A Chat with October’s Profile, Bill Boatman, Founder and Owner of Bill Boatman and Company

CS: What sets your company apart from the others?

BB: We’re working for a limited audience and we’ve chosen to stay in our niche. Most of the competition has disappeared in our niche. Only two to three percent of our business is from walk-ins, but these people pass us along to their family and friends. We’ve become a tradition amongst some families. I’ve been dealing with many of the same customers for decades, some of whom I’ve become good friends with. A lot of times a guy will come into the store and will say ‘my father used to buy from you’ and then you remember his family.