The founders of Ohio Wholesale, Inc., Nick and Terry Harbarger, laid the groundwork for this business over 40 years ago by traveling to Mexico to source great giftware items they knew would appeal to the folks back home. Realizing how well these products sold, they opened The WD Outlet, a retail store in Wadsworth, Ohio, carrying furniture and home decorative items. However, Nick recognized the home décor items sold better than the furniture, so he decided to distribute products to a wider audience by selling through other retail stores. And that’s how Ohio Wholesale, Inc. started.
Ohio Wholesale Inc. has been a distributor of wholesale giftware for retailers across the nation for over 35 years. With a combination of great products, trade shows and hard work, the company quickly became one of the largest and most reputable giftware suppliers in the industry. In order to stand out as a leader in giftware, the company developed its own unique line of decorative items and added the services of in-house home decor artists.
To get more information from the horse’s mouth, we interviewed Ohio Wholesale’s Sales/Marketing Manager Joshua Koncz.
What is your company’s major strength? “Our artists,” said Koncz. “We have about 10 in-house artists and another 20 licensed artists that help us design more than 1,500 new items each year.”
What makes your customers come back for repeat business? Unique designs, great customer service, and an expansive selection of products,” replied Koncz.
Why do buyers purchase from you rather than your competitors? “We provide new products every season and that helps keep their retail stores fresh and exciting.”
What is unique about Ohio Wholesale? “Every year, our talented artists develop over 1,000 new wholesale giftware products. These are unique items that we display at trade shows, in our home décor catalogs, online and in our 10,000 square foot showroom,” said Koncz. “Our showroom makes for an incredibly easy shopping experience,” he added. “Products are grouped in over 30 themed displays with our newest products in front and center and best-selling items of the same theme right behind,” he further explained.
“Another thing I want to emphasize is the ability of our products to provoke emotions, said Koncz. “When our customers, and then their customers, pick up our products, it’s easy for the individual to make a connection between the product and some point in their history, and that’s because of our artists and our design department.”
What differentiates your company from its competitors? “We are highly noted for our customer service; however, we live by our mission statement, which is: ‘Ohio Wholesale, Inc. will provide the LOOK, the QUALITY, and the PRICE of great products while making EACH and EVERY customer pleased and confident with our services’,” said Koncz.
What products do you want people to know about? “We have so many categories, from seasonal giftware and antique reproductions to home décor and decorative accessories,” said Koncz. “There are usually several themes that will fit in any retail store. We design over 1,500 new items each year, and at any given time, we will have around 7,000 unique SKUs, making our company a favorite among retailers all over the world.”
Can you identify any industry trends that affect your business? “We’ve been in the gifts and home décor industry for more than 40 years,” said Koncz. “The most successful way an industry trend can affect our business is to start it. Ohio Wholesale, Inc. and our sister company, Kennedy’s Country Collection, strive to lead the way and take our industry to a new level. In the 1990’s, we brought in-house artists in so that we would stand out from the other vendors. In the 2000’s, we created a new company, Kennedy’s Country Collection, to dig deeper into home décor. At the start of 2011, we launched our line of Made in America products that are designed and produced in Ohio. These are just a few of the notable milestones that our company has crossed to be, and stay, a true leader within our industry.”
For More Information:
Ohio Wholesale, Inc.
5180 Greenwich Road
Seville, OH 44273
Phone: (330) 769-5050
Fax: (330) 769-5566
Toll Free: (877) 745-5050
Hours:
Monday — Friday: 8:30am-5:00pm Eastern Standard Time
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
