An interview with Tim Walters, operations manager at Astoria Janitor & Paper Supply.

1055 Marine Drive

325-6362

Other than the Benjamin Moore paint, there are few products on the shelves of Astoria Janitor & Paper Supply that consumers would recognize from mainstream advertisements. The collection of “working man’s products” for every inch of just about any home or business “are something you have to use,” says operations manager Tim Walters. “It’s not a novelty shop.”

How long has this business been around?

“It was originally started by George Hediger 50 years ago. It’s been in this location for 30 years. It was originally across the street.

“George did work in a janitorial supply company in Seaside at the time before he started this one. In those days there were a lot of them started. A lot of the guys in Portland all started at about the same time. In fact, I think our parent company was started in 1945.

“Two years ago, it was bought by the Walter E. Nelson Co. of Portland. With the head office (in Portland) we have nine stores that sell janitorial supplies across the states of Oregon and Washington.”

What kinds of products do you carry?

“We sell a full line of janitorial supplies and equipment and a full line of Benjamin Moore paints. We carry Italian syrups for espresso coffee, wall paper, paint and supplies, that kind of stuff. Now we sell Tennant floor equipment – it’s a major brand of floor care equipment.

“We don’t sell many advertised products, but we try to help the local people solve the homeowner problems that they have periodically. You’re always going to have those.”

Italian syrup seems like an odd item for a janitorial supply store to carry. How did that become part of your inventory?

“Because we sell a lot of bar supplies, that’s where that came in.”

Who are your customers?

“Doctors, dentists, restaurants, schools, canneries, construction people, painters – we have a lot of painting contractors that buy their products here, motel businesses.

“We cover a 100-mile radius from the city of Astoria. All the way to Raymond in Washington. All the way to Tillamook and Scappoose. I have one truck that does the delivery up and down the coast and one that does here in town.

“We have a lot of walk-in customers. A lot of local people have always come here. And then there are the housewives that come in because they’ve bought products here for years.”

How long have you worked here and what do you enjoy about it?

“I’ve been here 20 years. I’ve been operations manager since January of 2001.

“Getting people what they like, that’s probably the best part of the job really and that’s with anybody in the service industry.

“It’s a small-town business, you know. You’ve got to basically please the small-town person. We’re not trying to be a big corporate store.

“One of the main goals with the new company is customer service and satisfaction. That’s what it’s all about.”

What challenges does the business face?

“The basic economy is the biggest thing.

“Because of the school cutbacks, we make sure we can keep competitive … trying to get products for them that are basically easier for them to use and maintain to cut down the hours that custodians have to work to do their jobs.”

What kind of volume do you do?

“We probably have on an average day 100 customers. That varies because you have the same customers day in and day out that rely on what we sell.

“There’s times when they’re standing three and four deep at the counter and there’s afternoons when we have one customer.”

– Benjamin Romano