Jarvis Appliances in Wellesley has been at its current location on Route 9 since 1966.
Nancy Dunn and Anthony Jarvis have helped hundreds of homeowners be more like Emeril. But they’re not chefs who run a cooking school.
The brother and sister, along with another sister, Marcia McGee, run Jarvis Appliances in Wellesley. The store sells all the major appliances a homeowner would ever need – from the average, run-of-the-mill dishwasher to a $15,000, custom-made hood to hang above the kitchen stove
For the last several years, however, some of the most popular items at Jarvis have been sought by Julia Child-wannabes – professional-style stoves and built-in cook-tops and ovens that cost anywhere from $3,800 to $15,000.
The trend seems to reflect people’s appetite for remodeling and spending more time in their homes – which became especially important after the uneasiness that surfaced because of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Recent studies show that homeowners have been paying big bucks on remodeling projects. More and more homeowners are using the equity in their homes and taking advantage of the favorable mortgage interest rates to renovate kitchens and other parts of their homes, according to recent reports.
In fact, in 2000 and 2001 homeowners undertook almost 4 million kitchen remodeling and improvement projects, according to a recent study by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Owners making major improvements costing at least $10,000 accounted for almost $11 billion of the $14 billion spent each year on kitchen projects, the study noted.
That’s been good news for the Jarvis family.
Jarvis Appliances has seen its sales rise anywhere from 20 percent to 25 percent each year during the last decade. It wasn’t until the terrorists struck America and the onset of the recession that sales started to slide, according to Jarvis. Sales in 2002 were roughly 10 percent lower than the prior year, but this year they’ve leveled off and are about the same as the past fiscal year, according to Jarvis and Dunn. However, they expect sales will climb as more and more people choose to remodel.
“The high-end is what’s still selling,” said Anthony, or Tony, Jarvis, who supervises the store’s sales staff.
“People are spending money on their homes,” said Dunn, who handles the store’s accounting.
Hard-Work Ethic
The amount of money homeowners are spending is surprising to their father, Antonio, 82, who started the business more than four decades ago.
“He can’t believe it. He can’t believe you can buy a stove for $10,000,” said Tony Jarvis, noting that the most expensive appliance in his father’s day cost $599, which was still considered a hefty price some 40 years ago.
Antonio Jarvis started the business out of his car, repairing and servicing appliances for customers. Prior to that, Jarvis worked for Sears as a repairman.
In the early 1960s, he opened a small appliance store on Washington Street in Wellesley and in 1965 bought the building on Route 9, opening the store a year later. The store has been located there ever since.
Dunn and Jarvis recall how their father “spoiled” customers by responding to late-night service calls and even interrupting holiday dinners to go repair a malfunctioning appliance.
Antonio Jarvis’ hard-work ethic and reputation has rubbed off on his children. More than 50 percent of the customers who purchase appliances at Jarvis Appliances today are repeat customers, according to Dunn and Jarvis. That includes hundreds of homebuilders and remodelers who use Jarvis Appliances or refer homebuyers to the store.
Customers come from many parts of the Bay State – Weston, Wayland, Dover, Sherborn, Newton, Boston, Hopkinton, Westport, Dartmouth – and even other states like New York, Texas, Florida and New Hampshire. The store has delivered appliances to longtime customers’ second homes and to the homes of their children living in other states. Local celebrities such as television news anchor Natalie Jacobson and musician Livingston Taylor are among the store’s clientele. Tony Jarvis said the store even has a few commercial accounts.
Jarvis’ reputation also helped the store become a participant in Design Home 2002, a fund-raiser organized by Boston Magazine. The fund-raiser involves the construction of a new home that is later furnished and decorated by local stores and designers. Once the home is completed, paid tours are provided, with all the money collected going to a designated charity.
Jarvis was invited again to participate in Design Home 2004.
Throughout the last six years, the Jarvis siblings have expanded, renovated and added on to the store. For years, the first floor used to be a showroom, while the upper floor was reserved for offices. Now the upper floor features a showroom, along with offices, and the first floor includes rows of various appliances.
But besides changing the physical appearance of the store, the Jarvis family has also had to adapt to the changing needs of their customers. Jarvis customers are leading busier and much more harried lives – and their needs often reflect that.
And nowadays, husbands are doing a lot more cooking. Many more men visit the store in search of commercial-style stoves and heavy-duty outdoor stainless steel grills that can cost as much as $6,000, according to Jarvis.
Customers are also a lot more knowledgeable about appliances and peruse the Internet before coming into the store, Dunn said.
“They know the look they want but we have to educate them on what they want,” said Tony Jarvis.
It’s not unusual to see customers testing appliances in the store. The Jarvis family invites customers to bring in food and cook it on a stove they’re thinking of buying. Customers have hauled in dishes to test a dishwasher they’re eyeing.
And for today’s customer, service is paramount. When customers call about an appliance that needs repairs, they want Jarvis Appliance to be there quickly. (The store will only service appliances that it sells.)
“Life is much more fast-paced,” said Jarvis. “You have to treat customers like they’re No. 1.”
Today, the store carries up to 60 different brands – including high-end brands like Gaggenau, Thermador, Wolf and ASKO.
Popular items include warming drawers, which are used to keep cooked food warm. Dunn said some homeowners have started installing them in their bathrooms in order to warm towels. Wine storage units have also become popular. An entire display in the Jarvis store shows wine aficionados how part of their homes can be transformed into a wine cellar.
New appliances arrive regularly. One such appliance is the speed cook, a cross between a microwave and convection oven that uses high-pressure air movement in combination with the microwave to cook food faster while retaining natural juices.
In recent months, Jarvis Appliances started selling a large 30-inch-wide dishwasher that features adjustable shelves. Standard dishwashers are about 24 inches wide. Made by Dacor, the dishwasher sells for about $2,200. Jarvis has already sold one.
