For 62 years, McComb Electric Supply Co. has been the area’s one-stop shop for appliances and electrical supplies.
It has always offered a large selection of items for people looking to enhance their homes with the latest technology in home appliances and lighting fixtures.
And with the Christmas season here, owner Richard Moore said the store is offering something more.
“We’ve got something new — giftware for the holidays, which is a significant departure from the past,” Moore said.
McComb Electric has always offered kitchen accessories, such as J.A. Henckels knives and other items, but the store now offers pre-wrapped gift baskets featuring items for men and women.
And if shoppers don’t find a basket that suits them, Moore said, “We can make one up for you.”
Moore is the third generation of his family to work in the store on Railroad Boulevard, which his grandfather, Alvin Klotz, opened in 1948 as a local source for electrical and lighting supplies and appliances serving residential and commercial customers.
McComb Electric employs seven people and is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
Besides G.E. and Hotpoint, Moore said McComb Electric also sells Whirlpool, Maytag, Bosch, Sub-Zero, Frigidaire and Kitchen Aid appliances.
The store has a lighting showroom, and its employees are continually taking courses to learn new technology in lighting and appliances to show customers how to better use the items.
McComb Electric also hosts in-house events such as cooking schools.
Moore said the key phrase in appliances and lighting nowadays is energy efficiency, and there have been a lot of changes in technology that have made home appliances and lighting systems more efficient.
He said one characteristic of the newer washers and dryers is their ability to wash clothes using less water and dry them using less electricity.
“People are looking for efficiency and value,” Moore said. “They are looking for things that are efficient and will last, and price is important.
“It doesn’t do someone any good if they buy an appliance and it ends up using more electricity than expected and doesn’t last,” he said.
One thing that is becoming more popular in home lighting is LED lighting, which saves energy and can give out a bright light in some areas with less electricity, Moore said.
Another change is in fluorescent lighting, which manufacturers are making in smaller tubes that produce the same amount of light as bigger tubes, which have been common in older buildings, he said.
One of the assets of McComb Electric is the personal service that employees provide customers.
“We try to help the customer make the right choice,” Moore said.
“We train our employees and keep our product lines up to date,” he said. “It’s important to us that when the customer comes in that we help them choose the right thing for them. We try to help them find the right thing that will match the customer’s needs.”
The baskets contain a variety of items covering a number of themes.
Men’s baskets can feature tools or barbecue supplies such as seasonings and implements. Women’s baskets contain seasonings, dish towels, oven mitts, aprons and other cooking accessories. There also are kitchen starter baskets.
Other new items in the store’s inventory are G.E. and Hotpoint appliances, and gas logs.
The store added G.E. and Hotpoint earlier this year. Moore said he plans to increase the selections for both lines.
“We’re looking long-term,” he said. “We’re going to continue to build the G.E. appliance selection.”
He said the gas logs are offered as vented and non-vented.
