The following article was taken from the Detroit Free Press. Click here to download article!

“You have to see it to believe it.” That’s what owner Jeff Goldsmith tells folks when they ask about his Joe’s Army Navy Surplus stores in Waterford and Royal Oak. Naturally, the stores offer a wide variety of military gear and clothing, some of it actual U.S. military surplus. But they also offer an array of products that go beyond the inventory of most Army Navy stores.

“We have a product mix at both locations that’s different than what people perceive Army Navy stores to have,” says Goldsmith, whose father, Herman, bought the business in 1972 from its original owner and still remains active in the business. “There’s nothing too incongruous to be sold at our stores.”

That means customers can find combat boots and ammo cans, flags and flashlights, but also women’s and children’s military and military-inspired clothing, along with tactical clothing and footwear, which are trending right now.

“We offer so many different types of things that customers can use for both the item’s intended purpose and for whatever else they can think up,” Goldsmith says. “I often tell customers, ‘My job is to find things; your job is to figure out what to do with them.’ ”

Goldsmith’s creativity goes beyond offering a unique shopping experience for customers. As inventive as many of the products he carries, Goldsmith has created a way of doing things that any business would envy, including:

Changing with the seasons. What’s in stores now varies greatly from what you’ll see in September, Goldsmith says. As winter approaches, the store specializes in hats, gloves, long underwear and other coldweather items. In the spring and summer, inventory changes to sleeping bags, tents, cooking accessories and other camping gear.

Being holiday-savvy. When the economy took a downturn, Goldsmith saw a change in the types of gifts people were looking for and made sure to capitalize on it. “Army Navy stores have a tradition of selling quality gear at fair pricing, and people have come back to us to look for what I call practical presents. Instead of jewelry and electronics, we are seeing more people buy items that others actually need and can use,” he says.

Joe’s also has developed a huge Halloween business – without selling costumes. Instead, the stores are places to find items for those who want to dress as a military member or need accessories for popular characters such as Lara Croft from “Tomb Raider” or Maverick from “Top Gun,” Goldsmith says.

Be prepared. Whenever there’s a disaster, Joe’s sees a significant increase in demand for products such as first-aid kits and supplies, emergency fire starters, lanterns, radios and walkie-talkies. “Army Navy stores always carried items people could use for emergencies, but now emergency preparedness is much more on top of people’s minds because of all the recent events. We have just about everything to help in most types of emergencies and natural disasters,” Goldsmith says.

Expand beyond your walls. In July 2008, Joe’s launched its company website, www. joesarmynavyonline.com. One of Goldsmith’s goals was to make it easier for local customers to research items before they came into the store. While he’s achieved that goal, the site has grown so fast, it currently offers 2,700 items, has shipped products to all 50 states and 22 countries, and will reach its five-year sales goal a year early, Goldsmith says.