Home Choice, which opened in December in the EasTen Mall, sells brand-name furniture, appliances, electronics and tools on flexible payment schedules. Shown are assistant manager Damien DelCastillo, account manager Tre Garrett, manager Jeremy Stutes, and sales manager Kris Benlioglu. (Photo/Nancy Hanson)
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
Sales manager Kris Benlioglu says the new Home Choice store in Moorhead’s EasTen Shopping Center offers a route for those who are short on cash or credit to set up a home they’ll be proud of.
“We offer financing to everybody, regardless of their credit score or a pile of money to put down,” the Dilworth native explains.
“I was a customer here before I got this job,” he adds. “I liked the way I was treated. Home Choice gives you a better way to get good furniture and electronics without laying out a big pile of cash up front or fitting into some rigid set of financing guidelines.”
Home Choice, a division of Rent-A-Center, operates throughout Minnesota. The Moorhead store, which opened in mid-December, was the 17th of what’s now a family of 19 locations. Its approach to financing purchases was designed as an alternative to the rent-to-own concept, which is illegal according to the state’s usury laws.
Instead, Benlioglu says, the company’s approach is more direct: Credit is never a problem. Terms of three to six months are typical, though arrangements can be made for up to two years. “You leave with your purchase with 10% down,” he says. “With 25% down, you get our lowest interest rate. With 50%, there’s no interest at all over up to six months.
“We finance everybody.” He adds, “Obviously the rates are a little different with a credit score of 500 versus 650, but everybody gets their shot. As long as their payments are on time, we give them a way to rebuild their credit at the same time.”
When first-time customers come in, the sales manager notes, they often expect to find refurbished or off-brand merchandise. They’re about to be surprised: The store’s showroom and warehouse are stocked with first-rate name brand merchandise – stylish Ashley furniture; LG and Samsung TVs; Amana, Maytag and Whirlpool refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers; and HP, Apple and Acer computers and laptops. Patio furniture is also on the way.
They handle DeWalt and Porter Cable tools, tires and snowblowers. Several old-style arcade games are displayed amidst the stereos. And there’s an unexpected surprise — Swagtron e-pedal bikes. Those battery-boosted pedal bikes have been especially popular: “Our first four sales were e-bikes,” he says. They offer an inexpensive way to get around, reaching speeds of 18 miles per hour, yet small enough to fold and easily tote up the stairs to an apartment.
The new store’s clientele is all over the map in age and life stage. “You never know who will walk through the door next,” Benlioglu says. “It’s not just people in a tough situation or just starting out. We get young couples, singles, retired people – all ages, genders and races. When an individual walks in, you never know what they’re going to need.”
He believes that the early buzz about Home Choice portends of better things to come for their location at EasTen. “Living in Dilworth, I watched this shopping center start out strong, then empty out. It’s great to see it on the grow again.”
Home Choice is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 to 6 Saturday. The store is closed Sundays. More information on financing and an overview of its merchandise is online at HomeChoiceStores.com.
