Power Equipment Store Ends 60-Year Run

J.P. Fuller Survived Recession, But Couldn't Find a Buyer

By MARC SHAPIRO Staff Writer

The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

J.P. Fuller opened its doors when chain saws weighed nearly 100 pounds and had to be moved and operated by two people.

Over the 60 years the business flourished, it earned a reputation for top-notch customer service and repairs and the ability to track down any oddball part for the outdoor power equipment it sold. But in that same 60 years, the two sons and one daughter of original owner Jean "J.P." Fuller have aged into their 70s, which is why they decided to close the doors on South Crain Highway at the end of last month.

"We're worn out," Ray Fuller, 74, said. "If we were younger and healthy we wouldn't even think about it."

The Pasadena resident said he and his siblings, partners in the business, intended to sell so the community wouldn't lose the store. But they couldn't find a buyer.

Without new owners to pass the business to, the store is liquidating its almost million-dollar inventory, including chain saws, lawn mowers, weed eaters, trimmers and an extensive collection of parts. About $400,000 in parts and $500,000 in equipment are being sent back to manufacturers at a percentage of the original cost.

"Because of age and not being able to sell the place, liquidating was the way out of it," Ray said. "No family members wanted to follow us into it; they're doing great on their own."

J.P. Fuller averaged $2.8 million in sales for the past 10 years - not bad considering the store is within spitting distance of Home Depot and Lowe's. The Fullers did not close because of the economic downturn, but because of the lack of a buyer.

Daraius Irani, director of applied economics for the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson University, said this is a hurdle a lot of small businesses are facing lately.

The business is "just a victim of the timing," he said. "Anybody selling prior to the recession or after the recession will probably be able to make a go of it."

In better days, J.P. Fuller operated a distribution center in Millersville in addition to the Glen Burnie store, employing about 50 people and doing more than $12 million a year in sales.

That was quite a departure from the store's humble beginnings in 1949. J.P. Fuller rented a vacant Amoco gas station with two pumps and a dirt parking area to open a chain saw shop. These were large thousand-dollar machines that only loggers, pulpwood cutters, tree surgeons and clearing contractors used.

"It's not unusual to sell a couple of chain saws in a day," said Isla Merchant, better known as Skip, who started keeping books for her father when she was 19. "Back then, if you sold one you had a pretty good income."

J.P. passed away in 1963, but the business continued and expanded in the hands of his children Ray, Skip and Ronnie. As chain saws shrank and became more common, the shop added trimmers, lawn tractors, lawn mowers and generators.

When the distribution division, which started in 1957, was sold in 2004, the Fullers knew it was time to think about retiring. They said that it took them five years to get serious about getting out of the business and was the hardest decision they ever made.

"People ask where they can go and I don't know what to tell them," Skip, a Crownsville resident, said. "Here, we did it all and people trusted that."

McArthur Macey of Severna Park first came to J.P. Fuller when he was 16 to get a chain saw for land clearing. The 50-year customer followed his father as a regular of the business. He was heartbroken when he heard it was closing.

"They took care of me over the years; they're like family," he said. "They serviced what they sold. That was the best thing about it."

Ronnie Fuller of Glen Burnie has fond memories of keeping the showroom spotless and changing things around to keep the store looking fresh.

"I probably spent more time here than I did at home," he said.

While he'll miss all the customers he became friends with over the years, one in particular will keep his mind at ease in retirement. Ronnie, whose wife died six years ago, became close with a female customer who came in one day to get a lawn mower serviced. Although he'll be leaving the business, as Skip and Ray spend more time with family, Ronnie will enjoy life with his girlfriend.

"I'll have a lot more time to spend with her," he said. "It's a happy ending."

Posted August 31, 2009

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