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Photograph by Douglas Rider
Rose Montevaldo, assistant manager at the Cupertino McWhorter's store organizes shelving dividers as they rearrange the store to be reopened as McWhorter and Young at the end of August.
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McWhorter's store back from the dead
Retailer purchased and operated by its former employees
By KEVIN FAYLE
Look out Lazarus, the McWhorter's brand just underwent a monumental resurrection to rival your own.
The name looked like it would vanish from Northern California after the McWhorter's corporation announced in June that it would close its doors, but a group of partners made up of former McWhorter's employees has purchased the store at the corner of Stevens Creek and De Anza boulevards. In a separate deal, Ideal Stationers of San Rafael bought 10 stores, which will keep the name alive.
The partners have renamed that store McWhorter and Young, after the chain's founders. They won't just change the name, either, according to co-owner Dave Hawser. The partners have plans to expand the selection of merchandise, while maintaining the level of service and focus of the old McWhorter's store.
The store will continue to focus on office and school supplies, gifts and stationery. Hawser said the organization will cater to small businesses and the individual customer, but they hope to grow to serve larger businesses as well.
The new store will have its "soft" opening on Aug. 27, just in time for the back to school shopping frenzy. Then, on Sept. 29, it will hold its grand opening celebration, complete with local food, clowns and special discounts. The store will send out a mailer to around 25,000 households once management finishes plans for the event.
The owners of McWhorter and Young worked in the old McWhorter's organization for years, and the staff will consist of employees from the old McWhorter's store. The total staff will stand at approximately 30 to begin with. Hawser said so many former employees asked to come to the new store to work that they had to refer them to the Ideal Stationers McWhorter's stores in other cities.
"It's very heartwarming that so many people want to work for us," Hawser said.
Photograph by Douglas Rider
Jason Osbual takes shelves apart at the recently closed McWhorter's so that the store can be reorganized in preparation for its reopening at the end of the month as McWhorter and Young.
The company formed by Hawser and his partner Steve Carothers owns only one store, but Hawser said "long-term plans call for more locations." McWhorter and Young represents the partners' first entrepreneurial endeavor, although they did offer to buy the entire McWhorter's chain at first. They rescinded the offer after finding problems with the company's projections, however. "As it turns out, we were right," said Hawser.
McWhorter's closed down after its parent company US Office Products declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The partners bought the lease for the store, as well as all the original store's fixtures, at a bankruptcy auction.
The new Cupertino store reached an arrangement with Ideal Stationers over use of the McWhorter's name. In order to avoid a bidding war for the brand, the parties agreed to let Ideal Stationers use the original McWhorter's name, with the Cupertino store using "McWhorter and Young."
Hawser said the two groups would work together on purchasing and promotion to avoid stepping on each other's toes. Hawser thinks the two operations will remain "friendly competitors," he said.
The store will also join the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce, which the old McWhorter's had bowed out of. Hawser said he also wants to become involved with the Cupertino Rotary and Kiwanis clubs to foster a good relationship with the community.
According to Hawser, it really comes down to customer satisfaction. He believes the store will offer customers products and services. The new store has already established itself as a Hallmark retailer, and Hawser says the buyers in the gift department have been given free rein to explore new ideas.
The store has also entered into negotiation with the U.S. Postal Service to reopen the postal station there, which Hawser says has progressed very well so far. "They seem enthusiastic," he said.
Hawser said everything has gone according to plan, and the store will open its doors on time. "So far, we're right on schedule," he said.
Hawser added that the response from the community has been very positive, and the store will do all it can to keep it that way.
"We're confident that customers will have a very nice shopping experience," he said.
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
