Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Siekmann.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My wife, Rebecca, and I moved to Texas from Ohio, approximately 13 years ago, after we received word that I had been accepted into TCU’s History PhD program. We made the long trek to Texas with high hopes and big dreams. However, upon graduating with my PhD, I entered into a poor job market and struggled to find work in my field. Further, I was “overqualified” or “too educated” for anything outside of a college professor position. Rebecca had her Bachelor’s degree, and also had trouble finding work. She became a Certified Holistic Health Coach and did nutrition demos on the side while working part time as a personal assistant. Still, we struggled.
I decided to take matters into my own hands and start a hot dog cart business. Rebecca insisted I use my title, for which I had worked so hard, and, as such, “Dr. Dogs” was born. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and enjoy working for myself. At age 9, I would ride my bicycle to our nearby country club in Paramus, New Jersey to sell golf balls to the club members. It worked out so well, I started selling concessions, too. Even at that young age, I appreciated the sense of freedom and joy this type of work afforded me. The hot dog cart was not a full-time affair, so I decided to dabble in the resale business. I found great enjoyment in this, although Rebecca was not a fan of garage sales and such. We needed to find an alternative, less intrusive way to sell our goods.
While vending our hot dog cart in downtown Fort Worth, we befriended and helped several homeless people. One day, I gave a homeless woman a ride to the East side, and we passed by an indoor flea market. I went in and added my name to the vendor waiting list. We started with a tiny booth all the way in the back of the store, and shortly thereafter, we greatly expanded our space and inventory after proving ourselves as good, hard-working vendors. People started coming there specifically for our quality, low-priced goods, and our customer base grew every day thanks to Rebecca’s marketing and our good customer service skills. When the owner offered us to take over the store within the next 6-12 months, we happily accepted. By that point in time, knew we wanted to make this our sole career. We loved the business. Upon advice from a wise friend, we decided to “sacrifice and focus.” Meaning, we gave up all of our side jobs, including the hot dog cart business. We were all in!
However, nearly two years later, in February 2017, we discovered the owner no longer wanted to give up her store. Our plans had to change. We knew we needed our own store to truly make it in this business, so we started looking for our own space. We quickly found a nice, big building just a few miles down the road. But the fear of change stopped me from signing the lease and making it official. I had reservations about the extra responsibility, higher rent and overall time commitment such an endeavor would create in our lives. However, Rebecca was no longer happy at our current location, and urged me to sign.
It was quite nerve-wracking, to be completely honest. They say that being an entrepreneur is like jumping off a cliff and building an airplane on the way down. That’s exactly how it felt, the thought of it all scared me. So I told Rebecca we needed to stay put for a couple more years, learn more and save more. She grudgingly agreed, and we wrote our Realtor to let her know we had changed our minds. But the universe had other plans. A couple of weeks later, in March 2017, Rebecca was in our front-end booth, organizing and pricing clothing. I walked by and asked her to help me move a mattress in our back-end booth. I told her I needed help immediately, because I was late in picking up a vintage chicken machine, a nostalgic piece of my childhood that I wanted to place in our booth for kids. She complained about having to leave her task for that “silly chicken machine,”, but walked away to help me anyway. About 7 seconds after she left, a large car came smashing through the window and wall, right where she had been standing. Thankfully, no one was hurt, including the confused elderly woman who accidentally caused the crash. The owner then decided to move the store to another location. That was the last push I needed. It was time to open my own shop. Holding our collective breath, we contacted the Realtor to see if that nice, big building was still available. It was, and shortly thereafter, “Dr. Deals Resale Mall” was born. That life-saving chicken machine now sits proudly inside our shiny new store.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, to be completely honest, it was a rough road, much rougher than we anticipated. Opening a store is not easy. We worked day and night for many, many weeks. Our building was formerly an Aaron’s Electronics store, so it needed a lot of interior renovations and construction to transform it into a flea-market style resale shop with individual booths. Thankfully, we acquired some much-needed help. Our long-time friend, and fellow vendor from the old store, Jean-Paul, helped us from beginning to end. He worked hard and used his creativity and handyman skills every step of the way. My equally talented Father-in-Law, Denny, flew in from Ohio for two whole weeks to help us make our deadline. As a retired Electrician, his knowledge and handyman skills proved invaluable. When we were tired or felt defeated, he kept us going. Last but not least, Rebecca’s sister Carrie, her husband Jeremy and their son Jacob also flew in from Ohio to help us. Jeremy is a creative architect and self-taught handyman, and he found a solution for any problem we encountered. Aside from the inside renovations, we had to fill an 8,000 square foot store with sellable goods. Carrie helped us price thousands of goods, around the clock. We are forever grateful to these people. We could not have done it without them.
