There is a special sense of fulfillment for a homeowner after taking the time to mow their lawn. There is a strong scent of fresh grass in the air and the blades of green glisten in a way that enhances the beauty of a home.
“There’s nothing like waking up in the morning, getting your grass cut, being able to look across it. It looks beautiful,” said Shaun Horstmann, owner of Woodcrest Small Engine. “Everybody has those Saturday mornings where they just can accomplish the yard work and then look across it and see that you did that. You created the beautiful lawn and trimmed everything up and got something to be proud of.”
Shaun’s business was born on Woodcrest Drive in the rural Metro East community of Highland. He said he used to think about changing the name of his business, but that the name stuck because it is a fixture in his community among those needing small engine repairs, many of whom say, “I’ll take it to Woodcrest.”
“We sell anything that you might use in the yard, in the shed that has to do with an engine and a few more things here and there,” explained Shaun. “But mostly the handyman yard work type equipment, lawn mowers, weed eaters, chainsaws, push mowers, even minibikes.”
Grease, grit, and go-karts
The backstory of Woodcrest Small Engine stretches back to the late 1990s, when Dave Munie opened a repair-only operation, turning wrenches on all makes and models of lawnmowers and chain saws. In the spring of 2008, Munie hired Shaun when he was a high school student at the age of 16. Shaun worked after school at Woodcrest and through the summers, learning the craft.
“He always joked around that I’d buy it from him. I had no aspirations to buy it from him,” said Shaun.
Shaun stayed with Woodcrest for roughly four years before pursuing a certificate in automotive maintenance. After that, there was a stint at a car dealership, and then a year installing security systems. But Shaun always circled back to Dave to provide part-time help at Woodcrest.
In late 2014, Shaun said he was growing increasingly frustrated with his career path, so he approached Dave with a proposition to purchase Woodcrest.
“Came back one day frustrated with my current job,” said Shaun. “A few hours later, we had a deal, and I was going to the bank.”
“I didn’t feel like I was taking a risk. At the time, I didn’t have any real liabilities. No family really yet. No kids,” Shaun explained. “I figured I was always willing to work, so I was going to find a way to make it work.”
Ask Shaun where his passion for small engines can be traced, and he won’t point you to a trade school classroom or a shop manual. He’ll direct you to the racetrack.
“What got me into small engines is racing,” Shaun said without hesitation. “I’ve been around racing my whole life. And to race, you have an engine that you have to learn to maintain and operate. That is where my true passion got started. Working on a little go-kart, taking it apart, seeing how it worked. I became good at it. And a lot of years later, here we are.”
More than an engine shop
Walk through the showroom at Woodcrest Small Engine and the inventory tells a story. Gravely mowers anchor the floor as the flagship line that Shaun took on when he first opened his doors.
“Woodcrest Small Engine is the local Gravely dealer here in Highland,” said Shaun. “We also sell Elco, Shindaiwa and Ariens products along with quite a few other small engines.”
But calling Woodcrest a dealership undersells what Shaun’s brick and mortar represents to this community of 10-thousand people in Madison County.
“A shop like ours is needed because the dealership of a piece of equipment is very important,” explained Shaun. “You can buy this kind of stuff a lot of different places, but they might not be able to serve you with parts or the service side, which is why we’re crazy this time of year. We have a lot of equipment out there that we stand behind. So, when it goes down, we’re who takes care of you.”
Shaun then sat up with confidence as he looked around his shop.
“If something I sold is broken or needing some kind of repair, I personally feel liable to get them up and going and back as fast as possible.”
When spring arrives in Highland, Shaun has come to expect the phone will start ringing and not stop.
“It’s very unscheduled,” noted Shaun with a smile. “We don’t know today how many things are going to break. We could get 100 phone calls about broken things. Tomorrow it’ll rain, nobody’s using the equipment, and it’s a little bit calmer of a day. When everyone’s trying to use their equipment, there’s no way to schedule how many phone calls and broken things we’re going to get. So, it can become chaotic very fast.”
Shaun knows that the Woodcrest name is likely a part of most lawns in the neighborhood.
“Likely, if you’re pulling up to someone’s house, they have a piece of equipment from here,” Shaun said. “Every other home on the block has something that we sold. They rely on us to make sure that equipment’s taken care of and serviced well. So, they’re very likely pulling it out for the first time in the next couple of weeks, and they are relying on it to work.”
When the engine doesn’t start, Shaun’s number is the one people dial. Desperate customers needing help will call during business hours, sometimes after closing and even later.
“The all-hours-of-the-night phone calls, most of the time, are respectful,” Shaun said with a measured smile. “Sometimes it’s a little aggressive. I’ve got a small family now, so a lot of times I’m putting my phone away and you’re not getting me because it’s not in my pocket. But the phone calls are definitely abundant this time of year.”
