The sprawling suburbs of Chicagoland have backyards with beautifully kept lawns, trees, fences, and swimming pools. Many of these homes get their signature outdoor touches from American Sale, which has eight locations across the region.

The store is a retail icon in its space in Chicago with its commitment to selling a convenient escape from the daily grind. American Sale has a legacy of more than 60 years built on a simple, enduring promise: “To bring the fun home.”

“It’s really not just a phrase for us. It’s something that we live by, and we really try to help customers to bring the fun home,” explained American Sale President Bob Jones. “We are in the business of making people happy. That’s what we want to do.”

From toys to pools and more

There is an entrepreneurial spirit that flows through some families as abundantly as the current of a river swollen by a robust winter snowmelt. Bob Jones earned his retail stripes through the influence of his father, Bob Jones, Sr.

“When my dad started this business, he was always into selling,” Bob recalled with a smile. “He really had that merchandising blood just flowing through him since he was a little kid.”

Bob Jones Sr. began buying toys from wholesalers in the area, testing the waters of retail with a seasonal approach that would lay the foundation for American Sale.

“He finally opened his first store, which was only open for the Christmas season at first,” explained Bob. “He did that for two years, and then he finally was successful enough where he could keep the store open year-round.”

The first location opened in the Roseland neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, marking the beginning of what would evolve into a family enterprise.

As the store expanded beyond its roots in seasonal toy sales, Bob Jones Sr. recognized that the identity of his company needed to reflect its broadening selection of merchandise. He said the original name of the store, American Toy Distributors, was not a sustainable name for the brand.

“That name lasted for probably about 15 years. But as we started to accumulate other products, my dad really thought, people don’t really want to buy their swimming pool from a place called American Toy.

“He was looking for something that was a little more generic and gave him more flexibility on what he was going to sell in the store,” said Bob Jr. “So, we changed the name to American Sales with an ’s’ on the end. We had that name for probably about 20 years, and in 2000, we dropped the ‘s,’ and just made it American Sale.”

Learning the business from the ground up

For Bob Jr., the path to American Sale started on the sales floor itself, dusting shelves and engaging with customers alongside his father, when he was just a boy.

“I would go in on the weekend, and I would roam the store looking for things to do because my dad was busy and doing his thing.” Bob recalled with fondness in his voice. “I would stack shelves and dust and talk to customers. We really had a lot of fun on those days.”

Those early experiences planted seeds that would shape his professional life and instill both the practical knowledge of retail operations and an appreciation for the family business model.

“I’d come home pretty tired when I was done. But, I made a few bucks, and I had more money than my friends,” added Bob with a laugh. “I was bit by the retail bug early in life. My dad was great mentor of mine and somebody that was really fun to work with and for all these years.

“He just worked and he loved to be here, and he loved working with me and my sister,” noted Bob about this father who passed away in 2024. “So that’s the really fun part about the family business aspect of American Sale.”

Retail built with fun

When Bob Jones Jr. stepped into a leadership role at American Sale, his vision extended beyond the status quo. He said he saw an opportunity in geographic expansion that would transform the family business from a local store into a regional powerhouse.

“When I came into the business, I really thought that we just had two stores. We wanted to have stores that covered the Chicagoland area,” said Bob Jr. “One of the things that was good about having many locations, it gave us a lot more buying power, and it allowed us to buy direct from all our manufacturers.”

The expansion strategy proved remarkably successful, with American Sale experiencing significant growth during the mid-1980s. But like many retailers, American Sale faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic, forcing Bob to pause expansion plans that had been decades in the making.

“We were considering opening more stores before COVID, but we stopped because it was very difficult to get product when COVID started,” noted Bob Jr. “Now that COVID is behind us, we would like to do more building in areas of Chicago where we don’t feel we have great coverage.”

The business has built a positive reputation throughout the region and customer demand continues to drive Bob’s thinking about future expansion.

“We have many customers who drive a fair distance to visit us,” said Bob. “They’re always saying, ‘Hey, why don’t you open a store closer to me?’ So that’s a good indicator right there.”

Bob credits the strong market position of American Sale to an unwavering focus on customer experience rather than competitive positioning.