After we cleaned up from the painting and construction, the transformation was simply amazing. My wife and our talented decorator friend, Stevie, added their special touches to each booth, staging perfectly every item until it looked like anything but a flea market. We scheduled our Grand Opening for August 5, and made it by the skin of our teeth. The success of our Grand Opening Day foreshadowed a successful future.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are known for selling quality new and used goods at affordable prices. We have a little bit of everything, from high-end clothing, jewelry and accessories to tools, appliances and furniture. What sets us apart from others is our exceptional customer service, something we always felt was somewhat lacking in this business. Everyone who enters our store gets a smile and a sincere welcome. Many of our customers have become dear friends, and even hug us over the counter when they arrive. We play fun music, usually Motown and oldies, and it’s not uncommon to see my wife dancing and singing with our customers. You’ll hear laughter throughout our store quite often. We work hard, but we also have fun at our shop, and the customers love that. When you’re around good people, your mood follows. People want to feel welcome and appreciated, and since customers are the bread and butter of any business, it’s important to show them you care. We even pass out free lollipops to children after they ring the candy bell. This always ends in smiles. Creating a warm, happy environment is essential to repeat business, even in the resale business.
We are also proud of how nice our store looks. We receive compliments daily on how clean, neat and organized it is. People often tell us we are the “Nicest flea market” they’ve ever been in. Our store set-up makes for a pleasurable shopping experience because customers will never have to “dig” for a deal in a messy, over-crowded booth. People also appreciate the rapidly-changing merchandise. Some customers pop in several times per week, if not every day, just to see our new goods. They don’t want to miss anything! We like to keep things fresh.
Finally, we are proud of what we are able to do for the local community. Times are hard for many people, and it feels good to offer them nice items at prices they can actually afford. An elderly man living on social security once thanked us profusely for being here, because he was able to furnish his small apartment, including his bedroom, kitchen and living room, all within his budget. That made our day. We also offer free layaway, which is very helpful to people on a budget.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas Fort Worth is the perfect place to start a business like mine. Our metroplex houses over 7 million people, many of whom cannot afford to buy brand-new furniture, clothing and household items at the current retail rates. Families don’t have to struggle as much when they have access to resale stores that offer quality goods at low prices. Furthermore, thrifting and junking has become trendy in recent years. People of all socio-economic statuses love that they can buy a designer clothing item for a fraction of the cost they would have paid in a regular department store. Who doesn’t like a good deal?
Also, many people look for “project pieces,” which they take home, rehab, and resell. We cater to that group of people as well. We don’t have time to fix up all furniture pieces, so we sell them cheaply, and thereby help other small businesses grow and succeed. Resale businesses are a win-win for everyone involved, and Dallas Fort Worth is a great place to start one. We are only 4 months old, and we already have a solid customer base with new people continuing to come in every day!
Contact Info:
- Address: 4715 East Lancaster Avenue Fort Worth, TX 76103
- Website: www.DrDealsResale.com
- Phone: 817-709-7901
- Email: drdealsresale@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccasiekmann/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/drdealsresalemall
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dr-deals-resale-mall-fort-worth
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