What is your mission? You know, every company these days apparently has to have a mission......

From the day we opened our doors in January 2009, our mission has been to bring a fresh new face to an industry which has been dominated by long established companies who have forgotten the art of attentive, efficient, friendly and reliable service – we have no doubts that our customer service and expertise is the best in the industry! 

How did you get the name Rax & Dollies?

When we were throwing around names at the start we were wanting to come up with a name that didn't make us sound like a hardware or office supplies store and was memorable with a dash of fun. We threw some bad names around until my wife said a lot of customers call mannequins "dollies". I added "Racks" but it still didn't look right, so we added an "x" to the Racks and got Rax & Dollies, and we knew instantly that we had our name. We love that so many phone calls we get from customers begin with "I love your name"!

Just who are you people?

Graeme and Kathi Mc Pherson are the founders and owners of Between us we have nearly 30 years of experience in this industry - before we started Rax & Dollies we both worked for one of the largest shop fitting companies in Australia - Graeme as General Manager, and Kathi as Head of Corporate Sales. 

How did you get into a weird business that sells mannequins and display fixtures for shops?

It kind of just happened actually. Graeme was much more interested in playing bass in his rock band and was quite hoping to avoid the whole 9 to 5 lifestyle. This however was not to be, and one day very reluctantly he took up a 3 week casual job in the warehouse for a shopfitting company, which initially, he really hated. Eventually though, he went from sweeping the warehouse floor and buying all the bosses and sales reps lunch everyday (oh the job satisfaction) and was one day made warehouse manager. From there he must have done something right as he was made general manager of the company a few years later.

It was while working there that Graeme met Kathi, who had moved to Sydney from Orange and had fallen just as accidentally into the weird world of shopfittings. Before moving to Sydney Kathi was working in electrical sales, particularly these brand new things called mobile phones, which might have a bright future. After Kathi had gone to several job interviews on the same day, she took the job she liked least at a shopftting company, because the hours suited her best. She absolutely hated her first week working there but stuck it out and her boss realised that this girl could really sell! As time went by, Kathi was made head of the company's corporate sales department and has become one of the industry's most trusted sales consultants. 

Why did you start your own business?

After working at the same place for 15 years, Graeme got itchy feet and initially intended to take up a job offer from a rival company. At the same time, competitors were trying to poach Kathi's services as well, and after much thought, we decided that maybe we could start our own business together. We were very aware that there was a place for a business that dedicated itself to an elite level of service and providing a quality range of products and services, and thought we could really bring a fresh face to this industry.

So, in late 2008 as the GFC took hold, we naturally thought there couldn't be a better time to put our house, mortgage and financial security on the line by starting our own business. We travelled overseas visiting potential suppliers, who mostly looked at us with concerned faces asking us "Are you sure you should be starting a new business in the middle of the financial crisis?". 

Five years later...

Here in 2014, the industry is in a interesting place. Retail is tough - big name brands are going under all the time, while others are fighting just to stay afloat. Competition in our particular industry is always challenging, particularly when so many "dodgey" suppliers are starting up, importing shockingly inferior quality products and driving pricing down, as well as service levels and regard for customers.

It's a great time to be a purchaser for a retailer - racks that just 5 years ago were selling for $149 can now be found for around the $60 mark. Obviously, that doesn't happen without major compromises in product quality, so while we encourage everyone to go out and research the best deals - one trueism in business remains - caveat emptor! 

How do we handle all of this? Well, in some cases we adapt - where we can, we bring our pricing on commodity items like salesman's racks into line with everyone else. However, unlike some of the "internet only backyard boys" out there, you can trust us that we haven't brought in an inferior product to meet a price point.

And all in all, our business is based around a long term perspective - to provide great products and unequalled customer service and to ensure your business thrives. We look forward to being of service to you!