Dazey’s Supply in California’s Humboldt County takes a very open-minded approach to growth. Their bold and, at times, unorthodox approach has allowed them to grow into a business with six West Coast locations—and now a seventh in the heart of the Midwest in Bluffton, Indiana. This seemingly unconventional growth strategy has led some to question their approach—but to the Dazey’s Supply team, every step moves them toward their established goal.
When you're ready to achieve your dreams,
Do it Best is ready to get you there.
Partner With Us
Going After Growth
Dazey’s Supply in California’s Humboldt County takes a very open-minded approach to growth. Their bold and, at times, unorthodox approach has allowed them to grow into a business with six West Coast locations—and now a seventh in the heart of the Midwest in Bluffton, Indiana. This seemingly unconventional growth strategy has led some to question their approach—but to the Dazey’s Supply team, every step moves them toward their established goal.
“Our history has led some people to say that we don’t take ourselves seriously, but nothing could be further from the truth,” says Darren Tomasini, their president and CEO. “We’re here to grow a major home center business, and we’re leveraging our partnership with Do it Best to achieve it.”
The Dazey’s Supply story began in 1974, when recent Stanford University grad Steven Dazey noticed that San Francisco’s counterculture revolution was migrating into Humboldt County, bringing young residents with a need for affordable lumber and building supplies.
Steven began milling lumber and selling refurbished windows, and he soon had a thriving business. His customers often came to him with requests for assortments of organic soils and pesticides, along with chicken manure by the truckload.
He quickly realized that many of these valued customers had started organic businesses of their own, sparked by a new buying trend on campuses and communes up and down the coast. Always the entrepreneur, Steven strengthened his assortments to carry the harder-to-find, premium gardening tools and supplies his pro gardeners wanted.
Dazey’s Supply was soon positioned as a leading, knowledgeable supplier for entrepreneurs throughout the region.
The wave of new sales propelled the business forward. Dazey’s Supply added one more location and partnered with another buying group. However, they found it wasn’t a good fit for their long-term growth.
Going After Growth
Dazey’s Supply in California’s Humboldt County takes a very open-minded approach to growth. Their bold and, at times, unorthodox approach has allowed them to grow into a business with six West Coast locations—and now a seventh in the heart of the Midwest in Bluffton, Indiana. This seemingly unconventional growth strategy has led some to question their approach—but to the Dazey’s Supply team, every step moves them toward their established goal.
“Our history has led some people to say that we don’t take ourselves seriously, but nothing could be further from the truth,” says Darren Tomasini, their president and CEO. “We’re here to grow a major home center business, and we’re leveraging our partnership with Do it Best to achieve it.”
The Dazey’s Supply story began in 1974, when recent Stanford University grad Steven Dazey noticed that San Francisco’s counterculture revolution was migrating into Humboldt County, bringing young residents with a need for affordable lumber and building supplies.
Steven began milling lumber and selling refurbished windows, and he soon had a thriving business. His customers often came to him with requests for assortments of organic soils and pesticides, along with chicken manure by the truckload.
He quickly realized that many of these valued customers had started organic businesses of their own, sparked by a new buying trend on campuses and communes up and down the coast. Always the entrepreneur, Steven strengthened his assortments to carry the harder-to-find, premium gardening tools and supplies his pro gardeners wanted.
Dazey’s Supply was soon positioned as a leading, knowledgeable supplier for entrepreneurs throughout the region.
The wave of new sales propelled the business forward. Dazey’s Supply added one more location and partnered with another buying group. However, they found it wasn’t a good fit for their long-term growth.
“As a company focused on continued growth, we felt that the right thing to do was to establish an employee stock ownership plan,” remembers Darren. “However, our distributor at the time didn’t support our decision.” Regardless, to protect everyone’s best interests, Steven Dazey sold 100% of his company to the employees in September 2016.
In fact, almost overnight, they slashed Dazey’s Supply’s credit limit from $4 million down to just $25,000. While he’d been considering his options for a while, that was the moment that spurred Darren to make the call to Do it Best.
“I had worked with Do it Best in a previous job, and I knew we could count on them,” says Darren. “They understood what we were doing and immediately restored our credit.”
As a Do it Best member, Dazey’s Supply has found a supportive, growth-minded partner, as well as connections with other goal-oriented entrepreneurs who are always ready to help.
