The name on the front of the building might have changed on the Highway 6 store, but the people at Topchoice Electronics want to maintain the same kind of personal service the location has been known for over the years.
Topchoice is the new tenant of the building just north of Guelph that for over 40 years was home to Vernon Smith Furniture.
Like its predecessor, Topchoice sells everything from major appliances and televisions to living room sets and beds.
And, like its predecessor, it wants to be a store that offers more than good prices.
"We were looking for a building and the Vernon Smith building came to our attention through an agent. We met the owners and we wanted to know about their business and how their relationship was within the community," said store manager Hassan Tariq.
"They were there for almost 45 years. They were very, very closely knit with their customers. People had tremendous confidence in them," Tariq said. "There was a story there and we love this type of atmosphere."
The Smiths told them stories of several generations coming to the store over the years to buy their furniture and electronics.
"We want to be in a laid back, building-a-relationship type environment. We can build our own business and build on their goodwill."
The Guelph location is the third one for Topchoice, following the flagship store in Woodbridge that first opened in 2004 and another in Brampton. They also have an online store.
"We were looking for a new area to grow to and for us, when we were doing research, we found that the whole market of north of Highway 401 is kind of not being served as it should be," Tariq said. "We were looking for a long-term investment. We're a young company, let's build a relationship with a community and grow with them."
The roughly 45,000 square foot store offers a wide variety of top brand names. Local staff will be hired to help run the business, which has been open for about a week.
Tariq said it's important to offer more than what can be found at traditional big box store.
"We sell the same models that a big box store offers, but we not only offer better saving and lower prices because of a lower overhead, we can also offer a more personal service .... we want to give that comfort to a customer, that they can ask questions, ask more questions to better inform their decision.
"That's where we think our strength is: building a relationship."
The Guelph location is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
