MORAN — Call it living out their dream, finding a small business to run in their retirement.
Call it fortuitous timing. John and Karen Brown had been hoping to move to the Moran area, and through an offhand conversation with Dewey Stotler, who owned a thrift store along U.S. 59 in downtown Moran, the Browns learned Stotler was looking to sell.
Karen calls it something else.
“A stroke of lunacy,” she said with a hearty laugh.
The Browns acquired the former Walt’s Mart store in downtown Moran in October, as well as all of the merchandise, and a storage building across the street.
In its place is Trader John’s Thrift Shop and Emporium, which the Browns hope to integrate fully into the community.
“I really, in my heart, think this was meant to be,” John said. “How could it work out any better? We’ve got a business here. We’ve got a house, and we’ve got inventory.
“Boy, do we have inventory.”
Since taking over in October, the Browns have spent pretty much every minute going through the volumes of merchandise Stotler sold with the business — three buildings’ worth.
“We’re going through boxes that haven’t been opened for a while,” John said.
The Browns have ambitious plans.
After they sort through every item in their inventory — cleaning and repairing what they can; tossing the rest — the Browns will look at several structural improvements to their building at 235 N. Cedar St.
A new tin roof is at the top of their to-do list, with added windows to the storefront, and a top-to-bottom reconfiguring of the store room close behind. They’ll eventually open up an adjoining storage room next door to the south, where John plans to display furniture and appliances.
But first, comes the cleaning. Lots of cleaning.
“There’s a lot to do,” Karen said, acknowledging that some of their more ambitious plans, such as adding a coffee bar, and converting the storage building across the street into a second retail outlet for such things as essential oils, must be put on hold for a while.
“This is going to take us a while,” John added. “Right now, we just can’t wait to get everything organized.”
They’re working feverishly to scrub down most of the main store rooms interior prior to an open house celebration Saturday.
The open house coincides with Moran’s annual downtown Christmas parade.
Karen will serve up fresh popcorn, courtesy of a newly acquired popcorn machine, and provide cups of fresh apple cider.
Now that the front corner of the store room has been cleaned, Karen will set up a Christmas display to greet the customers.
“We’re looking forward to being a part of the community,” she said.
MAKING THEIR way to Moran had been the Browns’ dream for some time.
Daughter Mindy Dunn already lived in the area, “and whenever we came to visit, we’d never want to leave,” Karen said.
Their opportunity came after both retired as nurses from the Hutchinson Correctional Facility; Karen in March 2015, John this May.
Shortly after retirement, the Browns were once again in Moran to pay a visit to Mindy, helping her get situated in a new house.
“I stopped in and talked with Dewey,” he recalled. “I told him, ‘You need to talk to me about selling this place. I think I’d like to do this.’”
The comment was made half in jest, he admitted.
Alas, Stotler had already been thinking about retiring himself.
“This was the second or third time he’d ‘retired,’” John said. “He shot us a price, and it was reasonable.”
The deal included all of Stotler’s merchandise.
Even better, the Browns closed soon thereafter on a home on Elm Street.
“I was ready to build a home, but Karen found this place,” John said.
“I love how spacious the yards are, and how quiet it is,” Karen said. “It’s almost like you’re living in the country.”
THEIR DREAM is to become a go-to place for folks in need of gift or household items.
“Our niche is for working class people who want decent, nice things at an affordable price,” she said.
“We’re going to keep it thrifty, but we’re not going to be a junk store,” John added. “We are going to sell only clean and workable items. I’m going to look at every single item and ask if it’s something I’d want in my home. If the answer is no, we’re getting rid of it.
“Both my wife and I are tinkerers,” he continued. “We’ll fix what we can.”
But the Browns also share another trait.
“I think we’re both OCD,” John laughed. The acronym stands for obsessive compulsive disorder. “We can’t wait to get this place organized. What we want is a place where you can walk all the way through every aisle and not pray that you don’t bump into something.”
The response from the community has been encouraging.
If all goes as planned, and Trader John’s becomes a thriving part of the business community, the Browns figure they’ll eventually hand over the business to their daughter, who has been working alongside her parents to help them get the store off the ground.
“We don’t know how long we’ll go,” John said, before real retirement beckons. “We knew we wanted to run our own business after we retired. We think this is something that will be successful for us and the community.”
“And if you don’t see something you need here, just ask,” Karen added. “It may be hidden, or we can help you try to find it.”
The Browns have another local tie.
In addition to daughter Mindy, Karen’s sister and brother-in-law are Moran residents Kathy and Mike McEwan.
Trader John’s is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (they may be away for lunch occasionally) on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The business is closed on Sundays and Tuesdays.
