MUSIC GO ROUND: COLUMBUS - GAHANNA - ANN ARBOR, OH

Owner, Kevin Johnson, discusses his Winmark journey.

How did you come to own a Winmark franchise?

I answered an ad in the business opportunities section of the Columbus Dispatch Sunday Paper. I researched and found that the founders of Once Upon A Child and the number one Play It Again Sports in the country at the time were both here.

What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known when you first opened your store?

I can't think of anything. I actually more feel the line from the Bob Seger Song :"Wish I didn't know now, what I didn't know then." I think that not knowing how music stores worked helped me out because I came in with grocery store experience. I was pretty focused on turns. Critical mass in a grocery store where margins hover around 2-3%.

2020 was, without a doubt, a challenging year. What was one way you evolved your business that you will keep utilizing in 2021?

We streamlined our online selling and processing of orders, and really drilled down to what gets you the most views, in Google Shopping’s eyes. We are still challenged with how to buy enough during a pandemic.