“I’ve met a number of folks at Do it Best, who take my calls and help me work through a situation to find a solution that works for us,” says Darren. “I’ve had experience with other distributors, and the team at Do it Best is by far the easiest to work with and the most supportive—it’s not even close.”
Dazey’s Supply continued to grow, eventually adding four more locations in Northern California and Southern Oregon. Inspired by these successes, Dazey’s Supply is looking to duplicate their proven growth strategy and establish footholds in other markets. While up to now, their focus was on growing in their home region, they are beginning to expand their scope for sustained growth.
“Once a new location works out, we search within a 100-mile radius for two or three more locations so they can feed off of each other,” says Darren. “And as we grow, we want to establish clusters all across the country and build a network of stores nationwide.”
The opportunity came when their Do it Best Territory Sales Manager Jeff Malmon reached out to the sales team, explaining that Dazey’s Supply was looking for acquisition opportunities—anywhere in the US. In just a few days, Territory Sales Manager Rick Kramer informed Jeff that he had a member in Indiana who was looking to sell his business.
“As a company focused on continued growth, we felt that the right thing to do was to establish an employee stock ownership plan,” remembers Darren. “However, our distributor at the time didn’t support our decision.” Regardless, to protect everyone’s best interests, Steven Dazey sold 100% of his company to the employees in September 2016.
In fact, almost overnight, they slashed Dazey’s Supply’s credit limit from $4 million down to just $25,000. While he’d been considering his options for a while, that was the moment that spurred Darren to make the call to Do it Best.
“I had worked with Do it Best in a previous job, and I knew we could count on them,” says Darren. “They understood what we were doing and immediately restored our credit.”
As a Do it Best member, Dazey’s Supply has found a supportive, growth-minded partner, as well as connections with other goal-oriented entrepreneurs who are always ready to help.
“I’ve met a number of folks at Do it Best, who take my calls and help me work through a situation to find a solution that works for us,” says Darren. “I’ve had experience with other distributors, and the team at Do it Best is by far the easiest to work with and the most supportive—it’s not even close.”
Dazey’s Supply continued to grow, eventually adding four more locations in Northern California and Southern Oregon. Inspired by these successes, Dazey’s Supply is looking to duplicate their proven growth strategy and establish footholds in other markets. While up to now, their focus was on growing in their home region, they are beginning to expand their scope for sustained growth.
“Once a new location works out, we search within a 100-mile radius for two or three more locations so they can feed off of each other,” says Darren. “And as we grow, we want to establish clusters all across the country and build a network of stores nationwide.”
The opportunity came when their Do it Best Territory Sales Manager Jeff Malmon reached out to the sales team, explaining that Dazey’s Supply was looking for acquisition opportunities—anywhere in the US. In just a few days, Territory Sales Manager Rick Kramer informed Jeff that he had a member in Indiana who was looking to sell his business.
Darren jumped in with his own research and found many things he immediately liked about the location. The Bluffton community was growing rapidly and also had untapped potential in nearby Ohio markets. The store was located on a major road, but it was the neighbors that excited Darren the most.
“The store is located next to a Lowe’s and a Walmart SuperCenter—I love that,” says Darren. “Those are major companies, and they don’t put in a store unless they know their parking lots are going to be full. All I have to do is get those customers to choose to come to my store instead.”
Darren confidently shared his strategy to attract customers with Do it Best and the two teams went to work, transforming the 40-year-old local business inside and out.
“We gutted the store, ripped out the floors, electrical, and fixtures,” says Darren. “I chose to go with Do it Best’s new store design because it gave me the clean, modern look I was going for without having to start from scratch. It also takes the smallest detail into account, even down to the peg hooks. Those often overlooked details are critical—customers notice how much effort you’re putting in.”
“The whole idea is to enhance the shopping experience,” adds Rick. “We helped Darren build a store where customers want to grab a cart and actually shop, rather than just dash in for a lightbulb or plumbing repair part.”
With the store design underway, Darren looked to Do it Best for a market survey that determined the mix of products customers in Bluffton were looking for, and what departments they expected to see in the refreshed store. The results gave Darren the insights he needed to completely rethink the categories he’d be offering in his Indiana store. He leaned heavily on the Retail Performance program to strategically build assortments he knew would perform well in his market.
“We’re not a franchise, we’re a partner,” says Rick. “It’s a collaborative process with each member to find the assortments that are the best fit, with the products that make the most sense to drive more sales.”
