M. Cooper Supply has been a presence in the PHCP distribution industry for more than 80 years, but recently renovated its 2,500 sq.-ft. showroom located in its Chicago suburb distribution center and corporate offices in Mokena, Ill.
The showroom is becoming “the-place-to-go” for local homeowners looking to do a bath and/or kitchen remodel.
“In our previous two corporate buildings we didn’t have showrooms,” says Alisa Shortell, M. Cooper Supply’s administrative assistant and marketing manager. “People were not aware that we sell to the public. When planning the renovation of our showroom, we took our time with the design layout to attract more walk-in business. We’ve been successful and have more than tripled the amount of walk-in clients.”
The Mokena showroom’s customer base consists of mostly families who live on “Main Street,” but enjoy an updated look in their kitchens and bathrooms.
Gail Stoecker, M. Cooper’s lead showroom sales consultant for the last seven years, says homeowners are buying products with a sleeker look.
“You’re not seeing many cast-iron tubs sold anymore and no products like you’d see at Grandma’s house. Instead, clients are favoring acrylic freestanding tubs and a real modern design look of squared edges,” Stoecker says.
Stoecker says first-time homeowners or remodel customers can be a bit intimated when they see all the products to select from, but she and the rest of the showroom staff will guide them along in the journey.
“We do a fair amount of showroom business now and we deal with a lot more homeowners than in the past,” Stoecker says. “It can be very overwhelming for them. There is an overwhelming amount of choices offered today. We break it down to individual rooms with each client to keep them focused.”
M. Cooper carries American Standard, Moen, Brizo, Delta, Jado and Maax plumbing lines among others. Since 2004, the company has been selling kitchen and bath cabinetry as well as countertops offering a complete remodel destination.
The company’s top brass is excited about the future of its showroom selling opportunities in Mokena. CEO Greg Goode says M. Cooper will look into a future showroom expansion if the business climate continues to improve.
“We are fortunate to have expansion capability on site to increase the showroom layout to more than 10,000 sq. ft., especially if we continue the explosive growth of this business segment,” Goode states. “It’s imperative M. Cooper maintain an agile stance to take advantage of a changing business environment.”
