Small Business Highlight: West Rome Trading Company
This week we had the opportunity to interview Lamar Renfroe, the owner of the West Rome Trading Company. We began working with Lamar this Fall as he began advertising on our West Rome billboard. We've enjoyed learning more about Lamar's business and hope you do as well.
What made you choose this type of business?
I came back to this line of work after a back injury in the truck driving industry. I had prepared to start an auction company in the future by purchasing a lot of inventory along the years so a store just seemed to be a fit for me and my goals in life.
What products does your sell?
I trade in just about any kind of merchandise. Mainly I buy gold and silver, coins, Magic the Gathering cards, electronic games and almost anything that’s new in box that I can post to eBay. We offer a great place to come a look for items that spark an interest. You can shop, visit, and possibly find that one item that you’ve been searching for.
How do you advertise your business?
Of course we have the billboard and are sponsoring several of the local high school sports teams in Floyd county. We have been on the internet with a landing page to basically give our contact information to the public so they can come in to see what we have.
What is unique about your business?
The main thing is the kind of products we offer. There is no place I know of that has the variety or quantity I have in stock. Also, we have a great presence on eBay where we post consigned items as well as our own.
To what do you attribute your success?
The good Lord and the support of this community. Without people coming in to make purchases we wouldn’t be able to survive.
If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out in small business, what would it be?
My best advice is to make calculated movements concerning risks. Risks are natural, and failure is possible. But if there is no risk, there can be no reward. The first step is usually the hardest, so if you are having a hard time getting started, you should set a deadline and stick to it.