Shaun has made peace with the crazy hours and late-night phone calls.
“When there’s a snow event or the first couple days of spring, it’s a very busy time of year where I don’t even get to think about profits,” Shaun observed. “I’m just trying to help people as much as I can.”
Inside the shop at Woodcrest, customers will find equipment they can actually sit on and touch, which is by design. Shaun says he deliberately stocks his showroom with working machines.
“The best way to sell it is to get people’s hands on it,” stated Shaun. “If they walk in, you can literally touch what you’re about to buy. In a world that’s getting away from a lot of that, we carry a lot of that in the retail setting for that reason.
“Having the inventory in the showroom takes the fear away from buying a piece of equipment or any product for that matter,” continued Shaun. “I think it’s just a different sales process when you can show them what you believe in. Letting them get their hands on something to reassure them when they’re spending this kind of money you what it is you’re getting.”
Shaun explains that once a customer purchases a new mower, saw, or snow blower, their relationship with Woodcrest only gets stronger.
“When our customers leave, I really want them to feel the opposite of stress,” Shaun said. “I want them to know that they purchased something that’s going to last them a long time. The product warranty is actually going to be a thing. There’s a lot of things in the world right now that are throwaway. We don’t like to sell anything like that. We like to sell the things you know are going to keep for the next 20 years.”
Small town, big responsibility
In a town the size of Highland, reputation is critical. Shaun says he understands the importance of his reputation in a way that feels almost old-fashioned, but in the best possible way.
“The neighbor is going to tell the next neighbor in a small town like this,” explained Shaun. “That’s what we always have to think about. I’m not in business to take advantage of anybody. That would get around extremely fast in this town. I have to continue to do the right thing.”
There is a generational dynamic to Shaun’s business, one that connects him to his own gritty beginnings. Shaun explains he was 13-years old when he started cutting grass for neighbors, building a work ethic that would eventually carry him to where he is today.
“When I see a young kid come in and say I’m cutting three or four yards, I can see where that’s going if he keeps up the ambition and the work ethic,” said Shaun. “So, it’s fun to watch that.”
Woodcrest Small Engine has generated a solid following over the years, and so Shaun decided to open a second location, closer to St. Louis, in the community of Maryville. Shaun says the new store represents a step toward a larger population base, which Shaun believes his business is ready to serve.
“Woodcrest Small Engine matters, because it’s really something we’ve built from the ground up,” Shaun reflected. “When we started, we did not sell anything. We were repair only.”
“It’s wild to look around and see what it (this business) has become, and how many people we service” reflected Shaun. “The number of tickets we go through a year blows my mind and that we touch that many pieces of equipment throughout the seasons.”
Not an easy life
For all the satisfaction that comes with building a business, Shaun stressed that he is under no illusions about his costs. He says owning a small retail business in Illinois is not for the faint of heart.
“If I could talk to lawmakers in Illinois about retail, I would definitely just ask that there’s just support behind us, because it is not the easiest thing to do,” stated Shaun. “There’s been many days that I’ve thought about going to get a job again. And about the taxes, it’s never fun. It’s one of those things that we just hope for the best and move on. But definitely some support in one way or another would be fantastic.”
It can be done
There is a myth that surrounds successful retail owners: They are natural-born salespeople and can coax a sale with little effort. Shaun is quick to level set that myth with his own reality.
“I am an introverted small engine mechanic, and people come in to buy from us all the time,” Shaun said with candor. “If I can learn to talk to people, I think anyone can learn those skills.”
Shaun’s experience suggests that sales success can be learned the same way an engine repair can, by taking it apart, understanding how it works, and putting it back together better than you found it.
“If I can be someone that succeeds in retail, I think anyone could, as long as they get the right, information,” said Shaun. “Don’t be afraid to learn and just talk to people and figure out what you’re doing right and wrong. There are abundant resources out there to be a great salesperson. Use those resources.”
“A piece of advice I’d give someone just starting out in retail would be to just start,” Shaun continued with a smile. “Make all the videos, get yourself out there, talk about who you are more than maybe about the equipment or item you’re selling.”
A satisfying life
“I have learned to love retail,” explained Shaun with an earnest smile. “I’m not somebody that makes a lot of new friends. So, it’s a way that forces me to make new friends. Basically, when somebody comes in and they’re looking for the right people, the right equipment, we just start talking. I’ve got a quite a few new friends over the years, that we’ve been able to keep that relationship going and build and grow, and their families now are in intertwined with my family.”
Shaun believes that the as long as he can help keep the engines in his community running, that he is making a difference.
“I’m helping them (customers) get the right equipment for their yard to get done quicker,” said Shaun. “And to spend more time with their family.”
