Family's rich business history flourishing

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, May 28, 2001 by Michael Hooper Capital-Journal

CHRIS OCHSNER/The Capital-Journal

April Mentzer, left, recently joined her brother, Clint, and their parents, Rusty and Janet Mentzer, in the family business at 1930 N.W. Topeka Blvd. April will run the salon Tips 2 Toes, which will have a grand opening on June 9.

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BUSINESSES: D&L Trailer Sales, Suzuki and Tips 2 Toes

LOCATION: 1930 N.W. Topeka Blvd.,

Topeka

OWNERS: Rusty and Janet Mentzer run D&L Trailer Sales; Clint Mentzer runs Suzuki; and April Mentzer runs

Tips 2 Toes.

HISTORY: The Mentzer name has been a familiar one in the local business world for about 50 years, when the Mentzers' Cafe served residents.

By Michael Hooper

The Capital-Journal

A business that started out thanks to a $10,000 loan from a local bank in 1983 is evolving again.

Rusty and Janet Mentzer have added their daughter April to the business. She is running Tips 2 Toes, a full service salon, located at 1930 N.W. Topeka Blvd. The site puts her next to the Suzuki dealership run by her brother Clint and their parents' longtime business, D&L Trailer Sales, which sells and services trailers.

To bring April into the fold, the parents had to do some hard convincing. She already had a good job as a legal assistant for six years.

"April has been working since she was 14," Janet said. "She's like her dad. She works hard, and she's a saver on top of that. I think she'll do good here."

April went back to school to learn the cosmetology business. She finished her training last month at the Community College of Cosmetology, 3602 S.W. Topeka Blvd.

Mother and daughter renovated the beauty shop to include new flooring, new paint, three wet stations for styling and three nail work stations. Megan Isaacks and April style hair and nails, and Deb Fisher and Kena Fleming lease the nail stations. The store will sell hair products from Bed Head, Redkin, Matrix, ISO, American Crew and Nioxin, a hair loss treatment.

The store's grand opening is June 9, with an open house at D&L.

Previously, a different salon stood in that location. It also has been a doll shop and a cafe, called the Duck Inn.

The land and buildings have been in Rusty's family since 1945. About 50 years ago, there was a Mentzers' Cafe at that corner.

Five years ago, Rusty purchased the property from his mother, Claudia Mentzer. Two months ago, Rusty incorporated all three businesses under one umbrella, D&L Sales Enterprises Inc.

Rusty, like most of the Mentzers in Topeka, grew up in business. His dad, Otho, built the Sunflower Motel. Otho died of cancer when Rusty was 2, but Rusty grew up in a home at the motel.

Otho's brother, Whitey Mentzer, started the Pad in North Topeka. Rusty's cousins own two local Pads.

Rusty started his business in 1983 after losing his job with the Rock Island Railroad when the railroad filed for bankruptcy. He told Janet he wanted to start a business leasing out construction equipment. They borrowed $10,000 from Kaw Valley State Bank & Trust Co. to buy equipment for Rent All.

"We started in a recession," Janet recalled. "Those were very tough years."

Somehow, they got ahead. They leased out construction equipment and lawn and garden equipment. Rusty maintained the equipment.

"If it wasn't for Rusty, we wouldn't be here today," Janet said. "Rusty is the backbone of this business. He is a workaholic. I was just there for him."

Just as Rusty grew up in business as a child, so did his children. Janet and Rusty worked 10 hours a day, seven days a week. He and Clint used to play catch outside when business was slow. When a customer arrived, he would put the glove down.

"Those kids lived down here," Janet recalled.

After 10 years, they had had enough. In 1993, they called several contractors and sold all the rental equipment in one day.

"It was the strangest thing," Janet recalled.

Rusty has no regrets about getting out of the rental business. He kept the trailer business because it has been so steady over the years. Rusty is good at hooking up brake controls, the lighting and hitches for trailers.

Clint joined the business three years ago with the addition of the Suzuki line. Sometimes, after a customer will buy a Suzuki motorcycle or ATV from Clint, they will buy a trailer from Rusty.

When asked what the Mentzer business philosophy was, Rusty wiped the sweat off his brow and said, "Work hard, be honest and be fair with people."

Rusty said he was a little concerned about the economy. Back in January, he thought Topeka was in a recession.

Sales picked up this spring, he said, but this is his busy season.

Michael Hooper can be reached at

(785) 295-1293 or mhooper@cjonline.com.