Holiday decorating is their business
Bob Jones Sr. and his daughter, Sandra, are connoisseurs of artificial Christmas trees.
Jones has been making an annual buying pilgrimage to China for 28 years and Sandra has been accompanying him for the past 15 years. Along with Sandra's brother, Bob Jones Jr., the three family members own nine American Sale stores around the Chicago area and in northwest Indiana.
The purpose of the Jones' China trip each year is to handpick Christmas trees for their showrooms and to provide suggestions for improvements to manufacturers so their suppliers can provide increasingly higher-quality artificial trees.
"We insist that they supply us with only commercial-grade lighting and trees that include heavy-duty wire in the tips of every branch so that they can hold heavy ornaments," Jones Sr. said. "We also demand the use of heavy-duty poles and metal-hinged construction and because of all that, we are able to provide a five-year structural warranty on all of our trees."
Trees in the American Sale showrooms range in size from 2 to 12 feet tall.
"This year we are also offering an exciting new tree called the 'Quick Set' tree that immediately lights as each of the three sections is assembled. There are no cords to connect within the tree. There is just the one cord to plug into the wall outlet," Jones said.
Another exciting tree offering is the dual-lighting LED tree that allows homeowners to switch the lights from clear to multicolor with the flick of a switch. The tree lights can also be programmed to fade back and forth between the options. There are nine different lighting options offered in this tree, which comes in sizes ranging from 4½ to 12 feet.
Matching dual-lighting wreaths and garlands are also available.
About 180 different tree types, shapes and sizes are available in each American Sale showroom, including those in Lake Zurich, Naperville, Carol Stream and Romeoville.
"We like to display everything. We feel people want to see and touch the product," said Jones, who runs the business with his son, Bob Jr., who serves as president. Sandra is in charge of design.
"We carry colored trees up to 7½ feet, flocked trees, numerous varieties of evergreens and spruces and lots of slim-line trees. People's homes aren't getting any bigger so many are choosing the slim trees," he said. "Besides, people are putting between two and five trees in the average house today and they don't want all of them to be large and full."
Another big category for American Sale is wreaths, mailbox swags and garlands lit by battery-operated lights. Many of the lights feature timer-regulated LEDs (light-emitting diodes) that use so little energy that one set of batteries will suffice for an entire holiday season. You can set them and forget them.
"We are very conscious about the quality of the items we sell. For instance, many of our competitors sell trees with 12-inch lead cords while our average cord is 30-inches. We make sure we offer good prices, but not by sacrificing quality," Jones said.
In addition to trees, American Sale sells LED lights, incandescent lights, icicle lights, beads, garlands and more. Everything you need to buy to decorate for the holidays is available, along with decorated trees to show customers how to use the items they are purchasing.
The business also sells between 30 and 35 outdoor inflatables ranging from a 6-foot turkey to reindeer, snowmen and Santa with his sleigh. Some are as high as 20 feet once inflated.
And those hard-to-find blow-molded Nativity scenes, snowmen, Santas and other items are also available at American Sale. Made in North Carolina, these lawn display items are no longer sold by the large retailers because they take up too much space in the average semitrailer tractor, Jones said. However, he still sells them and his lowest-price guarantee even extends to these much-sought-after decorations.
When not the holidays, American Sale focuses on other seasonal items, such as swimming pools, outdoor play sets, bar stools, patio furniture, pool tables and grill areas that look like outdoor kitchens.
"Keep in mind that we also have lots of hot tubs on display," Jones said. "November and December are the best times to buy these items because this is when you can get the lowest prices of the season, so consider buying one as a family Christmas present."
On its 50th anniversary, American Sale was named Retailer of the Year by the state of Illinois. Jones started the business after he graduated high school, got married and opened a tiny toy store in Chicago. Fifty-five years later, he and his two children have nine stores and the chain is based in Tinley Park. It also sells Christmas lights, inflatables and other outdoor displays for the holidays.
Area American Sale stores are located at 676 Amersale Drive, Naperville, (630) 276-7777; 320 W. Army Trail Road, Carol Stream (630) 504-2151; 745 N. Center Blvd., Romeoville, (815) 512-7171; and 748 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich, (224) 286-1650.
For more information, visit www.americansale.com.