New Tri-City Sales open for business

SALEM – Familiar faces and personalized service in the appliance showroom are what help set Tri-City Sales apart from the national chair retail stores.”When people come into the store, they like the fact that they can recognize the sales staff,” said Tom Kulevich, vice president of Tri-City Sales, which completely rebuilt its showroom at 272 Highland Ave. where the business has been located for more than 50 years. “We’re a family-owned and operated business. Our customers like the personalized service and we offer then competitive pricing.”Construction of the new building began in 2007 and was completed late last year. “We had an opportunity to develop the property and build a state-of-the-art store,” said Kulevich, noting that the former building encompassed about 9,000 square feet, while the new store is 8,400 square feet. “Slightly smaller, but the new store is a nice square box. The other store was cut up into a lot of angles. Now we have lots of wall space to display our products.”The new store is sited at the intersection of Route 107 (Highland Avenue) and Marlborough Road. Traffic coming from Lynn can turn left onto Marlborough Road and right into the parking lot. Traffic from Salem can turn directly into the lot from Highland Avenue.”There’s a Dunkin’ Donuts next door and around the back is Family Kitchens, which is a company that distributes cabinetry,” said Kulevich, who runs Tri-City Sales with his brother-in-law, Rick Cohen, the company president.Tri-City Sales, which has about 35 employees, was founded by Cohen’s grandfather, the late Samuel Rome. Cohen’s father, David Cohen, also ran the commodity business and is now retired. “My father-in-law was instrumental in developing the business over the years,” Kulevich said. “Some of our sales people have been here over 40 years. They know the products and they can give our customers a personalized touch. A good portion of our business comes through word of mouth and by reputation..”The new store features “live” kitchen appliances, which are in operating condition so that they can be demonstrated. “Our kitchens are hooked up live because people want to see the appliance perform before they buy it. It’s like test driving a car,” Kulevich said. “We didn’t have that capability in the old store. But now we can hold cooking demonstrations and have different events throughout the year where were invite builders, contractors and designers in cooperation with some of the vendors and do some hosting and entertaining.”Kulevich said the store carries a wide array of brands in price ranges to accommodate every budget. “We have refrigerators from $400 to $10,000. It all depends on what the customer wants and needs,” he said. “We have energy-saving appliances that are very efficient, top of the line products from Sub-Zero and Wolf, and a large inventory of electronics such as flat-screen TVs from Sony, Samsung and Panasonic that are competitively priced..”Tri-City Sales has a second store at 77 Turnpike Road along Route 1 in Ipswich, and a Web site at www.Tri-City-Sales.com. The Salem store can be reached at (978) 744-6100.Tri-City Sales Grand Opening March 6-8Where: Tri-City Sales new showroom at 262 Highland Ave., Salem. Sale and raffle offers also valid at company’s Ipswich location. 77 Turnpike Road.BIG RAFFLE PRIZES INCLUDE:*No Purchase required! Raffle taking place Mon. 3/2 – Sun, 3/8Everyone Qualifies to win the following:~Sansui: 37″LCD TV (value $700)~Bosch dishwasher (SHE4AM15UC Ascenta SS w/EcoSense wash management. (Retail value: $600).~GE Frontloading washer efficiency. Rated #2 by leading consumer magazine WCVH6800JWW (retail $999).~Electrolux: EWFLW65HTS and EWED65HTS -Wave Touch High efficiency Tourquoise Sky color) (Retail Value $3000 for the pair)~Marvel:Built-in wine unit. Talked to Mark, the Eastern Rep. he was fantastic. Model # 61WCMBSG. 45 bottle wine cellar. Has angled display presentation rack, stainless steel trim glass door with professional handle.Digitall