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w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m N o v e m b e r 2 0 15 • I NSIGH T | 39 of a week. Even though the transition happened quickly, Judie says they relied heavily on their customers to learn what kind of products to stock. "We've made mistakes but we've also made great achievements and have seen a growth in sales since takeover," Judie says. "e amount of information you learn while taking over a business for the first time is unbelievable, but we learned a lot from the people that come to us, our customers." All for a cause Turning a profit is the mission behind most business models, but for the Lehmans, it's much more. As a way to bring more children into the store, the company runs a birthday club program for their youngest customers where an in-store gi certificate is mailed out one week before the child's birthday. "e best part of my job is seeing the smiles on children's faces when they come into the store. ose smiles are like profit to us," Judie says. For the owners, the business goes far beyond selling merchandise. ey want to keep the enthusiasm of model trains alive. As older collectors and enthusiasts are on the decline, the business buys and sells used trains and parts to avoid the chance of products being scrapped or stored away and forgotten about. "We have inventory that comes through the door for consignment," Tom says. "ere are models out there that have been sitting in someone's basement for years and we want to bring those back out and get them into the hands of collectors who can really appreciate them." Like the birthday club, the business aims to bring a younger crowd through the doors. e business aims to establish long-lasting relationships with clients through their brick and mortar store, as well as their eBay store. "We didn't open the business expecting to make a tremendous amount of money, we just like doing what we are doing," Judie says. Tom aims to make a difference in kids' lives. "If we could take one or two kids off the street and turn their focus to model trains, then everything we have done has been well worth it," he says. P H O T O B Y A N D R E W S C H A I C K