Local UPS store tops in Southern California area
WILSHIRE BLVD Big things come in small packages. Just ask Sherry Quay, the co-owner of one of the highest grossing UPS franchises in all of Southern California.
Her relatively tiny store, located at 1223 Wilshire Blvd., handles more than 1,800 packages a month and features more than 1,200 private mail boxes for those craving a Santa Monica address without the “P.O. Box” stigma. The store also has a notary public on the premises, makes keys, sends faxes and sells office supplies.
On average, the store registers roughly $1 million in sales each year, Quay said.
“It’s been wonderful,” Quay said of the business, which she purchased from her ex-husband eight years ago and now runs with the help of her daughter, Angela Farrow. “A little store like this and to be able to do the volume we do is terrific. We are very, very lucky.”
The secret to the store’s success has to be the location and the range of services offered, the hard-working employees and loyal customers, Quay said Monday.
“It’s tough being your own boss and it’s a lot of work, but if you can persevere and have a great group of employees behind you,it’s well worth it,”Quay said.“In the last couple of years I’ve been able to step back and take a couple of days off. I’m very fortunate to have the employees and the customers I have.”
Situated on a busy thoroughfare just feet from a post office, the UPS franchise is highly visible and easy to access. Those who can’t get the services they need at the post office march on down to the UPS store.
“It’s really convenient for me,” said Tom Price, who has had a mailbox at the store for the last 17 years. “It’s a great family run business with a great location. It’s secure and it really just makes sense.”
For the last 10 years, Joan McNamara, a mother of nine children spread across the continental U.S., has trusted Quay and her five loyal employees with birthday and Christmas presents, graduation gifts and other important packages she’s needed to ship to loved ones.
She also relies on the location for making copies and sending faxes. She is the epitome of the loyal customer and one of the reasons why the franchise does so well.
“I’m not surprised,” McNamara said when she heard about the franchise’s success. “I see people coming in and out of here all the time. I think it has a lot to do with the (employees) here. They’re so friendly and they really know how to take care of you.”
Throughout the years, customers have asked Quay and her staff to ship a lot of strange things, including large Tiffany lamp-shades valued at over $7,000.
“I’ve had people want to send In-N-Out Burger to New York, or fruit trees to Pakistan,” Assistant Manager Robert Tomlinson said as he finished bubble wrapping a gold Hannah Montana record.“We’ve even had someone send a cake.”
While making a profit is nice, Quay, who worked for Vons for 22 years before going into business for herself, said the best thing about her franchise is the people she meets. She is able to work with her daughter, who manages the books at home, and has established strong relationships with her repeat customers.
“You get to know your neighbors and you become a part of the neighborhood,” Quay said.“About 90 percent of our customers are repeat customers. You get to know these people, their families and watch their kids grow up.
“You become a part of their lives, and they become a part of yours.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 6, 2008. Read the original PDF.