A renovated B & J Power Equipment coming back to Du Quoin
<p class="News">The iconic B & J Power Equipment business at 10 S. Mulberry St. in Du Quoin is back — or will be, by around March 1.
<p class="News">Working to renovate the space and reopen the business are Josh Gibson and Ryan Lively, two longtime employees of the legendary sales and service shop, which was the go-to place for generations of Du Quoin homeowners.
<p class="News">Their intention, Gibson said Thursday, is to recreate everything that was good about the old B & J. The equipment they sell will be good quality, and repairs will be done on site, he said. As well, the old B & J was generous with its time and expertise to the city of Du Quoin and other businesses nearby, something else they intend to emulate.
<p class="News">And in case they ever veer off track, Bill Hamburger and Jess Coffel — the original “B” and “J” — are advising them.
<p class="News">“We’re going to make it sustainable and modernize,” Gibson said. “But we’re not going to change the community nature of the business.”
<p class="News">The name of the shop will be B & J’s Power Equipment, although the sign will be new.
<p class="News">“It’s pretty much of an icon,” Gibson said, joking, “We’re very similar to Bill and Jess, just another Odd Couple.”
<p class="News">The city of Du Quoin is helping the new business, first by funneling $15,000 in tax increment financing money to the new owners in one lump sum; and then by giving Gibson and Lively another $15,000 in TIF money over the next five years. The business is in Du Quoin’s downtown TIF district, which means as buildings get renovated and are worth more, increases in property tax revenue get siphoned off into a TIF fund, which is then used to promote more new business.
<p class="News">No TIF money is from residential property taxes.
<p class="News">The TIF money is meant to reimburse Gibson and Lively for building improvements, like wall stabilization, roofing and electrical upgrades — things that make the property more valuable, City Clerk Andrew Croessman said.
<p class="News">According to Du Quoin city officials, Gibson and Lively have invested $55,000 of their own money.
<p class="News">Du Quoin’s economic development coordinator, Jeff Ashauer, told the city council on Monday that the TIF district has done its job, and created “a rise in small business” in the downtown area.
<p class="News">B & J was always a good, stable business in Du Quoin, Croessman said. “They were in business a long time; everyone took their mowers and weed-eaters and blowers there.”
<p class="News">The business has roots in Du Quoin that go back generations. Hamburger and Coffel bought Gremmels Hardware in 1979 from Louis and Kathy Gremmel, and evolved it into B & J Power Equipment after the hardware business closed. They worked together 55 years and were honored as Citizens of the Year in January 2013.
<p class="News">Gibson said he thinks the new B & J Power Equipment will be eagerly accepted by Du Quoin residents, especially since it has only been a year since Hamburger and Coffel retired.
<p class="News">Another business, Du Quoin Small Tractor and Power Equipment, LLC, owned by local pastor Joel Vancil, occupied the building for part of 2016.