14 seo
15
as
business & professional
Cutting Costs On Disposables
FUNNY &FIERCE
0"- FiER
DESERT
CITIES
By JON ROBIN BAITZ
OCT
31
-
NOV
16
Tkts: $18 -
Festive pre-glow
on opening night
$22 ea
Rated M (mature)
BEHIND THE
EMERALD
An exclusive
behi t n d-thesrnes f
in g o al
the smashh musical
look a
mak
Nov 20, '14, 7 pm
NEVERENDING
STORY Dec 11 — 14, '14
PETER PAN D ec 1pm2 p1 r,e '24w
SILENT MOVIE
JEKYLL & HYDE Jan 9 -
THE MUSICAL Feb 1,'15
SPRING
Feb 13 -
AWAKENING Mar 1, '15
for youth
2 pm show
Tkts $6 ea
thrilling!
electrifying musical
NEIL SIMON'S
RUMORS
NEXT TO
NORMAL
hilarious farce
Mar 13 — 29, '15
powerful musical
ELTON JOHN & TIM RICE'S
AIDA
Apr 17 —
May 3, '15
melodious
musical score
May 22 —Jun 7, '15
THE BALDWIN THEATRE • ROYAL OAK, MI
415 S Lafayette Ave Royal Oak 48067
All seats reserved I Visa / MC accepted
Sorry, no refunds or exchanges on individual tickets
Tickets at 248-541-6430 or online at
STAGECRAFTERS.ORG
50
October 16 • 2014
Entrepreneur grows business with Hebrew Free Loan help.
I
Josh El'Chonen
Special to the Jewish News
W
hat began in an apartment
building basement as a way
to make extra money has
ballooned into a paper goods business
that's grown 25 percent every year for
Nick "Nachy" Soloff of Southfield.
Soloff grew up in Monsey, N.Y. After
high school, he started working part-
time for Fabulous Paper, a distributor
of disposables located on the East
Coast.
"It was my first experience working
and I learned a lot:' Soloff said. "They
were headquartered in Brooklyn and I
worked there for a number of years:'
After he married Nechama
Zimmerman of Southfield and moved
to Brooklyn, he joined a rabbinical
seminary called Chaim Berlin. He
was then hired to work full-time for
a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector
(QEWI) in New York City as an appren-
tice. In the city, any building that is six
stories must have its facade inspected
every five years. The inspection is done
by a QEWI, who is either a licensed
architect or engineer, to ensure they are
structurally sound.
"I love mechanics. I tweak my own
cars and house appliances just for fun.
I like how the workings of so many
micro-components come together for
one purpose Soloff said.
At that time, Soloff decided to pur-
sue a degree in mechanical engineer-
ing. He moved with his wife and child
to Oak Park in the fall of 2007.
"My wife and I looked at several out-
of-town communities and decided on
Detroit:' Soloff said. "I wanted a place
that wasn't on the East Coast. Other
communities were too small or didn't
seem to be a good fit:'
Soloff enrolled at Wayne State
University. Because of his experience
working for a paper and plastic dispos-
ables company, he had an eye out for
local pricing and variety.
"I noticed that local paper and
plastic goods were selling at relatively
high prices. Also the inventory was
mediocre Soloff said. "Party goods,
catering goods, dinnerware and dispos-
able household goods together make
a lucrative industry. I realized that
with my connections I could become a
`mini-distributor' while also pursuing
my bachelor's degree:'
He called and got advice from his
former manager in New York, who
Nick Soloff in his Paper Goods PLUS store in Oak Park
encouraged him to start a business
and extended him a line of credit.
Soloff made his first order of supplies
and opened up shop in his apartment
building's basement.
"We were opened partially through-
out the week, mainly for local families.
Our first customers would always call
first," Soloff said. They decided to call
the store Paper Goods PLUS.
"Basic cups and plates with a few
napkins for starts:' Soloff said. His
wife, Nechama, supported the business.
Soloff recalls the first time he realized
they could grow their business into a
full-time career.
"We sent out 500 postcards three
weeks before Passover in 2008 to
members of the local community:' he
said. "A week later, we had dozens of
customers coming in for hours straight
during the pre-Passover countdown.
"My wife came down with the baby
to help:' he said. "To make it worse,
we weren't even using a computer. We
were acting very old-school — orga-
nized by paper, to sell paper, to make
paper:'
A few years later, Soloff bought a
house in Southfield and they relocated
the business to their home's basement.
Business continued to grow steadily.
Soloff quadrupled his inventory —
and this year celebrated his seventh
anniversary in a new storefront on
Lincoln Street in Oak Park. Some of his
clients include large schools, catering
companies and synagogues.
"I feel fortunate to be able to help
families save money for the Jewish
holidays and throughout the year:'
Soloff said.
He gives thanks to the Marvin I.
Danto Small Business Loan Program,
a division of the Hebrew Free Loan
(HFL) in Bloomfield Township.
"They introduced my wife and me to
local business professionals who met
with us many times:' he said. "Their
guidance on system organization for suc-
cessful implementation of strategy and
business development really boosted our
confidence and a healthy growth:'
Rob Schwartz, who heads HFI:s
small business division, said, "The
real advantage of the small business
program is we give individuals access
to financial capital along with tailor-fit
mentors. We have a pool of many busi-
ness professionals who volunteer their
time throughout the year.
"It's integral to us that small busi-
nesses continue to thrive in our grow-
ing community:'
Soloff receives stock from local dis-
tributors as well as manufacturers from
overseas.
"It's a thrill-ride. There are bad days
along with the good days. The social
aspect of helping new people and
developing real relationships is the real
benefit," he said.
His advice to others starting a small
business: "Don't let someone else
decide what you're passionate about.
Stay positive and pursue your idea:'
Soloff still lives in Southfield with
his wife and three kids, Aliza, 8, Dovi,
6, and Zevi, 2. The family attends Beth
Tefilo Emanuel Tikvah in Southfield.
❑