Apodaca Brothers Construction and Air Conditioning recently moved from their location at 801 E. Campbell to 801 W. Francis, formerly the Johnson’s Home Furnishing building. The building offers the floor space needed for the new retail and supply aspect of the business, which owner Francisco Apodaca hopes to fill by March.
Francisco grew up in Pampa and has lived here since 1979, and learned his trade in Tulsa, Okla. He brought his trade back to Pampa and worked for H&S Heating and Air for awhile before opening his own business, Apodaca Brothers, in 2006.
“We started here in Pampa in 2006,” said Apodaca.
He explained that when he first started, that they were in a building in the south part of town. They then purchased the old church located on Campbell and operated from there until he bought the building he is currently operating from on Francis in Dec. 2019.
“We’ve always been contractors and installers- we’ve never tried anything retail until now. The reason we moved here is to open the doors to some walk-in customers and some do-it-yourselfers. And it’s not just for the general public, it’s for contractors as well,” says Francisco.
“It’s also an opportunity to let people get to know us. You would be surprised how many people come in here and ask ‘How long have you been in business?’”
Francisco said that he has always offered the products he uses for installation and contract work for sale, but not many people knew about it because it was all stored in his warehouse.
Since moving in, Francisco and his team have painted a few walls and set up shelving for the retail products they already offer. About one quarter of the space is filled so far, with more to come.
While Apodaca still offers fully-serviced installations themselves, they also see that many like to purchase and install their own air conditioning or already have another company they trust to do the work for them. The retail addition offers do-it-yourselfers the products they need to do their own jobs without having to drive for an hour or more, and a 30 percent discount is offered to other local companies who do work and installations similar to Apodaca. Francisco hopes that this transition will earn the trust and business of those individuals and companies. The retail location will also carry most sizes of air filters.
“We have Bill Campbell in here setting up the computers and our point-of-sale (system). We have a cashier in the front. You can come in, get what you need and check out at the register. It makes it simple,” says Francisco.
“We keep about three people on the floor to help customers who come in.”
Apodaca’s new retail location offers products that you otherwise would not find locally. Francisco believes that by offering these products, he can help others to both save and make money, all while keeping all the dollars spent and earned within the local Pampa area.
“We’ve got a lot of things that you can’t find at the hardware store. We have big duct work, mortars, capacitors, control boards, igniters - the kind of stuff only big supply stores have, not retail stores,” said Francisco.
“For now, we are working with what we already have. As we make progress, we will be bringing in more inventory.”
For more information about Apodaca Brothers Cunstruction and Air Conditioning’s new retail location, you can visit them at 801 W. Francis between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or you can go online to their Facebook Page.
