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Savvy retailer brings industrial-strength fashion to the foothills |
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Written by John McCreadie
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Stu Nelson is a stand-up guy who’s found a strong niche selling quality low-cost clothing and footwear to “anyone who stands up for a living.” BareBones WorkWear – the company he founded 12 years ago – is a Sacramento based small business success story that’s landed in the Auburn area with a sensible business strategy that goes way beyond just having a fun name.
While the fledgling retail operation battles the forces of a down economy like every other business today, management decisions made as the business was formed help guide it through these rough times to provide silver-lining opportunities, says Nelson, who wears the title of chief executive officer.
The business – which is currently growing at 30 percent per year – began in Nelson’s Sacramento garage as a wholesale distributor of used work coveralls. Key to his success was delivering the coveralls to stores that served customers in industrial or automotive environments (such as Riebes Auto Parts) at a low, “bare bones” price point, typically less than half of what new overalls would cost.
“As simple as this may sound, the success of our business is based on one basic principle: follow our mission statement,” said Nelson. “And that’s based on building long-lasting relationships with everyone we do business with, including employees, vendors and customers.”
“What you don’t see in our mission statement is anything about selling more products,” he said. “We believe that will happen as a natural extension to creating mutually beneficial, long-term business relationships.”
Four years ago, Nelson expanded his wholesale business to include retail outlets. He opened a Rancho Cordova store in early 2006 and the Auburn shop, located in the Auburn Ravine Shopping Center in the Bowman area, in February.
What Nelson didn’t realize when he first started the business was that his approach to selling used items turned out to be a viable “green” business approach, a concept that has grown in popularity.
Embracing the Internet early on was another smart move by the 52-year old entrepreneur. Amazon.com took BareBones on as one of its preferred vendors. It’s a strategy that continues to payoff as the local retailer conducts business worldwide, including selling comfort-support insoles to U.S. soldiers in Iraq. “We literally support our troops,” he said with a smile.
Through Amazon and the company’s own web site where customers can shop and buy products online, BareBones has seen an uptick in its international business recently as a result of the devalued dollar overseas. “It’s a hidden benefit of the weak dollar,” he said.
Still, Nelson never loses sight of his customers closer to home, and has customized his retail stores to meet the needs of local clientele. His Auburn store now sells Levi jeans as a result of requests from customers. That’s in addition to his top brands, which include Carhartt and Ben Davis, along with more than 130 styles of boots.
He also provides work-wear products to Cal Fire firefighters and Auburn Placer Disposal Service employees.
“We’ve shopped around and used other companies in the past,” said Frank Tamayo, operations supervisor for Auburn Placer Disposal Service. “But (BareBones) really has a wide selection and good prices.”
Tamayo says his company prefers to use local businesses whenever possible and that’s a sentiment Nelson, who was once an Auburn resident, understands.
“The best part about being in Auburn is the great sense of community,” said Nelson. “We want to contribute and be a central part of this community.”
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