Lincoln Empey found an appreciation for House of Stationery, when he started working for the business his family owned, when he was 17, on Thursday nights and Saturdays, while still in high school. That appreciation would eventually bring him to the helm of the company, as owner of the business.
House of Stationery, a business-to-business office products reseller with a retail front, sells anything necessary to outfit offices of any size, with a specialization in providing for home-based businesses. House of Stationery also repairs all makes of computers, printers and any other office technology in need of fixing. House of Stationery is a pillar of the business community in Estevan, and has been owned by the Empey family since 1993.
In the time in which it was owned by the Empey family, House of Stationery has changed locations twice, having once been on the opposite side of the street from where it now is, at1217 Fourth Street.
Empey said the moves were done to accommodate growth by moving the business into a bigger space at 1207 Fourth Street, in 1995, and then again, into its current location, in 2004.
It was his work in the service depot of House of Stationery which turned out to be Empey’s first step in the climb to full ownership of the business through hands-on experience.
“I used to repair photocopiers, so shortly after I stopped doing that, I started repairing computers,” said Empey, who noted he was fond of working with his hands, doing repairs. “I started getting more into developing my skills as a business owner after that. I’ve always kind of had an appreciation for the business, right from the get-go.”
After going to university and studying an unrelated field for a year, Empey returned to House of Stationery, his love of the kind of work he could do there and ambition to lead the business to great places pushing him to learn the necessary skills to take over.
Empey bought the business from his mother, and is the second-generation owner of House of Stationery in the Empey family.
“I’ve been in the office products business since I was out of school, and have been in business for over 20 years now. I’ve taken over about six years ago,” he said. “It was a slow transition – it’s not like it just happened all of a sudden. Over time, I got into a management position and took over.”
Empey said transitioning from fixing photocopiers and computers, to running the business was a gradual process over years, through which he developed the necessary skills and business know-how necessary for someone in a position of leadership.
Using his experience, building on the technical side of his business knowhow, and slowly moving his focus over to management and sales, Empey eventually built up enough knowledge and skills to take over.
Even after owning the business for six years, Empey said he is constantly in a process of learning.
For the future, Empey stated he has thought about expanding the business to other parts of southeast Saskatchewan, but is cautious at the moment, in light of the economic downturn and the potential difficulty it could create for such a plan.
“I always thought it would be a good idea down the road,” Empey said. “Maybe some time in the next 10 years. We could definitely expand in the southeast, somewhere. Carlyle or Weyburn, for instance.”
Empey said being a primarily business-to-business seller of office supplies lends itself to a lot of travelling through the region, for work, often to smaller centres like Carlyle, Oxbow or Alameda.
Another goal of Empey’s is to push for a more retail-oriented focus, since its current spacious and central location lends itself to cultivating a retail atmosphere. Challenges the business faces, he said, include staffing and keeping up-to-date on technology and product knowledge.
Empey draws on his experience at the helm of House of Stationery to reflect on the importance of shopping locally, saying, “Shopping locally definitely drives the local economy. Local businesses support all kinds of events throughout the community and without that support, there would be far fewer local events.”
A strength Empey sees in his business that sets it above larger chains is its customer service. He contended that House of Stationery provides top-notch customer service, and gives complete support of everything it sells.
“We have a computer department, and if we sell a computer, we make sure we support that product after it goes out the door. We do a fair bit of office furniture sales, and if you buy a piece of furniture, the setup and delivery comes included,” said Empey. “It’s not something you have to take home and put together yourself. We bring it to you, set it up and that’s all included in the price. That’s something a big-box store wouldn’t offer.”
