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Schnell & Pestinger 50th Anniversary.....Part two....Up and Running

 

Schnell and Pestinger, Up and Running

 

By Terry Bailey

 


 

The year 1966 was filled with change and innovation both nationally and locally. The Batman and Star Trek TV shows made their premiers. The airwaves were filled with music from the Monkees, the Mamas and Papas and the Beach Boys. Pampers made their debuts for babies and the babes were wearing mini-skirts. Locally, work was progressing on the Glen Elder dam. Most importantly to our local folks, Jim Schnell and Gene Pestinger took a leap of faith and opened their new store downtown, Schnell and Pestinger. Fifty years later it is still there doing business as usual.

 

Jim Schnell, age 50 at the time, was the veteran businessman. Gene Pestinger, age 25, was the young guy with lots of knowledge about air conditioning but was brand new to the world of running a business.

 

Jim Schnell was one of the best businessmen I have ever known,” said Pestinger. “He wasn’t afraid to take a risk and try something new, but he was careful with the risks he took. And, he knew we couldn’t stand still and not move and change with the times. I learned a lot from Jim about running a business.”

 

The Schnell and Pestinger duo expanded their reach by establishing two laundromats in Beloit and one in Cawker City. Those were successful enterprises. At one time they had twenty-seven ice machines rented to businesses in Mitchell, Jewell and Lincoln Counties. Many businesses in the area rented walk-in refrigeration units from Schell and Pestinger.

 

Gretchen Reiter had been the bookkeeper for the Shea Firestone store. She remained with the new S&P business and that provided great stability in that department. Gretchen and Bernice Colby pointed out that there was no gift shops in Beloit and maybe the guys would like to start one up. So in 1966 S&P bought the Davis Paint Store next door to the north, knocked a hole in the wall and filled it with furniture and gift items with Bernice overseeing that part of the business. Gretchen was with the business until she retired at the age of 78.

 

In 1972, the GAMBLES store across the street went out of business. The S&P furniture business was doing well and expansion was on their minds. They took advantage of the big store close by and relocated the furniture business across the street to its current location.

 

In the early years, appliances and furniture were delivered by train. Merchandise in a freight car that would set on the siding for them to unload. They had 48 hours before the train would return and pick up the boxcar. Gene said, “There was just Jim and I to get the job done and we only had a small pickup to use. We went back and forth to that boxcar many times because we would often have over 70 boxes filled with washers, dryers, refrigerators, deep freezers and so on to move.” At that time all the inventory was stored in the basement of the original building. Eventually train service ended and all their inventory was delivered by truck.

 

We knew that service would be the make or break factor to a successful business. People want to know that when they need their appliance fixed, someone will be there to do the job right and to do it right away. That was something we stressed then and have stressed every one of our 50 years in business,” commented Pestinger.

 

Kris Koster had been the service guy for Shea’s and he stayed on as our service person. Joining Koster in the service department was Norman Eilert. Back then they charged $7.50 for a service call with an additional charge of $1.50 if they had to go to Glen Elder.

 

When asked “What was one thing he learned the first year of the business?” Pestinger chuckled and said. “I knew it would take a lot of time, but I didn’t expect it to take as much time as it did.”

 

The business was open six days a week from 8 o’clock in the morning to 5:30 in the afternoon and until 8 o’clock or later on Thursday nights. When the doors closed in the afternoon, much work still needed to be done on the business management end. In the earlier years, the business took care of all the locker plants and dairy farms in the area. Often times problems would occur after hours. With those businesses, repairs can’t wait until 8 o’clock the next morning. If a problem occurs at 2 o’clock in the middle of the night, someone has to go out and take care of it.

 

Back in the early years I am sure our wives wondered what we were doing leaving home early, coming home late, and often leaving in the middle of the night,” said Pestinger. ”No doubt, they were our biggest supporters and we never would have been successful without them.”

 


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Beloit, KS 67420, USA