By Jen Horton
posted Jun 18, 2008 - 7:57:09pm
The news is so sad, David Stepp finds it difficult to talk about.
But he has to. Soon enough, the community will know: After 36 years, he is closing the business his father built from nothing in 1972.
Stepp Office Supply, at 300 N. Amelia Ave. in DeLand, will have its last day in business June 30.
"We're closing the retail store as of next week," Stepp said. "We hung on as long as we could."
As he talked about 36 years of memories, David Stepp had to pause a few times.
The words were difficult to say, and they were difficult for DeLand to hear.
"We've seen the writing on the wall for years," David Stepp said. "Small mom-and-pop retail stores are a thing of the past."
He continued.
"We survived OfficeMax; we could have survived Office Depot; but then the economy went down," he said.
An employee will keep the office-supply business going, in a fashion, with an ordering-and-delivery service for commercial customers only. Gone, however, will be the opportunity to stroll into Stepp Office Supply, chat with the family and staff, look over the merchandise, and buy some paper and pens.
DeLand has a long memory, and many DeLandites recall David Stepp's father, Jim Stepp, as a savvy businessman with a ready smile. They remember little David riding a bicycle through the streets to deliver office supplies to his father's customers.
Beacon co-publisher Joann Kramer has been friends with — and has done business with — the Stepp family for more than three decades.
"I remember when Stepp was back by McCabe's," Kramer said. "David Stepp was like 9 years old. He was like a little man. He'd stock the shelves, and he knew where everything was."
Kramer smiled and recalled the Stepp family.
"Jim was one of the nicest men in the world," she said. "They have a wonderful family. David is every bit as nice as his dad."
DeLand Economic Development Coordinator Taver Cornett also knew Jim Stepp, and thinks highly of the family.
"David's second-generation," Cornett said. "I knew Jim Stepp, I know David and his wife. I'm going to miss their providing personal service."
"It was always a pleasure to deal with Stepp," Cornett added.
Cornett said David Stepp was concerned about the large chains coming into the area.
Retail chains OfficeMax and Office Depot stand on opposite gateways of Woodland Boulevard.
According to David Stepp, the chain stores aren't the reason his family business is closing. Neither has the proliferation of shopping online affected his store too much.
The problem, instead, was the final whammy of a drooping economy combined with the rising cost of overhead.
David's wife, Debbie Stepp, talked about the cost of doing business, and how the sluggish economy has affected their store in a way the retail chains did not.
"People are buying as little as possible," she said.
But, she added, overhead — including insurance and property taxes — was the real killer.
"I don't think people understand how expensive it is to run a business," Debbie Stepp said.
Janet Bollum, owner of The Muse Book Shop and president of the MainStreet DeLand Association, is sorry to see a locally owned business go.
"I think it's a sad day in DeLand when an independent closes," Bollum said. "I do a lot of business with independents."
Of course, Stepp provided office supplies for The Muse.
"I go there because they know what their products are, and they know what I need," Bollum said. "I think when you lose any independent, you lose that high level of service."
DeLand Mayor Bob Apgar wished the Stepp family well in their future endeavors.
"It's always sad to see a longtime business change hands," the mayor said. "I wish David all the success in the future. "
He added, "The Stepp family has been good community supporters in many ways. They have a long, strong history in the community. We thank them for it."
DeLand City Commissioner Charles Paiva talked about the Stepp building.
"It's been a community asset as well as a business asset," Paiva said. "It's been kind of a community gathering place."
David Stepp talked about the coming transition. Even though the building and the retail portion of the business will be gone, Stepp's service will go on.
"I do want to stress to people, even though the retail store will be closed, Stepp will still be here," David Stepp said.
He said even though the store will close, most folks won't have to change the way they do business.
"Ron Probst, who has been an employee for 24 years, bought the commercial accounts," David Stepp said.
Probst teamed up with Orlando-based Office Source USA, which, according to David Stepp, is a $15-million-a-year commercial office-supply chain.
Probst will still handle customer accounts, and Steve Malloy, the Stepp delivery driver, will still deliver orders the next day.
"They'll still see Steve," David Stepp said. "Ninety percent of our customers never come into our store. You'll still get your stuff the next day, no charge, no minimum order."
The Stepp building will be for sale.
David Stepp said the building is a source of pride for him.
"We built the building in 1984," he said. "In 1985, it won the National Geyers Award for best retail store in America."
As for David and Debbie's plans, "I'm retiring," David said. "No more 14-hour days."
Debbie Stepp said the couple plans to spend some time in the mountains, and take a few well-deserved vacations.
They will remain members of the DeLand business community. The Stepps own two laundromats on the north and south sides of town: Boulevard Laundry and South Side Coin Laundry.
Stepp Office Supply will open one more time later this year to have a sale of remaining inventory.
After 36 years of serving the community, the Stepp family is thankful for those who patronized their business through the years.
"We want to thank our customers," David Stepp said.
Reader Comments
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By now, Stepp knows exactly the stuff I use. I kill a lot of trees here; it is the nature of the business. Stepp has been here pretty regularly to furnish more supplies.
I admit that I did not visit the store very regularly, but then I didn't need to since they deliver.
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