New virtual store a reality, prepares to break ground
By BRENDA BROWN knhedit@kilgorenewsherald.com

A rendering of the new LawnStation store to be built north of Kilgore. The building will be 16,000 square feet.

A virtual store will become reality just north of Kilgore when a family trio breaks ground within the next couple of weeks on the first-ever LawnStation store.

The 16,000-square-foot building will be a $1 million investment for Doug Clark Sr. and his sons, Daniel and Doug.

The site includes 10 acres along Post Oak Road, just west of Hwys. 259/31 and south of I-20, near Mueller Inc.

The Clark brothers began their virtual business www.LawnStation.com in 1995 to sell outdoor power equipment including lawn mowers, tractors, chain saws, line trimmers, edgers and blowers — practically anything and everything to do with manicuring the great outdoors.

"The business started as an online sales organization for reconditioned Pouland equipment," explained Doug Sr. "It grew quite a bit and in early 2000, Daniel and Doug started looking at bringing other lines on."

Clark said manufacturers always asked, "Where's your store?" and some wouldn't consider doing business without one. The Clarks realized they must have a storefront so in 2005 they purchased Magneto Sales on Hwy. 42 from the Grayson Company.

They hope by March 2009 their giant store will be open with "room to drive around" for customers who want to testdrive tractors and power mowers and check out all the outdoor power equipment, which includes lawn mowers, tractors, chain saws, line trimmers and blowers from manufacturers including eXmark, Husqvarna, Echo, Shindaiwa and Cub Cadet.

LawnStation will sell and service all major brands of power equipment, Clark said.

For other lawn and garden needs, the new store will be filled with Handy Hardware products including fencing, shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows and prepackaged items such as mower blades, scissors and gloves — accessory items people need for yard and garden, Clark explained.

The company presently employs seven, including two mechanics. When LawnStation opens, the Clarks anticipate they will increase that number by 10 employees because their store hours will be extended.

They will keep their online store open, with hopes the Kilgore retail store will become the first of many.

While LawnStation/Magneto currently sells only outdoor power equipment, the Clarks plan to create a lawn and garden superstore.

"We intend to have anything you could imagine when it comes to the outdoors — wheelbarrows, yard art, bird feeders, bird houses, mulch, fountains, decorative landscape stones and what not —hence our slogan: 'We're serious about outdoors,'" Clark said.

He admits their forte is not living landscaping products but they are talking with nursery managers about subcontracting that aspect of the business.

"What I want to create is a scenario where, if a man tells his wife he's going to LawnStation to get new blades for his lawn mower, she wants to go because she's heard we have neat stuff," Clark said. "If you think about it, when you drive through a neighborhood, probably 70 percent of the people mowing grass are females."

Clark told the architect, Gordon Purves of Canada, they want their first store to "feel like a Target." By that, Clark means a store with a "calming mood."

"The architect said they do it with lighting and aisle placement," he explained. "We want it to be something relaxing, where people just want to wander around."

Purves, who Clark said is renowned for his work with hardware and outdoor power equipment dealers, will also color coordinate the interior for aesthetic appeal to shoppers, who may or may not realize all this hopefully puts them in the mood to buy.

And while quality products are certainly important, Clark says their primary focus will be customer service.

"We will be able to tell the consumer the difference between one brand versus the other," Clark said. "Our employees will know about our products and will be able to help them make the right decisions by supplying the knowledge customers need — whether that's high-wheel push mowers that sell for under $200 or high-end professional mowing equipment that retail for $14,000."

Clark Sr., formerly an economic development director in Tennessee as well as a longtime marketing and financial advisor, and his sons, who are also software gurus, has done his homework regarding the store and thinks the location will be advantageous. He likes the fact Kilgore is between Longview and Tyler, and placing it along the interstate with easy on-andoff access is also a plus.

"I did some checking on that area of the interstate and in 2006 it was estimated that 36,870 cars pass by there per day. So when you think about it, that's how many people will be exposed to the name Lawn- Station every day," Clark said.

The Clark brothers live in Shreveport, where the company's corporate headquarters is located, but Clark Sr. moved to Kilgore about two weeks ago and says he is pleased with everything he has seen thus far. He toured downtown last weekend during the holiday loft tour and says he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

"Everyone has a real vision for Kilgore — I was really impressed," he said. "Kilgore is on the move and people are real excited about the opportunities that are coming Kilgore's way."