Shawnee, Kan.--Besides playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, what do Larry Johnson, Eddie Kennison, and Greg Wesley have in common? They, along with many of their teammates, and a number of Kansas City Royals players drive cars that are accessorized with wheels from KC Trends. KC Trends is a 3,700-square-foot wheel, tire, and accessory shop located at 10818 Johnson Drive in Shawnee, Kan. Owner Chad Dearth said he opened the business 14 years ago, right out of high school.
"I saw a need for custom wheels," Dearth said, adding that while in high school, he purchased his first set of wheels from a mail-order catalog. "Once I put my new wheels on my truck, everyone at school wanted some, so I became their supplier."
Dearth, 34, said a lot has changed since he opened KC Trends in 1992. The market moved from high school students and a strong urban crowd to middle-class men with families. From there, "The sky's the limit," Dearth said. "Once the dads wanted them, the soccer moms wanted them, and once the soccer moms wanted them, everybody wanted them."
Dearth said that five years ago, when a couple came into the shop, they would look around, the woman would say no, and they would leave. Now he said, "If a couple walks in, they typically leave with two sets, and the woman gets hers first--always."
Once a set of wheels is purchased, Dearth said many customers are hooked.
"It is addicting," he said. "Once you buy a set of wheels, you get used to people looking at your car, you get used to the attention and people asking about them. So, whenever they buy a new car, we are their first stop."
Dearth added that a lot of customers get new cars every three years, and the first thing they do is put new wheels on them.
"It is almost like the cars are disposable. Everybody has weaknesses. Fortunately for us, a lot of people really love cars, and a lot people have money."
Dearth said he believes the swing in popularity toward a wider demographic can be attributed to the owner of Dub Magazine, who changed the industry by showing celebrities and athletes with custom wheels.
The growth in business for KC Trends allowed Dearth to purchase a second store, in Overland Park, Kan., which has a large base of potential customers, he said. The new store will be more than three times the size of the current store at 12,000 square feet and will open in mid-September, he said.
At the new location, KC Trends will have more space for other accessory work and plans to turn its focus to the complete vehicle package, including wheels, tires, exhaust systems, grills, lift kits, suspension, brakes, and lighting upgrades, Dearth said. Those sales will be aimed predominantly at the truck and SUV market, he said.
"Seventy-five percent of the wheels that are sold go on SUVs and trucks," he said. "Up until now, we have left the accessories and add-ons to those sales go untouched, but we are going to go after it now. There are a lot of truck stores in town that are doing a great job, but I still feel like there is a market for us, the guys that are doing the higher-end stuff. You are not going to see bug shields, truck-bed liners, and camper shells in our store; you are going to see the upscale higher end accessories."
At the Shawnee store, the attention has always been on tires and wheels because "that is where my money has been made, and that is where my knowledge is at," Dearth said.
The average price at KC Trends for a set of 17-inch to 20-inch wheels with tires ranges from $1,700-$2,000. This increases to $5,500-$6,000 on three-piece wheel and tire packages for a Bentley, Mercedes, or Lamborghini. And, if big wheels are what you are after, look to spend about $24,000 to put 30-inch wheels on a Hummer 2 or Escalade.
Dearth said his top lines are Giovanna, GNL, GFG, and Double GG, which fall under the Wholesale Tire and Wheel (WTW) Corp. umbrella. Early in his career, he said he met the owner of Giovanna and hit it off. Since then, KC Trends has been wholesaling its products. It ships to six states and stocks 600 wheels, he said. At the new location, it will stock 2000 wheels with fitment for all cars, which is really rare in the Midwest, he said. "We are really building on our wholesale side of the business," Dearth said. "It was a market that I saw on the high-end side that was really untapped in the Midwest. We can ship out and have wheels to St. Louis, Denver, and Minneapolis within a day or two for really high-end cars, where as it used to take four to six weeks to have them built or have the part shipped."
Dearth said that even as KC Trends opens a new store and expands its business, the key to success is still keeping every customer happy.
"In today's times, with the Internet, if you piss one customer off, a million people know about it. They post a blog or put a post on a chat group or forum," he said. "You really have to strive on making every single person happy. Obviously, in the parts business some things are out of your control--things come in late--but you really have to be on the ball as far as ordering things on time, getting them out on time, and getting the proper parts the first time."
By treating customers right and providing them with a quality product, Dearth said he hopes to put KC Trends on the map and break some of the stereotypes associated with the Midwest.
"Many people around the country still think Kansas is horses and cows. It is a stereotype that we are trying to help break," said Dearth, who was adamant about putting 'KC' in the name of the business.
"Our new marketing campaign has the Kansas City skyline as the backdrop, and that is going in national magazines like Dub, and it is on all of our fliers. I am really proud of Kansas City, and I just want let people know where we are at because Kansas City has come a long way."
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