Expanding their business for the fourth time in as many years, The Appliance Outlet owners Jimmy and Lisa Caldwell said they are blessed to have had the support of a community which values small business so highly.
“Honestly, we have our customers to thank for this,” Jimmy Caldwell said. “Local business here is really big — it always has been and it always will be. I just can’t say enough good things about our customers and the community.”
The Appliance Outlet, located at 1408 Darlington Ave. within the city’s Eastside Shopping Plaza, is expanding to a storefront just across the parking lot to a location adjacent to Big Lots, where 17,000 more square feet await the Caldwells’ growing furniture showcase.
The current location will also remain, allowing the entrepreneurial couple to operate two fronts under the same umbrella — appliances at the current store with furniture across the way.
“Overall, we’re going to have about 23,000 to 24,000 square feet of showroom,” Caldwell said. “We’re a veteran-owned business. My wife did six years in the Army by the time she was finally out, so we offer a 10-percent discount to our heroes every day.”
First responders, police officers and law enforcement, fire, rescue, dispatchers and other medical personnel all qualify for the discount on both household appliances and furniture.
Furthermore, Caldwell said helping those in need is a primary focus of The Appliance Outlet.
“One thing that’s so important when you run a business is your ability to serve others,” he said. “If anybody ever has an emergency situation with (the Department of Child Services) to where they have to take in a minor child, they can come here and get a bed for that child for free. We’ll buy the sheets and all the pillows and things they’ll need to get ready.
“There’s no charge for that and there never will be.”
The Appliance Outlet opened in November of 2015 adjacent to the Sugar Creek Animal Hospital on Crawfordsville’s west side where they expanded to include furniture as well as stoves, refrigerators and more. They then brought their business to its current location in February of 2019.
The Caldwells hold licenses with many brands that have become household names, such as Whirlpool, General Electric and Frigidaire, and have been in the appliance and furniture business for nearly 20 years.
“And we hold licenses with about 12 different furniture vendors, as well,” Caldwell said. “All of our mattresses are handmade too. The company we go through right now is Magic Sleep out of Illinois. All of our furniture companies are American, made right here in the U.S.A., and four out of the five we have are made right here in the state of Indiana.”
The Appliance Outlet keeps all items in stock so customers can choose to take the product home with them or same-day delivery. All products also come with a warranty from the store itself, adding up to 10 years for furniture.
“We also offer financing. For just $10 down, customers can get whatever they need,” Caldwell said. “All they have to have is a checking account and a debit card, basically. We’re not like a rent-to-own store, in any capacity. We’ve been really blessed to have the financing abilities we have.”
Looking forward, the working couple hopes to continue their expanding ways.
“It’s been a pretty good company; my wife is much smarter than I am,” Caldwell said. “I love working with her. We make a really good team. We’re just trucking along and trying to do the best we can.”
For more information about The Appliance Outlet, a faith-based company, call 765-307-2214 or stop in at 1408 Darlington Ave.
