COOS BAY - Everybody was smiling at Bay Appliance & TV in Coos Bay last week.

Since the lead salesman and an outside serviceman took over ownership, the overall feeling at the store appeared pretty “kicked back.”

Ken Griffith was in sales at the store for 20 years before buying it from the previous owners, Bill Campbell and Don Heldstab, the proprietors for about 45 years.

“An opportunity came up for me to purchase the store with who I thought was the most competent serviceperson in the area,” Griffith said, while sharing a pizza with his partner, Bob Young, former owner of Young’s Appliance Service.

Young was the store’s serviceman for about a decade.

“If they ask, ‘Should I replace my 10-year-old Maytag?’ we’ll go ask Bob,” Griffith said.

The two said they have kept the same basic principles, but added some updates.

What they’re keeping is the old-fashioned customer service.

“This store’s been doing it the same way so many years. There’s something about sticking to what you’re doing,” Young said.

The thanks they get from customers speaks for itself, they agreed.

“We just like to take care of people one-on-one,” Griffith said. “Sometimes it might take a day to think about it and come up with a solution.”

They also kept the employees, who all got raises when they purchased the store.

“It’s been too good of a team for so many years,” Young said.

What they’ve added is an expanded parts department, along with Young to do the inside service work. And the store now employs its own outside service person.

“This market has become dependent on one thing ... service,” Griffith said. “The biggest difference now is we do all of our own service.”

In the front of the store they are constructing window displays of bedroom suites.

“We sort of brought things up-to-date a bit,” Young said.

The store used to carry mainly large appliances and mattresses. Products they have brought in are home theaters, satellites, televisions and home audio systems. Brands they carry include; Wolf, Dacor, Sub-Zero, Maytag, Electrolux, General Electric, Bosch, LG, Amana, Frigidaire, Thermador, Dish Network, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, JVC, Sealy and Stearns & Foster.

But mostly what they’ve contributed to the store is not tangible. They serve doughnuts on “doughnut Friday” mornings and turn up the stereo whenever they get a chance.

“It’s a lot of fun to go to work,” Teresa Johnson, the bookkeeper, said. “This employee is 100 percent for it.”

“It’s more of a work together, rather than a work against,” said Barbara Carpenter, an employee for 11 years.

Carpenter said her title is, “the assistant of whatever has to be done.”

“We have no titles here,” Griffith said.

Bay Appliance & TV is located at 253 S. Broadway St. in Coos Bay. For more information, those interested can call the store at 269-5158.