everything from freight lines, liquidations and closeouts, allowing Thorp to price items for 30 to 70 percent less than consumers would find elsewhere.

“I think even though the economy is bad and as people are trying not to spend money, this is a place they can come,” Thorp said.

Thorp gets many of the items from freight lines, so they may have a chip or a scrape. If the damage doesn’t affect the function of the item, though, it will sell, she said.

“We try to let people know when something has been discounted for that reason,” Thorp said. “Sometimes there are a few broken items, but most of it can go on the shelf. It’s still good.”

The store carries office and school supplies, bakeware, hardware, pet food and toys, health and beauty products and home decor. It also carries seasonal decor, schools supplies and birthday items — things she remembers her three children asking her for as they grew up, she said.

“I try to draw from the experience I’ve had as a mother and also just from seeing what sells,” Thorp said.

Thorp owned Jennifer’s Variety in Paola for about eight months, but she and her husband, graduates of Olathe High School, looked for a place to open the store in Olathe. When they moved, Thorp changed the store’s name.

“We know everything has been on a train at some point,” Thorp said. “It goes from train to truck to warehouse. And we’re right next to the train tracks, so it is almost like we have our own sound effects.”

Thorp hopes to carry more necessity items: toilet paper, diapers and eventually foods.

“I hope it’s a place where people can find what they are looking for,” Thorp said.

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