Fabregas Music withstands the test of time
March 26, 2013
Through pain and recession, ad service continues
March 26, 2013
Surgical and Hospital Supplies in Houma attained its longevity through adaptability.
Increasingly strenuous Medicare regulations on straight-to-patient products and a simplified procurement of specialty tools for doctors and clinics complicated and minimized the niche Ken Barrilleaux carved in the local business realm. Now, his children’s concentration on uniforms has the Gabasse Street stalwart resembling a department store with scrubs, separated by designer lines in a kaleidoscope of color, filling the two-sectioned showroom.
“We definitely have the most variety and inventory in the Tri-parish area. I can promise you that,” said Tina Barrilleaux-Bown, one of Ken’s daughters and the business’s manager for the past 13 years.
Barrilleaux-Bown is considered the catalyst for the change. The Houma native returned home from Texas, having accumulated experience in maintaining the business-friendly balance of stock. She calls it “turning” and has a hand gesture to complement the description.
Surgical and Hospital Supplies, when she arrived, had begun dabbling in the scrub business. “Tina understands how to turn a profit, and she ran with it,” said Kenny Barrilleaux, a sales consultant for the family business.
Landau, Urbane, Greys Anatomy, Peaches/Med Couture, Jockey and Scrub Zone are some of the labels hanging from racks at Surgical and Hospital Supplies.
Like casual-weekend wear, uniforms in the medical profession have increasingly become a form of self-expression, from the way the collar is stylized to the shape of pockets. The building’s pillars and windows are even outfitted with posters featuring smiling models in the latest designs.
Within the business’s uniform focus, Barrilleaux-Bown claims there is unmatched service. The company reaches out to hospitals throughout the Tri-parish area to deliver a bundle of scrubs so that hospital staffers can sample their fitting before placing orders a week later.
“We can bill it either through the individual employee or the whole business,” Barrilleaux-Bown said. “We can do whatever they want us to. … We’ll drop off, we’ll deliver to local people and pick up (embroidery work from a selected seamstress).”
Frequently, Kenny said, the hospitals order in bulk, reducing costs after already saving time that would be necessary for nurses and doctors to be fitted individually on location.
In saving time this way, the business is combatting the ultimate time-saver – Internet shopping. Barrilleaux-Bown, who compares her prices and offerings to online vendors, said some customers have learned that instant convenience can come with unforeseen headaches.
“That’s probably my biggest problem,” she said. “They’ll order off the Internet and when it doesn’t fit right, they have to send it back and it takes another month. Whereas for me, if it doesn’t fit right, it goes on the shelf and the next person it might fit. It’s no big deal for you.”
Surgical and Hospital Supplies will also place customized orders for customers who can’t quite find the perfect uniform in the store.
“I could order online, but I like to come in and see their variety and try on their scrubs,” said Darah LeBlanc after she tried on a brand and placed such an order for her desired color.
Although the predominant merchandise in the store, scrubs aren’t the only items for sale. Surgical and Hospital Supplies also sells footwear and continues to offer disposable goods such as compression hoses, gauze and bed paper in addition to benches and even wheelchairs.
The business does not deal with insurance, however.
“It’s cash and carry,” Barrilleaux-Bown said. “We used to do insurance and Medicare, when dad was predominantly on the medical side, but it’s just so many rules and regulations. I just kind of opted not to do it.”
Tina Barrilleaux-Bown, Linda Chambers, Jennifer Buckley and Kayla Pizzolatto, the four employees of Surgical and Hospital Supplies, pose for a picture. The store has adapted due to tough business developments and now specializes in selling scrubs, by various designers in a kaleidoscope of color.
