THEIR CARTRIDGE WORLD STORE OPENS A RECYCLED INK CARTRIDGE CENTER IN GREG'S PHARMACY

By Fred Steiner

No one knows computer printer ink cartridges like brothers, Dave and Bob Fett of Bluffton. And thanks to their knowledge, Bluffton residents have an opportunity to join in the "green" ink cartridge revolution.

Dave and Bob closed their residential home building company when the housing market turned sour. But, as the saying goes, when one door shuts, another opens.

For the two brothers, the door that opened happened to be labeled "Cartridge World." In June they opened two stores in Lima, where their major product, for many years, was an item people often tossed in the trash without giving it much thought.

They sell, at very discounted prices, recycled and refilled printer ink cartridges. Lots of them. One store is in Eastgate Plaza on State Route 309; the other store is in the Clock Tower Plaza on Cable Road.

Now with six months or so experience in all colors of ink, including red and black, they are testing the Bluffton market with their products. They recently placed a recycled and refilled ink cartridge kiosk in Greg's Pharmacy, Bluffton.

"We wanted to place our products in Bluffton," said Dave about setting up what Cartridge World considers as a test of its products.

He added that Greg's outlet enables customers to discard their used ink cartridges in addition to buying a recycled and refilled cartridge. Greg's ink cartridge display includes 50 different cartridges. Dave said that the cartridges available in Bluffton will be largely based upon what cartridges Dave and Bob find that customers drop in the recycled bin at Greg's.

"Depending upon the cartridge there is a cost savings to the customer of from 20 to 25 percent when purchasing a recycled and refilled cartridge," said Dave. "Our cartridges are 100 percent guaranteed."

With only a June start-up, Fetts now have over 200 commercial accounts covering an area around Lima from Wapakoneta, to Kenton and Ottawa.

Dan Lee, who worked with Dave and Bob in the construction business, is the Eastgate operations manager.

Dave said that since opening the two Lima stores, the response from customers has been tremendous. He often hears comments like: "Oh, you recycle ink cartridges and refill them and I save money. I like that!"

Believe it or not, there are nearly 13,000 different ink cartridges in the Cartridge World computer system. While that number appears high, the 50 cartridges at Greg's represents about 80 percent of the market, according to Dave.

If a customer requests a cartridge not in stock, Dave says that he can get one within a day. The Fetts hope to eventually add additional stores. At the moment there are only 15 Cartridge World stores in Ohio.

The phone numbers for Cartridge World, Lima, is 419-999-9276 or 419-999-9278.