MOKENA, ILL. — David and Evie
Wexler, co-owners of Chicagoland’s The
Little Guys, turned a bad hand dealt by
their landlord into a royal flush.
After 15 years in its Glenwood, Ill.,
showroom, the A/V specialty and wholehome
control company picked up stakes
last month and moved to a new and improved
location in nearby Mokena.
While the better than 10,000-squarefoot
showroom is slightly smaller than its
predecessor, the new digs are homier and
less warehouse-like, David Wexler told
TWICE.
What’s more, the site, located near a
major growth hub along a recently completed
section of I-355, puts the business
closer to 70 percent of its customers while
adding only minutes of drive time for the
other 30 percent.
Like the Glenwood store, the new location
features dedicated theater rooms,
six lifestyle areas, and large componentswitching
and two-channel soundrooms.
But in place of the prototypical wholehouse
vignette, the Wexlers installed a
boardroom-like design center where customers
can see a full selection of control
and lighting systems.
Other additions include a Sony Zone
featuring the manufacturers’ TVs and
top-of-the-line ES audio series, improved
sound throughout the store, and a new
Web site that’s set to launch soon.
Also new is the name. The Wexlers
felt The Little Guys’ “Home Electronics”
tagline was dated, and amended it
to “Home Technology” to better reflect
their expertise in total home control.
“It’s a smarter play,” said Wexler, who
is a longtime member of the Home Technology
Specialists of America (HTSA)
buying group.
What hasn’t changed is the company’s
regional reputation as trusted experts.
“It’s not even about making a sale,”
he noted. “It’s about answering questions
and making people happy, and then maybe
they’ll come back.”
Also drawing crowds is David Wexler’s
local radio show, which airs each Sunday.
The broadcast “opened us up to a whole
new audience and was a real lifesaver during
the down economy,” he said.
Wexler added that his sales team is
energized by the new showroom, which
had a soft opening last month. “Everything
is exciting, new and fresh,” he said.
A formal grand opening, replete with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony officiated by
Mokena’s mayor, is planned for later this
month.
