New Owner, Location Ideal for Store Fixture Business

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Ideal Store Fixtures Inc. has both a new location and a new owner.

James Miketa, the founder of Ideal Store Fixtures, which has been a fixture in the Mahoning Valley for more than four decades, announced this week he has sold his business after an extensive search.

“I’ve been at it 41 years, and it’s time to settle down and retire. I was lucky enough to find a gentleman who’s been in the industry about 15 years. It was a match that I thought would benefit the retail market and would benefit my employees, and it’s going to be a good fit.”

The new owner, Dan Iler of Customized Liquidations, a Tennessee-based company with 15 years of experience in retail fixtures, has some big plans to move to an Austintown location and expand the business, Miketa says.

Ideal Store Fixtures Inc. will get a slight name change to Ideal Store Fixtures LLC, a division of Customized Liquidations. Supplying dry-goods retail fixtures to medium and small chain stores, as well as to mom-and-pop stores, Ideal Store Fixtures sells shelving, showcases, custom counters and slatwall perimeter displays. Ideal Store Fixtures’ employees design the retail displays based on space and the needs of businesses, working strictly with businesses selling dry goods, not refrigerated or freezer equipment.

Iler has already leased a building at 400 Victoria Road in Austintown, which Miketa said is triple the size of the current location on Meridian Road. That will allow the business to expand.

“We’ve been a staple on Meridian Road for 28 years,” Miketa said. “The move fits better into Mr. Iler’s vision of where he can take this company, and we’re excited to be part of it.”

Facing retirement, Miketa said he spent about five years searching for the right person to take over the business he built. He wanted someone who would retain his loyal employees, someone who knew the business and would keep it in the Valley.

One of the three full-time employees has worked for him for 37 years, and another for 15 years. The business also employs one part-time employee, as well as Miketa, who plans to stay on through the transition.

“I’ve made a living. I’ve raised a family in this Valley for 41 years,” Miketa said. “I’m grateful for all my customers and loyal support and just excited to see it continue on.”

Pictured at top: The building at 400 Victoria Road in Austintown that will be the new location for Ideal Store Fixtures.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.