At Bermann Electric, tradition shines on

The longtime owner of Bermann Electric has no interest in retiring.

STAFF REPORT

BOARDMAN — The local retail market has changed plenty in the past 60 years, but Ann Madej remains a constant. She’s been selling specialty lighting products for six decades at Bermann Electric, the business her father founded in 1930.

Since she started at the store as a girl, Ann has seen plenty of changes, such as the emergence of big-box stores and power buying. But Bermann Electric continues to survive by offering quality products and service.

At 72, she still runs the store with the help of her son, Michael, 50.

“Why would I retire?” she asked.

She said she enjoys the creativity of her job. She handles all of the buying for the store and also designs lighting plans for homes.

Her son said it’s the personal touch that has made the difference.

“Over the years, we have been able to retain our service, and that’s what makes us unique and different,” Michael said.

National retailers find lighting suppliers that will engineer products to meet certain price points, he said. Bermann, 452 Boardman-Poland Road, uses suppliers that engineer products to certain quality standards and then price them accordingly, he said.

“We have the respect of our customers,” he said.

Ann’s father, Nicholas Bermann, came to America from Germany in 1924. He couldn’t speak a word of English but brought with him an ethic of hard work.

When the store first opened on Youngstown’s East Side, merchandise differed from what customers find on the shelves today. Hot water tanks lined the walls as well as some lighting fixtures, which make up the majority of Bermann’s store today.

It was not always easy for Nicholas, especially during World War II, when he had to take a second job at Sharon Steel.

Although there was no material to use for wiring or making fixtures, Bermann’s always kept its doors open.

“You just have to learn to ride the wave,” Ann said.

That is what her father did, and that is what she and Michael have learned over the years. When Ann was growing up, she and her two siblings spent time in the shop making lamps out of whatever they could find.

By the time she was born, the store had moved to Market Street, where the store built much of its reputation. There were other developments there as well.

“I met my late husband at the store through a friend,” Ann said. Later, the two were married and Edward joined the Bermann business as manager of repairs.

Ann and Edward had seven children and ran the business, placing a lot on their plate. “Sports were my husband’s problem,” she said, “music lessons were mine.”

Bermann’s was always closed on Sundays, and that was a tradition Ann was not willing to render. “It’s just something you don’t do,” she said of working on Sunday.

Ann’s late brother, John Bermann, used to run the commercial side of the business, selling products for offices and light industrial factories, as well as outdoor lighting. Today, his son, Jack, handles that part of the business.

Like his mother, Michael spent a lot of time rummaging around the store and learning the tricks of the trade from his father while growing up.

“It’s funny,” he said, “sometimes I can’t remember to pick up my kid from school, but I’ll remember something I learned when I was 8 from going out on calls with my dad.”

The store moved to Boardman in 1993. When walking in the store today, a customer sees light fixtures of all shapes, sizes and material filling the showroom like a hanging garden. With more than 140 suppliers ranging from the United States to Czechoslovakia, Bermann’s offers an array of products not found on the shelves of their larger competitors.

Besides its local customers, Bermann draws orders from as far as Alaska and the Virgin Islands.

Outside of the store, Ann puts her art degree from Youngstown State University to good use by working with the seventh- and eighth-graders at Holy Family School in Poland. She also still creates and sells her contemporary art.

And when the community calls for donations, Bermann’s is there to answer, donating to auctions, Habitat for Humanity and local families.

“My mother is probably one of the most selfless, gracious people in the industry,” her son said. “She has helped thousands in the area decorate their homes.”

And according to Ann, she will continue to do it every day.