Meek's Ladies' Night builds loyalty among unlikely audience

Home Channel News, Dec 11, 2000 by Anita Stackhouse-Hite

COMPANY: Meek's, The Builders Choice

HEADQUARTERS: Springfield, Mo.

ANNUAL SALES: $300 million

CUSTOMER MIX: 70 percent pro

UNITS: 38

The name -- Meek's, The Builders Choice -- describes the customer whom this 80-year-old pro dealer is pursuing. But three of its yards in Missouri have had unexpected success luring women shoppers with DIY clinics that focus on home fixup projects.

The Meek's yards in Neosho, Joplin and Monett, Mo., have been drawing crowds of nearly 200 women per clinic, which are conducted between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Joplin in spring, at Neosho in summer and at Monett as winter approaches.

"What makes this event so unique is that we are not a home improvement center," says Cortney Kimbley, the price maintenance manager for the three stores that spearheaded the Ladies' Night program. "We're a lumberyard that is oriented towards hardcore contractors. But we wanted to broaden our customer base. What better way to do that than to let ladies know that we care about them, too? We felt we could do that by empowering them with knowledge, especially those who can't go home and ask, 'Honey, will you fix the toilet?'"

The events have become popular enough for Meek's to extend them to other locations. Rich McKie, director of marketing for the Springfield, Mo.-based company, says that Meek's plans to run Ladies' Nighr events in 10 to 12 more stores in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. Its store in Bolivar, Mo., conducted its first women-only clinic Oct. 26, and other locations -- Buffalo, Springfield and West Plaines, Mo.; and Harris, Springdale and Mountain Home, Ark. -- will host events by the middle of next year, he says.

Right now, Meek's is holding only one Ladies' Night per year at any store, primarily because of staff considerations. Plus, says Kimbley, "We don't want to overdo it. We'd rather keep things fresh and continue to hold the community's interest."

At Meek's events, husbands and boyfriends sit in the parking lot while vendors teach their wives and girlfriends the basic ins-and-outs of how to apply tile or how to fix leaky faucets. The women can learn basic toilet repair or faux finishing, which, according to Kimbley, is the most popular demonstration.

Kimbley says she first got the idea for the event after reading a magazine article about a local dealer that had sponsored a Ladies' Night. She approached her boss, Brian Kerns, who gave her the green light. However, turning this vision into practical reality, even with management's approval, was easier said than done.

First, there was Meek's reputation in the market to overcome. With 38 stores in the Midwest and West, Meek's generated more than 70 percent of its $300 million in revenue last year from remodelers and builders. Certain suppliers, whose support was essential to make the in-store demonstrations work, thought the idea of selling to women customers was crazy.

"Then," Kimbley says, "there were those who thought that Ladies' Night was something available at the local bar. It was really tough in the beginning."

When Rich Mix Concrete decided to lend its support, other vendors followed. Now, Meek's Ladies' Night is as popular among the ladies, the community and the vendors as Missouri dogwood trees in full bloom. The Monett store had 120 women attend its first event; that number rose to 180 in the second year.

Neosho became an even more intriguing case study. About 30 percent of this town's 9,300-person population is estimated to be females aged 55 and younger. According to Kimbley, many of them are single or widowed. Yet married, single and widowed alike rallied to the first-ever Ladies' Night event like Confederate troops called to battle with Yankees. "We would have called it a success if we had managed to get 30 ladies to come," Kimbley says. "Imagine how we felt when an unbelievable 120 attended our first event."

Peerless, Rich Mix Concrete and Macklanburg-Duncan are among the suppliers training women in attendance. In addition to caulking and weatherstripping, Macklanburg-Duncan demonstrates water heater blanket application. Meek's employees answer questions, serve refreshments, handle door-prize distribution and tend sales counters.

"We do sell products during Ladies' Night, but this event isn't about money," Kimbley maintains. It's about education, empowerment and community involvement. It's about building loyalty. They know we're there for them."