Nostalgia 2

40 Des Moines city Magazine nov Dec 07 jan 08 41

A reAl-life DAviD competing with goliAth

Written by J. Sharpe Smith

photoS by William J. GentSch

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nostalgia

things don’t look too good for the little guy these

days. With big-box retailers dominating the do-it-

yourself world, small businesses have a tough

time competing. Family-owned businesses are

also on the decline. although 80 percent of businesses start

out family owned, only one out of three is passed down to

the second generation and but one of every 10 is passed

down to the third generation.

american plumbing Supply co., a Des moines

institution for more than 70 years, has bucked both of those

trends. the family-owned business harks back to an earlier

time when family members worked side by side, and

children continued the tradition by taking over the business.

Founded by abe lekowsky in the 1930s, american

plumbing was passed on to his son harlan, who still works

at the company, and who has brought in his son David to

run it.

it all began during the Great Depression when abe

called in a plumber to fix a leaky toilet. the bill came to $5,

which he had to pay over time. the experience left him with

an epiphany that would shape his life and the lives of the

next two generations of his family. he decided

people should be able to save money by

fixing their own plumbing. after

borrowing $150, he purchased a

truck and brought in a load of

plumbing supplies from chicago,

which he sold out of his back

yard in Des moines. in those

days, he sold a little of everything, from furniture to gas

stoves and motors.

by 1936, he was ready for an away-from-home business

location and rented a storefront on locust Street for a year,

then moved a block away on Grand avenue to rent a space

that was previously occupied by the Swan motorcar

company. he sold furniture as well as plumbing supplies

until the start of World War ii, when he dropped the

furniture. the company is still selling plumbing supplies

today at 504 e. Grand ave.

at american plumbing, everything is pretty much done

the same as it was when abe forged the business. you

won’t have to dodge any forklifts to get to the parts

ordering desk, maybe just a dolly loaded with wood

heading for the stove in the back. computerization has not

found its way into this red brick building in the heart of the

east Village. a trip upstairs reveals shelves and shelves of

hundreds of catalogs and manuals for ordering parts and

plumbing products. the inventory is not kept on a database.

there are no barcode scanners. receipts are handwritten.

change is still counted back and placed in your hand.

checks are printed using the manual “paymaster

ribbon Writer.” Sales are rung up on an

ornate turn-of-the-century brass cash

register that still provides a sprightly

“ka-ching,” as opposed to today’s

pervasive electronic “bee-boop.”

after World War ii, times were

particularly good for american

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plumbing as the returning veterans caused a housing boom.

houses that needed plumbing. the store buzzed with

activity with several employees busily cutting and threading

pipes at a workbench in the back of the store. there’s not a

lot of call for custom-threaded metal pipes these days and

the machines sit silent, but the “pipes threaded” neon sign

still shines above the room.

in the 1950s and 1960s, american plumbing fell on

hard times when the macVicar Freeway was built and many

homes were torn down and salvaged, causing a glut in

plumbing parts. it was then that abe decided he needed a

specialty to ensure demand. the answer was valve stems

for faucets. When a faucet begins to leak, the culprit, more

than likely, is a worn-out valve stem. Due to a lack of

standardization, one valve stem doesn’t fit all faucets. in

fact, today, american plumbing has thousands of them —

each one just a little different from the next but guaranteed

to fit one of the faucet models out there. but that isn’t the

amazing part. harlan lekowsky, 82, whose eyes dance

when a customer brings in a corroded valve stem with a

dark patina, can find the correct replacement within

seconds.

“customers will come from across iowa if they really

love the faucet and want to keep it,” he says.

customers won’t find the frills, special lighting and

point-of-purchase displays so common today at american

plumbing. What they will find is a reliable source for every

accessory imaginable — from faucet stems and handles to

pipes, toilets and bathtubs — to rehabilitate an older home

or simply maintain a current bathroom. the store offers

more that retro plumbing supplies, however. it has

nostalgia

What is really unique about american plumbing can’t

be found on a balance sheet or in one of the cubbyholes

containing washers or pipe elbows or faucet handles. Des

moines has grown a lot since the 1930s, but when you cross

the store’s threshold you can imagine that it is still a small

town. one of the company’s most endearing qualities is its

warm, inviting atmosphere of old friends getting together.

there is no rush. the air is lively, with questions and

answers shooting back and forth across the counter while

copper pipe is prepared or a valve stem is replaced, with a

few stories and laughter added for good measure.

When David talks about the store’s customers, he uses

words like loyal and third-generation to describe them.

“people know us. they come to us for advice. We show

them how to do it,” he says. helen adds, “Service is our

specialty.” a customer ribs her, “Does that mean you

install?” laughter ensues.

David lekowsky does consulting on how to complete

the plumbing job, and if the do-it-yourself plumber gets

stuck, help is a phone call away. there is no 800 number,

no automated phone attendant and no wait for the next

available customer service representative.

if you hang around the establishment on a Saturday

morning, you are sure to meet some of the store’s loyal

customers. mike maxwell, for an example, was recently

picking up supplies to re-plumb the bathroom of his east-

side neighbor, Don Spaw.

“With David’s assistance, we are redoing the sink, the

shower, the water supply and the drains,” says maxwell.

“We come here for the service. the big-box store

employees all seem to be hurried, and i don’t know the

extent of their knowledge.”

in other instances, customers have been directed to

american plumbing from one the do-it-yourself big-box

stores, which didn’t have the part they needed. it is a good

example of how a small business can compete with larger

chains through specialization and service. a chain is not

going to carry 2,000 to 3,000 varieties of faucet valve

stems, some of which have to be specially made at a

machine shop because suppliers don’t carry them anymore.

it warms the heart to see a tradition maintained over

the years and to see a company achieve success by serving

the community and sticking to the values of old-fashioned

customer service. the lekowskys’ business, which has

thrived for more than 70 years, is living proof that a small

family-owned business can hold its own against today’s

retail behemoths, using expertise and specialty products, as

opposed to computerization and size, to maintain its

clientele and win new converts. n

diversified its product line to include high-end goods, such

as toto and Kohler plumbing fixtures and Whirlpool

bathtubs.

customers don’t just receive the exact parts they need;

an explanation on installation is given freely with every part

sold. When it comes to institutional memory, it’s hard to

beat american plumbing. harlan lekowsky’s 60-plus years

in the plumbing business makes him a dependable

resource.

lekowsky’s wife helen is not too far behind with a half

century of experience. She grew up in a family grocery

store in Valley Junction, another small business where the

customers were also their friends. it was perfect training for

her life with harlan. after marrying him at 23 years of age,

she left her family’s business and began working at

american plumbing with harlan’s parents, abe and rose,

his sister, ethylene, and her sons, michael and ivan.

“i had a wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law,” says

helen. “they were a great help as i learned the plumbing

parts business.”

abe and helen’s son David, 44, was 12 years old when

he began to mind the store, so he knows a thing or two, as

well, when it comes to plumbing. Growing up, he spent

school vacations and Saturday mornings working at the

store.

“the kids my age would have never understood,”

David said. “i didn’t play baseball or do a lot of things other

kids did, but i am glad i was able to spend time with my

family.” even today, he sees his parents almost daily. after

11 am, harlan and helen can be found back behind the

counter helping David mind the store.

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Business

Nostalgia 2