Retail business builds on strengths

A local retailer is looking to license its concept to operators in other states.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
BOARDMAN -- Tragedy wasn't the only thing that struck when a truck went left of center in 1977 and crashed into a car driven by 17-year-old John Straub.
So did opportunity.
After six months in the hospital, the Campbell teenager set about creating a homemade gym to strengthen his once-shattered legs.
That determination and interest in fitness gave birth to Muscle Connection, a retailer of fitness equipment that Straub started in the basement of his parents' home.
With the same determination he used to recover from his injuries, Straub has built Muscle Connection into a well-known local retailer. The Boardman-based business, which provides exercise equipment to area residents, high schools, colleges and hospitals, recently opened its second store in the area.
The store at 3828 Elm Road in Howland is designed to provide easier access for Muscle Connections' customers in Trumbull County as well as Ashtabula and the Cleveland suburbs.
Straub has even bigger plans, however.
He is working on deals with customers who want to license the Muscle Connection name and business strategy to open stores in areas such as Florida, Arizona, Texas and Tennessee. The first of these stores could be open this spring.
Personal mission
Building a multistate retail operation was hardly on Straub's mind, however, when he arrived home from the hospital in 1977 having to use a wheelchair to get around. He just wanted to be able to walk again.
His father, Conrad, installed some ramps, widened the doors and asked what else his son needed.
Some weights to build up his legs, the teen replied.
When they couldn't find any leg machines they liked, the Steelworker and his son decided to build one. The young Straub insisted that it have pins that would stop the machine in different places, allowing him to progress as the strength and range of motion in his legs improved.
They liked what they came up with and continued building. In six months, they had built a 12-piece gym for the basement.
"I'd be out in the garage, cutting and shaping the pieces when I was on my crutches," Straub said.
Soon, he was strong enough to walk, and he found a job with a local tool-and die-maker. Friends found out about his homemade equipment, and so he started making equipment for them for free.
Spotted an opportunity
In 1984, he attended a trade show in Chicago and was impressed with the variety of exercise equipment and accessories, such as belts, gloves and benches, that were available.
His mind started turning. He wasn't aware of any local stores offering the quality merchandise he saw, so why couldn't he do it?
He borrowed 5,000, bought some equipment and started selling it from the basement during the evening.
His timing was excellent.
The 1980s saw an explosion of studies that demonstrated the importance of exercise to physical well-being. Also, manufacturers were jumping on the trend and introducing new types of exercise machines that provided better workouts with increased safety.
His young business did so well that he quickly moved his store out of the basement to a storefront on Market Street in Youngstown.
In 1986, he faced a decision. The landlord was asking him to leave because he had another tenant. Straub thought of moving to a larger location in the suburbs but knew this would require him to quit his job at the tool-and-die shop so he could focus on his business.
Wife's encouragement
His wife, Ruth, told him to go for it.
"She said, 'This is something you really enjoy -- helping other people. You will get much more of a feeling of accomplishment with the store than the other job,'" he said.
Straub noted that not all of his customers are buying equipment for fitness or to look better. Some are trying to rehabilitate after an injury or illness.
Either way, helping them find the right equipment to accomplish their needs is gratifying, he said.
"My wife was absolutely right," he said.
After he moved his store to Boardman-Canfield Road near Tippecanoe Road in Boardman, Straub found that his volume of customers increased.
"There were a lot of people who wanted these things in their home but didn't know where to buy them," he said.
His sales grew by 12 percent to 15 percent a year, and soon he didn't have enough room at that location. He moved to the Shops at Boardman Park in 1994 and then to 1240 Boardman-Poland Road near Value City in 2001.
Open to new ideas
One key to the growth has been staying innovative, he said.
He said he is constantly talking to vendors about new ideas, and he sits on advisory boards for manufacturers.
"You have to listen. Who's to say the next treadmill or elliptical isn't out there somewhere. We don't know until we see it," he said.
The other key to the company's success is helping customers find what they need, he said.
"If we ask the right questions, we'll get them the right product," he said.
Muscle Connection has eight employees at its two stores and generates between 1.5 million and 2 million a year in sales from its consumer equipment.
Sales from its commercial work varies, Straub said. In the past, it has installed equipment at St. Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown State University and many area high schools and colleges.
As for himself, Straub continues the workout habits that he started when he was rehabbing from his accident nearly 30 years ago. Straub, who now lives in Poland, uses exercise equipment for cardiovascular workouts five days a week and weight training four days a week.
shilling@vindy.com