Big name in on-line sales thrives with traditional store

Phil McKinney had five years of success selling low-cost printer cartridges on the Web at maxpatchink.com, but he wondered how he'd do selling out of a traditional storefront.

Turns out that success in a Web storefront can be transferred fairly easily to selling out a brick-and-mortar store at Franktown Corners in Reno.

After all,McKinney says, it's all a matter of giving customers the education they need to make a wise decision, then providing good service when they're ready to buy.

Of course, he acknowledges, learning how to promote a traditional business was something new.

Max Patch Ink ran a heavy media schedule, and now relies increasingly on positive word-of-mouth.

And although the new store needed more than 90 days to get any traction in the retail market,McKinney says he was prepared.

"We wanted to give ourselves plenty of cushion,"he says.