Hidden treasures await at Red Oak’s DaaBIN Store

Another unique shopping experience is now available for area residents.
On June 10, DaaBIN Store opened at its new location at 1603 N. Broadway Street. DaaBIN Store CEO and Founder Andy Weichers shared how the idea to open the store came to fruition, as well as its namesakes.
“My wife’s name is Amanda, so myself and Amanda make up the two small A’s in the name of the store. Our daughter’s name is Delaney, and Beau is our son, so DaaB is the family name, and we’re starting to promote that a lot more. My son has special needs, and we wanted to have a business that he could always work at and be involved in and we could help other people with special needs and stuff like that as well,” Weichers said.
The first DaaBIN Store opened in 2021 in Waterloo. Weichers said positive response has seen the franchise expand across multiple states.
“We started this as a local store to have a little fun, and it went better than we could have dreamed. We opened a second store in Cedar Rapids and a third store in North Carolina. Currently we’ve built the entire franchise system. There are 10 corporate locations and nine franchises of DaaBIN Store, and we’re across six different states,” commented Weichers.
Other locations in Iowa include Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Mason City, and Sioux City. Weichers said the new Red Oak location is smaller than other cities they’ve opened in, but it allowed them to open a location in Southwest Iowa.
“We’ve been testing different markets. Red Oak is a rural community that has a lot less opportunities for entertainment, shopping, and deals, and we know a lot of the people in the area have to travel to Omaha and Council Bluffs in some cases, so we wanted to see if we could be a hub for two or three counties and bring something that has a lot of entertainment value along with some fantastic deals to the area and see how it went. So far, it’s working,” stated Weichers.
DaaBIN Store offers a unique shopping experience that turns over 100% of its product every week.
“We don’t put products on shelves. We buy from major retailers across the country including shelf pulls, returns, and liquidation products in bulk. All of our product is taped up and placed into the bin. You never know what you’re going to find. When we start the new sales week on Saturday, everything but the “Bigs” are priced at $7. The “Bigs” items are too large to fit into a bin and are individually priced. We find Apple watches, laptops, and on our website, we have a top finds page where people will submit photos of things they’ve found.”
Another unique experience provided by the store is that as the sales week progresses, the prices get lower.
“There is stuff people don’t buy because it’s simply not worth $7. So when we open on Sunday, everything left is $5. On Monday, it’s $3, and on Tuesday, everything left is $1. On Wednesday, which is the last day we’re open, you can fill a bag for $10. Anything left goes into a mystery grab bag, and we put an entire new load in while the store is closed on Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday and Friday. On average, we have 7,500 to 12,000 products per week in the store. That varies by volume week to week,” advised Weichers. “If anyone looks in the windows they’ll see we’re taping things up for the bins next week. We tape things because some items are loose and can fall around.”
The one rule, Weichers said, is that they ask customers not to open boxes or bags in the bins.
“We have what’s called the “Open Station.” If you take those products back there, the crew will open the box for you, pull things out and allow them to plug things in and test them and determine if they want it or not. If they don’t want it, we tape it up and put it back. That way we don’t have to worry about something missing pieces when somebody buys them,” explained Weichers.
While supply chain issues are being felt everywhere, Weichers said they haven’t been as heavily effected as other places.
“With us being a bit of a larger corporation and having 19 stores, we’re a little bit higher on some of the vendor lists, and we have very strong relationships with our vendors. We have had a few weeks where we cut things a little close trying to get stuff in, but we’ve not had an issue yet with being able to get product for any of our stores. We also have two warehouses, so we keep our inventory stocked up very well.”
With such a close family connection to the store, Weichers said it’s been a great and unique experience to be able to keep expanding despite the tough economy.
“We push hard and have a really strong team, and everybody’s struggling, but we haven’t felt the effects. With our offerings, people get such a good deal and entertainment besides. People can come in and get household goods and food. There’s a little bit of everything in there, and that’s what makes our business model successful, I think. While other retailers have to handle markups and things like that, we can keep the product out there, give them a great deal, and give them some fun while we’re doing it,” Weichers said.
Weichers added they also strive to give the customers a bigger experience than just shopping for bargains.
“It’s not just about the find, it’s about the entertainment and the fun you have while you’re there. We do live videos and play games. We do our best to make sure we’re giving our customers the best bang for their buck, while also having the most fun they possibly can. That keeps them coming back and gives us the support we need to stay in business right now,” Weichers stated. “This is supposed to be fun. People come in to smiling and laughing faces, and we try to share that with people by greeting them the minute they come in and giving away food and prizes.”
Also, the store has a limited return policy, and items in the bin are under an all sales final policy.
“The reason for that is because we have the set-up where people can check items and test them, and we encourage people to bring those items back to the open station. The bigger items that don’t fit in the bins and are priced separately have a seven-day return policy. We open them up and look, but if there’s a piece missing on a bookshelf for example, we wouldn’t know it until the customer finds out at home, so we keep the return policy up for those items,” Weichers commented.
DaaBIN Store had a strong grand opening, and while sales have tapered off a little, things are still looking up and they’re working hard to spread the word about all the store has to offer.
“We’re looking for different forms of marketing, and we do a lot through social media. We’re going to be getting involved with the Red Oak Chamber and Industry Association and the Red Oak Jr./Sr. High School and really place ourselves as part of the community,” explained Weichers. “While we’re a corporation, we’re an Iowa based company and want to keep our roots in Iowa as much as we can. We’re always looking to increase sales down there, but we’re happy so far. We want to do everything we can to support the community, and hopefully the community supports us.”
Hours are Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon.
You can find out more information about DaaBIN Store at the website, daabinstore.com, or follow the Red Oak location’s Facebook page at facebook.com/daabinstorero.