From left, Nicole and Ronnie Webb and Andrew and Billie McGillivray opened Pallet B.A.R.N. Liquidation in Port Clinton in early July. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

On a fluke, Billie and Andrew McGillivray purchased an Amazon mystery box while visiting their son in Cleveland. They had so much fun with it that they purchased another. And then they purchased one more. In the end, they had a lot of fun and a lot of stuff.

“My son was moving, and he didn’t want all that stuff, so I started selling it on Facebook,” Billie said.

Billie did so well with the sales that she considered selling liquidated merchandise pallets online, but then the McGillivrays’ friends, Ronnie and Nicole Webb, joined them when Andrew and Ronnie had the idea to open a pallet liquidation store.

Pallet B.A.R.N. Liquidation offers a wide selection of merchandise, including toys and art supplies. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

The two couples opened Pallet B.A.R.N. Liquidation in the Port Clinton Plaza in early July.

“Now we buy pallets about every two weeks,” Billie said.

The shop features an eclectic assortment of new merchandise from stores such as Target and Home Depot at drastically reduced prices. The shop has a rotating inventory that includes everything from toys and clothes to personal care and cleaning products. The shop recently featured products from big names like Cuisinart, Ryobi and Weber.

Customers can find home essentials at drastically reduced prices at Pallet B.A.R.N. Liquidation. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

The McGillivrays and Webbs purchase pallets from particular stores, but they don’t know exactly what is inside until they bring the pallets home and open the boxes.

“We know the stores they came from, but the rest is a mystery. It’s kind of a gamble,” Ronnie said.

That gamble makes shopping fun for their customers, who can find different products every week.

Billie McGillivray hangs clothes at Pallet B.A.R.N. Liquidation. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“You never know what you’re going to find. It’s not like Walmart,” Billie said.

For the McGillivrays and Webbs, Pallet B.A.R.N. Liquidation is more than a business. It’s also a way to give back to the community by offering a place where locals can purchase essentials at a discount.

“We want to be a blessing to Port Clinton,” Billie said.

Pallet B.A.R.N. Liquidation has a rotating inventory that often includes well-known brands like Cuisinart. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

The shop’s name is an acronym for the owners’ names: Billie, Andrew, Ronnie and Nicole. The decision to transform Billie’s online business to a brick-and-mortar shop wasn’t an easy one to make. Then Billie pulled a framed print from a pallet and discovered it was a painting of a barn. The picture was the nudge they needed from God, they said.

“That was the turning point,” Ronnie said. “We knew we were going to do this.”

Pallet B.A.R.N. Liquidation is located at 131 B Maple St. in the Port Clinton Plaza behind McDonald’s. It is open Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays 5-8 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. For more information, visit the Pallet B.A.R.N. Liquidations Facebook page.