Making metal available to everyone
Wayne Grimes, an Andover subdivision resident, has purchased a franchise and opened Metal Supermarkets Knoxville, a retail business that makes metal available to everyone from hobbyists to manufacturers.
Metal Supermarkets Knoxville, an independently owned and operated franchised business, opened at 500 Milwaukee Way, off Dutchtown Road, in late 2015.
“We have been very, very happy with the way our business has grown and the acceptance we have received in Knoxville,” Grimes said. “For our last month, the Knoxville location had the highest sales of any of the stores that have been opened for less than two years. I’m real happy with that.”
Grimes said his goal now is to get the word out that the business is open.
“The growth of our business is dependent upon people finding out that we are here,” he said. “Once that they find out that we are here and find out what we do, we’ve got a new customer.
“A large percentage of our sales is business to business sales, so this [location] really is a great location for those customers, and we’re not that far from Turkey Creek, which gives us access to a lot of retail customers and hobbyists,” he said.
Grimes described Metal Supermarkets Knoxville as a retail business that sells metal in all shapes and cut to size.
“We kind of cater to a very broad spectrum of customers, from the hobbyists and gardeners to Oak Ridge National Labor-
atories, The University of Ten-nessee and End Zone Manufac-turing,” he said.
Grimes and his family have lived in the Farragut community for 25 years.
“So, this is home for us,” he said.
Before he purchased Metal Supermarkets franchise and opened the store, Grimes was buying and selling real estate. Prior to real estate, he owned Super Cuts franchise in Knoxville.
“I was just looking for another business to get into,” he said. “I was needing something to do. I didn’t want to retire yet. I looked for two years before I located this company.
There are 85 Metal Supermarkets locations worldwide, he said. Five of those are in the United Kingdom, about 15 are in Canada and the rest are in the United States.
“Our business, really, is customer service,” Grimes said.
“We provide metal of all types to customers when they need it and in the amount that they need, so it’s not really any different than any other retail business. It really boils down to customer service.
“With us, the thing that we offer that’s different from anyone else is the ability to buy the amount of metal you want, anywhere from 6 inches up to a truckload and get it when you want it at a fair price.
“With our network of stores, if I don’t have it at this location, there’s a good possibility that Nashville [store location] has it or Atlanta has it or Charlotte has it or Cincinnati has it; and we can transport inventory very easily,” Grimes said. “We will get it for you.
“We kind of specialize in difficult-to-find materials, as well as the most common types of metals in the market.”
Customers can find aluminum, stainless steel, C.F. steel bars, hot-rolled carbon steel, brass, copper, tool steel, bearing bronze, alloy steel and specialty products, such as spring steel, titanium, bar grating, safety grating, exotic alloys, shim stock, threaded rod and pipe fittings.
“The company has been around for 30 years, and they fill a really good niche that nobody else fills,” Grimes said.
The store is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. People can call or go online to locate the metals they need, he said.
For more information about Metal Supermarkets Knoxville, call 865-630-2555 or e-mail the store at knoxville@metalsupermarkets.com or visit online at metalsupermarkets.com/knoxville
