Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Family firm offers clients enhanced mobility - San Antonio Business Journal:

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In partnership with two locak malls, the husband and wife team -- owners of -- is workinyg on a campaign called Throughthe Holidays." From Nov. 18 through Jan. 5, Ingran Park Mall and Windsor Park Mall will make motorizede scooters fromthe Harrisons' store available for use by mall "We're really happy to do it with them," says Michael marketing director for Windsor Park "This is something that we don't think has been offered in San Antonio before (in the (They) really make a difference for older peopl ... or handicapped that want to come to the mall and shop ontheirr own.
" All proceeds from the holiday venture will benefi t the Salvation Army's Angel Tree progra m and a charity chosen by the Bexare County Sheriff's Office. The Scooter which is based inNew Braunfels, openedf its San Antonio store in October. However, its ownerx already are looking for ways to help the communityy through projects like Throughthe Holidays." From hot pink modelse to Eddie Bauer editions, the motorizedf wheelchairs and carts from The Scooter Store offert mobility to elderly and physically disabled people.
The updatee styles help keep the scooters from looking like medical which is important tothe store's customers, says Noah Keifer, a salesma n for The Scooter Store. "These people don't want to look They want to look like theyhave fun," Keifert says. "For most these are their cars." What began as a small enterpris e for the Harrisons in 1991 has changed the face of thescootedr business.
Most scooters are sold through representativesz of manufacturing companies who bring the scooters and saleds materials tothe customer's door, according to the But the Harrisons' stores boast larg showrooms where customers can try different models and Salespeople are on hand and can offer all typews of information on the advantages of differenft models. The Scooter Store also offers full-service repairse for all scooters, not just thosee purchased at TheScooter Store. Doug Harrisomn says he realized the need for scooters to increass mobility through the help ofa cousin, who was injurex in a car accident.
He noticex that people were driving out of theie way to shop at grocery storesz that offered motorizedwheelchair service. "You can completely change someone's lifestyle just with a scooter," he With 29 employees, The Scooter Store has locations inNew Braunfels, Houston and Austin. This the company also celebratedd the grand opening of a SanAntonio showroom, which is located at 8134 Fredericksburgf Road. The new flagship store soon will offera full-servicwe repair shop as well. Doug Harrison's expectations for the San Antoniol storeare high. He anticipates selling 50 to 60 scooter sper month.
That compareas to sales at the Houstob location of 40 to 50per "Even though San Antonio is smaller, it has a largerr customer base than Houston," he says. "It's extended becausee of the retirement community and the retired When Doug Harrison caughtthe "entrepreneurial bug," he says he was workinfg for a major oil company in New But after much thought, he and his wife, Susanna, decidedx to go into businessd on their own. They researcherd several franchises -- from fast food to computer graphicsx -- but chose Wheelchairf Getaways, a Kentucky-based chain that rentsa wheelchairsand lift-equipped vans.
The couple says they ultimately choss Wheelchair Getaways because they wanted a busines that gave something back tothe community. "Yo u put a home-bound customer in a scootetr and their facelights up," Doug Harrisoh says. "Their whole life is It's a feel-good business." With the help of Doug Harrison'ws parents, the couple opened their first Wheelchai Getaways store inNew Braunfels. They felt the stor e was centrally located to cove r theHill Country, San Austin and Houston. Despite pouring all of their resourcesx into the wheelchairand van-rental side of the business, the Harrison s carried a scooter as an extra service.
It was that scooter that gainee popularity and grewthe business.

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