RVBusiness, March/April 2019

Giant RV Turns Abandoned Sams Club into Chic New Retail Storefront its 4th in Southern California Giant RVs fourth California store a former Sams Club facility offers 110000 square feet under roof and 11 acres As the Southern California RV market continues its resurgence Montclair based Giant RV extended its geographic reach in May 2018 with the addition of its fourth California store an 11 acre 110000 square foot former Sams Club facility in Downey that had been vacant for years before undergoing a complete transformation led by Giant RV Vice President Frankie Barouti with a public grand opening in early May Here again an RV dealer has refitted a Big Box retail store front that had languished for years turning an overlooked hulk in this case into a rather chic retail showplace with 32 foot ceilings all glass interior swing doors and a 100000 paint job replete with an interior racing stripe that includes manufacturers logos Those Frankie and Bob Barouti logos are also prominently displayed on the Downey stores exterior In the process Barouti told RVBusiness Giant RV was able to convert the buildings gloomy atmosphere into a more vibrant look Giants new facility includes a modern service department and a huge parts center plus indoor showroom space for 100 RVs and outdoor capacity for as many as 240 towable and motorized units according to Barouti son of co founder Bob Barouti whos still active in the business Giant RV in addition its Downey location currently carries Thor Motor Coach Winnebago Heartland Forest River Coachmen Pleasure Way and Eclipse brand RVs at the SoCal communities of Montclair Colton and Murrieta The company also operates an elaborate 40000 square foot central PDI receiving storage facility in Rancho Cucamonga handling newly received units before theyre delivered to the four stores Barouti said he checked out streets and freeways in various cities for a period of years before finding the right location for his new store a perfect fit for Giant RVs purposes The location chosen had sat empty for more than 10 years after serving as a Gemco and Sams Club location as well as a furniture store near the intersection of I 5 the Santa Ana Freeway and U S 605 the San Gabriel River Freeway not too far from Pasadena and downtown L A Only after a couple of years of lease negotiations and permit applications could work begin in mid 2017 on converting the filthy Downey outlet into a state of the art dealership a challenge that Barouti seemed to enjoy after a thorough seven day Zamboni power scrubbing of the entire premises The first day I walked into this place I visualized everything in my mind how I wanted it completely 100 said Barouti whose firm subsequently obtained 504000 in sales tax rebates from the Downey City Council in exchange for creating 55 full time jobs over seven years I knew exactly what I wanted after seeing other peoples dealerships as well as our own although I hadnt really seen anything in a warehouse setting before I knew exactly where the reception desk was going to be and where all the salespeople and the managers were going to sit where the finance and parts departments were going to be I saw everything the first day I was there Thats how things are today For instance imagine entering the two front doors of a typical department store a Gemco or Target or whatever he continued Right when youd walk in you look to the left and there was this podium kind of thing that looked like it would work as a good up station for the managers like a tower We redesigned that piece with a professional contractor a friend of mine who does Mercedes Benz Jaguar and Porsche dealerships who did all of our granite countertops the nice desks really cool shelving and credenzas You have to see the place to understand it but we just totally matched that desk tower to our reception desk with the granite countertops The former big box retail facility can accommodate 100 RVs inside and outdoor space for as many as 240 towable and motorized units Bobs Diner inside the expansive dealership 86 RVBusiness M A R C H A P R I L 2 0 1 9