“There’s just a lot of demand for this type of experience in people’s homes. We know that we have the best products, the best vendors, and we have more five-star reviews than any other company by far in the Chicagoland area,” stated Bob with confidence in his voice. “That’s because we’re focused on delivering a great experience, and we believe that if we do that, we will be very successful and have lots of customers all the time, no matter where we go.

“Many people in the Chicagoland area come to our stores and they think we’re a national company. We take that as a compliment. When we tell them that we’re really just a Chicagoland family-based company, I think it makes them more comfortable to know where we come from and how we deliver our experience.”

A guiding principle at American Sale rests on a philosophy Bob learned directly from his father,

“The most important lesson that my father passed on to me in retail was the dedication to understanding what your customer was looking for,” said Bob. “Those are the things that we really want to pay attention to. Most of the products we sell, people only buy one maybe twice in their life. So, they are coming to us looking for our expertise.

“We really find that it’s easier for customers to come in and touch and feel and even like get in a hot tub, if you want to come and try it before you buy it,” Bob Jr. continued. “Those are the kinds of experiences that I think help people feel more comfortable in the purchase that they make. It means more satisfaction over the years that they own the product.”

The company’s name, American Sale, carries deeper meaning for Bob than simple brand recognition and selling merchandise.

“The name, American Sale, is really a great name for this business, because one of the things we really promote is selling fashion in backyards,” observed Bob. “You can have a great time right at your own home with these products. The other thing is wellness. We feel Americans are really into wellness, and they love what a hot tub does for them. They love what a swimming pool can do for them. Not just the fun, but the exercise as well. Saunas make you feel great. All these products that we carry, even our decorations, make people feel good. So, the name American Sale is really kind of a celebration of the American lifestyle.”

Fighting for Illinois retail

Bob’s commitment to retail extends beyond the walls of his own stores. His involvement with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association stems from a growing awareness about how state policy directly impacts businesses like his.

“I got involved with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association because I saw how much impact state laws have on retail,” explained Bob. “What I’ve noticed is that many legislative people do not understand retail, and frankly, they don’t understand a lot about business and how hard it is to make sure that you do everything right for your customers, for your vendors and for your employees.”

Bob emphasized that retailers often operate on razor-thin margins that leave little room for absorbing additional costs or regulatory burdens.

“We don’t have a lot of leeway in doing many things that we are asked to do today,” said Bob. “It’s much harder than it was 20 years ago, and that’s the thing that I think legislative people need to understand. You can’t ask too much of retail at this point anymore. We are so strained, especially with all the tariffs right now and all the regulation that we have to deal with.”

Bob hopes state legislators will develop a more nuanced understanding of the challenges facing Illinois retailers, particularly a misconception about profits.

“All businesses don’t make tons and tons of money.” stated Bob. “That is sometimes a fallacy that I think the legislative people in Illinois think is happening.

“I get up at 5 am every day, and I usually don’t get home till 6:30, 7:00, and many weeks. I work six days a week,” noted Bob. “So, we are all working hard to make sure that we do things right. But there’s a limit as to how much more we can take in regulation and in all the things that the state sometimes asks us to have or do.”

Wisdom for the next generation

For aspiring entrepreneurs considering their own venture in brick-and-mortar retail, Bob offers advice rooted in his decades of experience navigating an industry in constant flux.

“You have to be willing to learn because things are changing so fast and customers are changing fast,” advised Bob. “The way customers shop changes fast and what they’re looking for changes. So don’t get comfortable with wherever you’re at. Make sure you’re always learning for what’s next to come.”

When Bob reflects on what draws him to retail after all these years it all about the human connection. He describes to us the pride he takes in the success of the people who work with him at American Sale.

“You get to really change their lives and you get to be successful,” said Bob. “That is success, not just for me and my family, but literally thousands of employees over the years, and the couple hundred employees that work for us today.

“I get to see our employees be successful, supporting their own families and enjoying life,” continued Bob with joy in his eyes. “Some people go the other way, and they get into management and then go from store management to corporate management. We have many, many people in our business that have gone that route. Some of them have gone to college and gotten a four-year degree, some two-year degrees, and many of them no degree at a in a university or college came out of high school and started working for us.

At the end of the day, Bob Jr. said he is committed to the continued success of American Sale.

“It really makes a connection between my family who started this business 65 years ago and all those families that we’ve helped over all these years to have more fun in their backyard, and that really makes my job a lot more fun.”