Kositchek's

Jack Rodzik

April 11, 2011

Kositchek’s

248-974-8926

rodzikja@msu.edu

WORD COUNT: 584

Fashion Retail Store Prevails Through the Down Economy

            LANSING, Mich. – David Kositchek, 58, owner of Kositchek’s specialty store in downtown Lansing, Mich., said he overcame the challenges brought on by the economic crisis by holding strong to the company’s key business beliefs. In late 2008, Kositchek’s went through a 20 percent sales decrease, but has since exceeded their annual goals.

            Kositchek’s is a high-end fashion men’s specialty store that caters to a more expensive shopper’s needs. David Kositchek, 58, has been involved with his family business since he was 12, practicing the same ideals three generations of his family have passed down. Kositchek said he believes in using the same business strategies that have worked for his store since it began in 1865.

            “I’m not the boss here,” Kositchek said. “I’m just a team member. The people that work here don’t work for me, they work with me.”

            Although the economy has impacted the success of many businesses, Kositchek’s has only experienced a decrease in sales of about 20 percent Kositchek said.

            “Being a smaller company we can maneuver, we can respond to trends,” Kositchek said.

            With the idea of keeping his company small, with a staff of about only 20 people, he said he was able to respond quickly and efficiently to any problems that were presented in late 2008, when the recession affected Kositchek’s business. “It only gets complicated if you grow fast,” Kositchek said, “We grow incrementally.”

            Small businesses have been impacted tremendously in the recession, not only in East Lansing, but also throughout the entire United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from March 2008 to March 2009 there is a 15 percent rate of closing private sector establishments for retail trade in Michigan and 17.5 in the United States, the highest it had been since March of 1998. Kositchek focuses on keeping his company up-to-date and addressing every situation continuously, as a routine business strategy.

            “No matter how long you’ve been in business you have to continue to innovate, you can’t stay stagnant, always creating newness and freshness,” Kositchek said.

            “We focus on quality, we focus on service, period,” Kositchek said.

            With these two concepts, Kositchek’s continued to succeed throughout the recession of the early millennium. Kositchek stated that he does not disclose any numbers regarding his private company, and that is the way it has always been.

            “People come here for the personal service,” said Matt McLeod, 51, an employee of Kositchek’s for 30 years. “They can’t believe people give you honest advice.”

            With maintaining successful business strategies, Kositchek’s sees many of the same customers coming through their doors, helping business grow while seeing evidence of customer loyalty.

            “If you focus on your passion and if I tell you that my passion is pleasing people and you focus on that and only that and keep your eye on the ball everything else falls into place,” Kositchek said.

            “I enjoy coming into work,” said Carl Dorman, 33, Kositchek’s newest employee in eight years, “I do displays so I get creative, making things look nice, of all of the customers you meet about 90 percent are super people”

            Kositchek’s is a store based on the customer, with keeping the idea of business based solely around the customer, the men’s specialty store in downtown Lansing is able to continue to prosper, even in the worst of times.

            “We’ve more than made it up, last year we made it up we started 25 percent

ahead of last year” Kositchek said.