by Eavin Moore
As our little column goes on from issue to issue, it is developing momentum. The last several establishments we have featured have all reported a major uptick in new visitors quick to mention this publication as the impetus to their journey. We are pleased to be able to shed some light on area 
craftspeople and unique retailers who might otherwise escape your notice.
For this issue we are making a bit of a departure and featuring a larger local retailer. The inspiration came, as it so often does, through the foibles of my beautiful yet somewhat daffy bride. You see, when we relocated from the huge house to the much smaller house a couple of years ago, we made great strides in eliminating much of the worthless clutter she had accumulated over the years. There was still to my dismay a good bit of unnecessary stuff (I say), that she wouldn’t part with yet. She rented a storage unit, and filled it to the brim with broken Christmas ornaments and other worthless treasures.
She informed me this past Sunday that she needed her St. Patrick’s Day decorations from the unit, but couldn’t remember the combination to the cheap lock she put on it. What I needed was bolt cutters.
This item in the tool family is something that gets infrequent use. The pair I own was loaned to a friend a few years ago, who promptly moved away, my cutters assumedly, with him.
I hate to spend good money on something used so infrequently, so I called a tool rental company and was told I could rent a pair @ $12 for 2 hours. That seemed a little steep. It was at that point that I scanned the deepest recesses of my mind for other sources. That’s when the jingle popped in my head “Shop Sav-On Discount Merchandise to buy the things you neeeeeed”.
As a fan of both bargains and the unusual, Sav-On has been among my favorite treasure hunting stops since the original location opened in the old S&H Greenstamps building back in the 70’s. I believe my first purchase was an 8-track tape deck. Back then a lot of the merchandise was salvage and slightly damaged freight items, etc. The original owners, Larry and Nina Casey soon realized that by buying new, quality items in large quantities and selling at a lower markup than the big chain stores, they could offer new merchandise at the same prices as their former products.
With the opening of their new warehouse and showroom at 2900 N. Belt in 1981, the store reached an entire new level in their offerings.
Furniture is their bread and butter. Employing a good, better, best philosophy, they truly have something for every budget. For the young family just starting out, they carry good quality, affordable sofas, dining and bedroom sets. If you are shopping for a particular national brand name you’ve seen advertised at one of the “upscale” furniture stores, Sav-On has that too. No doubt at considerable savings, and probably a bigger selection to boot.
My best example came last summer. My elderly grandmother called and asked if I would run to KC and get her a mattress from the Nebraska Furniture Mart. She knew the model she wanted, and had seen it on sale in their ad flyer. I told her I was sure I could find the same thing locally for a similar price, but she was adamant. There was never any hope of winning an argument with my grandma, so I stopped to get some cash and was just about to hit the highway when I had a thought: Sav-On!
I figured I could at least check with them before leaving town. What do you know, they had the same exact mattress for less than the giant retailer’s sale price. I loaded it up, then stopped at Legends for lunch and watched the Royals lose before making my delivery.
Grandma was thrilled, (I didn’t tell her, so don’t you either!), the difference in price, more than paid for our lunch, and we all lived happily ever after.
But Sav-On is more than just furniture. That in itself wouldn’t merit a place in this column. My personal interests lie, as you know, in let’s say the more unusual. Sav-On has this in spades.
I’m always intrigued by “As seen on TV” items. You’ll find many of them here. Collectables of various types are big sellers. If you hoard Coke, Pepsi or John Deere items, you’ll be hard pressed to find a larger selection in the whole region.
Animal figurines are always popular. Right now they tell me black bear items seem to be flying off the shelf, but wolves, frogs, cows and chickens are also well represented.
That brings us to tools. They have a large selection of tools every day, and at the same or lower prices than those truckload guys that come to town for 3 day sales in hotel ballrooms. I myself found a nice pair of bolt cutters for 12.95. They had a slightly smaller pair for a little less and a much bigger pair for a little more, but the ones I chose handled the job perfectly.
If you haven’t shopped Sav-On recently, maybe you should. If you’re a bargain hunter like me, there are hundreds to choose from. If you are a discriminating shopper looking for the highest quality home furnishings, they have that too. You can always tell your friends it came from a trendy KC stores if you must, and only you and your pocketbook will know the difference.
Go see the nice folks at Sav-On and see if they don’t tell you, “Come Look At My Stuff!” And please, don’t forget to tell ‘em Joe sent you.