A fast-growing retailer has made the move from the suburbs to the heart of Cincinnati.
Gearsupply, an online marketplace for buying and selling used audio-visual equipment, moved into a new office at 1818 Race St. near Findlay Market on June 23. The new space will allow the company to continue to grow, and, like many companies are choosing to do right now, puts the team to more modern, flexible space as the office world evolves.
Gearsupply was previously located in Blue Ash, where it still houses its warehousing space after the Findlay Market move. Phyllis Kelly, director of people and culture at Gearsupply, said the company needed more room for its expanded team. The company also discovered finding adequate office space attached to a warehouse was challenging, so it elected to move somewhere with an energy that matched its own desire for growth.
“We really just wanted to attract a different kind of talent. We just wanted to be in an atmosphere that was a lot more high growth, a little bit different energy,” Kelly told the Business Courier. “We have found that down here.”
To get a look at Gearsupply's new office, flip through the photos above.
At 1818 Race St., Gearsupply occupies the entire fourth floor of the building. The company is only using about half of the 5,700 space right now, which it will fully grow into as it looks to hire five to eight more sales team members before the end of 2023. The goal is to have 25 employees by the end of 2023. There’s currently about 15 employees working at the Race Street office, Kelly said.
The space is also a major upgrade from what Gearsupply had in Blue Ash. Kelly said its previous office space was attached to its warehouse and was filled with old cubicles. In Over-the-Rhine, Kelly said the office is vibrant and open, allowing for great team collaboration.
The Gearsupply office includes private offices, a live wall and several lounge areas, but most employees work in the main open-concept space.
“We just like that kind of energy. We all kind of feed off of each other and that activity,” Kelly said. “It … pushes that team-oriented culture forward.”
Gearsupply employees have an option to work remotely once a week, but Kelly said most individuals are in the office daily. The culture at Gearsupply revolves around team efficiency and productivity, which Kelly said everyone wants to come in and contribute to.
Gearsupply has been on a hot growth trajectory since it launched in 2020. Kelly said 2021 was a great year for the company. The pandemic and inflation have been tough on consumers, but Kelly said many sellers in the second-hand market have seen an upswing in sales as a result.
“We had a lot of new customers that were looking for used gear who would normally buy new, so we really expanded our customer base,” she said.
Gearsupply has customers all over the U.S. It saw 128% revenue growth between 2020 and 2022, and its 2022 revenue totaled $2.6 million, according to Business Courier research. Combined revenue for Gearsupply and sister company Soundsupply totaled $4.7 million in 2022, according to Gearsupply.
The company was also a finalist in the Business Courier's 2023 Fast 55 awards.
