Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly and Jerry Sinclair.
Kelly and Jerry, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Jerry and I bought Business Office Outfitters in 1990 and it was an office furniture and office supply company located in La Mesa California. Neither side of the company was making money at that time and with Office Depot and Staples moving into the area we decided to discontinue selling office supplies and focus solely on office furniture. We also added a whole second division to include selling used office furniture. In the first few years we were able to turn the company around to making it profitable. In 2015 we bought out one of our competitors, Office Furniture Outlet. Office Furniture Outlet, OFO sells the same type of office furniture but is selling it retail and e-commerce rather than contract as Businesses Office Outfitters, BOO does. In March of this year, 2017 we combined both companies into one 15,000 square-foot location located at 8807 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Gradually our companies are merging into one company that sells new used and refurbished office furniture on a retail level, through e-commerce and by contract. We also offer space planning and design along with delivery and installation of all our products
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With the changing trending of superstores selling office furniture, it made a big impact on the direction that we took our company in the beginning. Having owned the company nearly 30 years we have weathered three major recessions and have actually grown our business and expanded it to where we are today. The challenge that we face now is merging the two companies together with the different styles of selling office furniture as well as staff and systems each company has already had in play. Today we face challenges with the way office furniture is being sold via Amazon Wayfare and other major Internet companies Once again it is changed our strategy and how we are selling. We are going back to the basics and relying on our expertise and longevity of our staff in the industry as well as the service we provide to our customers. We also are working on creating a culture in our business to be one of the best places to work in San Diego.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Business Office Outfitters & Office Furniture Outlet – what should we know?
We are one of the oldest office furniture companies in San Diego. We offer new, used and refurbished office furniture to provide all areas of needs for office furniture to our customers. We also offer free space planning and design to maximize the office space for our customers and create the most efficient space possible. What we are most proud of in our company is the service that we provide for our customers. It is always our number one goal even though sometimes it costs us. In my never to be unbiased opinion I feel that Jerry is so well-connected in the office furniture community that it is amazing the solutions that through him we are able to come up with for our customers with whatever budget or time or space constraints that the customer may have. Our passion for helping and serving our customers and taking pride in the end solution has always been our driving force behind us. We love what we do and care about our customers and have developed such wonderful friendships with them throughout the years.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The character and integrity of who we are as a person and have carried throughout our entire company has been so important to us. There are a lot of things that you can do in our industry to get ahead but we prefer to do things the right way. We may not always win or come out on top but we always feel good at the end of the day about the decisions we make or the direction we have taken our company in. We could not have endured the tough times without relying on our faith and giving God all the glory. Jerry and I have different strengths and by recognizing that and using that to our advantage we are a great team together. We also have an amazing staff that carries out our core values. We call ourselves team BOO and team OFO with an attitude of “I’ve got your back”.
Contact Info:
- Address: Business Office Outfitters
Office Furniture Outlet
8807 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123 - Website: www.boofurniture.com and www.sdofficefurniture.com
- Phone: 858-751-2744 BOO 858-271-9700 OFO
- Email: kelly@boofurniture.com and jerry@boofurniture.com
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Irene Simon
December 16, 2017 at 12:44 am
Kelly and Jerry and very special friends to every one who knows them. They will go out of their way to help. They are also great marriage counselors. I’m thrilled they are doing well. They never brag and are down to earth people. As in the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling: The could walk with kings and even the common folk.