Becky Leon knew she had to do something when her basement became full of merchandise on pallets that she acquired through online liquidation auctions.
So the businesswoman and Fort Drum nurse decided to go the retail route about a month ago.
“I had so much stuff I needed to open a store,” she said.
The Pallet Place opened in February in a 2,300-square-foot storefront that faces the JB Wise parking lot in downtown Watertown. The space is underneath the location of the former Wing Wagon. The storefront previously housed a tattoo shop that moved a few doors down.
“It’s kind of hard to find,” she said.
Her inventory is the result of purchasing pallets of merchandise from DirectLiquidation.com and other online auctions.
“It’s a little different of a concept,” she said, referring to businesses that have popped up around the country that sell pallets of goods without customers knowing what they’re buying.
In recent years, she’s made money in weekly online auctions on Facebook, she said. It easily pays for the rent at the variety store.
Her shop is stocked with all kinds of goods — all at discounted prices from Walmart and other national retailers, she said.
She offers electronics, small appliances, toys, clothing, household goods and baby gear.
She pointed out that she sells a Marvel Green Lantern action figure for $12, while Walmart has it priced at $24.99.
In another example, a DeeBot robot vacuum has been discounted from $499 to $300, she said.
And Ms. Leon was expecting 11 more pallets to be delivered over the weekend.
Ms. Leon has a previous career in retail, working for Walgreens and the Dollar Tree, and it has helped her with opening up the store, she said.
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