Darren jumped in with his own research and found many things he immediately liked about the location. The Bluffton community was growing rapidly and also had untapped potential in nearby Ohio markets. The store was located on a major road, but it was the neighbors that excited Darren the most.
“The store is located next to a Lowe’s and a Walmart SuperCenter—I love that,” says Darren. “Those are major companies, and they don’t put in a store unless they know their parking lots are going to be full. All I have to do is get those customers to choose to come to my store instead.”
Darren confidently shared his strategy to attract customers with Do it Best and the two teams went to work, transforming the 40-year-old local business inside and out.
“We gutted the store, ripped out the floors, electrical, and fixtures,” says Darren. “I chose to go with Do it Best’s new store design because it gave me the clean, modern look I was going for without having to start from scratch. It also takes the smallest detail into account, even down to the peg hooks. Those often overlooked details are critical—customers notice how much effort you’re putting in.”
“The whole idea is to enhance the shopping experience,” adds Rick. “We helped Darren build a store where customers want to grab a cart and actually shop, rather than just dash in for a lightbulb or plumbing repair part.”
With the store design underway, Darren looked to Do it Best for a market survey that determined the mix of products customers in Bluffton were looking for, and what departments they expected to see in the refreshed store. The results gave Darren the insights he needed to completely rethink the categories he’d be offering in his Indiana store. He leaned heavily on the Retail Performance program to strategically build assortments he knew would perform well in his market.
“We’re not a franchise, we’re a partner,” says Rick. “It’s a collaborative process with each member to find the assortments that are the best fit, with the products that make the most sense to drive more sales.”
After reopening in March, Darren’s strategic plan included an aggressive direct mail campaign, targeting local customers with a very generous series of offers. The first was a direct mailer which included a certificate worth $25 off their purchase.
“Honestly, I don’t care if they come in and buy $25 worth of candy and leave. I just want them to experience the store,” says Darren.
Another mailer followed announcing the grand opening, which included another $25 certificate, as well as a $50 certificate on opening day. But they didn’t stop there. Dazey’s celebrated with a live band, a complimentary local barbecue food truck, a kid’s zone, and a series of giveaways, including a trip to Hawaii, a Weber grill, and a Traeger smoker, to name a few.
“So that’s $100 of free money—it gets people in the door and it works every time we do it,” says Darr en. The event drew thousands of attendees. “Our customers used Lowe’s parking lot to come to our event!” he chuckled.
Since then, sales are up 300% in one year, customer count has increased 1,200%, the average ticket is up $22.68, and more than 1,000 customers have signed up for the Best Rewards program. “It was worth every penny, and our team has a great sense of pride in their efforts and accomplishments,” remarks Darren.
Dazey’s Supply’s bold growth strategy is winning in their West Coast markets and now has them targeting other growth opportunities across the country. Darren is confident they have the winning formula.
“When we can choose markets that fit our model, we’ll succeed,” says Darren. “And with a partner like Do it Best, we’ll succeed every time.”
After reopening in March, Darren’s strategic plan included an aggressive direct mail campaign, targeting local customers with a very generous series of offers. The first was a direct mailer which included a certificate worth $25 off their purchase.
“Honestly, I don’t care if they come in and buy $25 worth of candy and leave. I just want them to experience the store,” says Darren.
Another mailer followed announcing the grand opening, which included another $25 certificate, as well as a $50 certificate on opening day. But they didn’t stop there. Dazey’s celebrated with a live band, a complimentary local barbecue food truck, a kid’s zone, and a series of giveaways, including a trip to Hawaii, a Weber grill, and a Traeger smoker, to name a few.
“So that’s $100 of free money—it gets people in the door and it works every time we do it,” says Darr en. The event drew thousands of attendees. “Our customers used Lowe’s parking lot to come to our event!” he chuckled.
Since then, sales are up 300% in one year, customer count has increased 1,200%, the average ticket is up $22.68, and more than 1,000 customers have signed up for the Best Rewards program. “It was worth every penny, and our team has a great sense of pride in their efforts and accomplishments,” remarks Darren.
Dazey’s Supply’s bold growth strategy is winning in their West Coast markets and now has them targeting other growth opportunities across the country. Darren is confident they have the winning formula.
“When we can choose markets that fit our model, we’ll succeed,” says Darren. “And with a partner like Do it Best, we’ll succeed every time.”
