Hello Guys!
Wow, I wondered how long it would be before somebody stumbled across our site. We've actually been in business locally since 2001 however the new site has only been up a little over 2 months. As you've noted it's still under construction an needs some of my attention (it wasn't quite ready for prime time, we're still debugging and adding content). Actually I was checking site stats when I saw a link from the Autopia forums prompting me to have a look. So it looks like you guys have a few questions that I can certainly answer.
1) Are we selling relabeled Griots products? No. All of our products are either sourced form various suppliers (you'd go broke quick if Griots was your wholesaler ;-)) or formulated right here in our facility.
2) Are we a Griots clone? Well yes and no. In the sense that we sell automotive detailing products, yes in the sense that some of our packaging has a Griots "feel" sure. Griots was one of the many companies we researched when putting together our product line and they have great products that are marketed quite well. Imitation is the best form of flattery as long as you don't infringe. We liked what they were doing but we wanted to take it to a different market at a lower price point. The current prices on the web came out of an old DB during the conversion and need to be updated, they are not current.
3) Why are we doing this? Okay here's what set's us apart from all other detailing product companies on the planet. Our sales model is direct (think Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Avon etc.). Getting guys (and sometimes gals) together in the garage to talk, teach and learn about proper auto care and it just so happens we have some fantastic products to sell in the process. Our model is "consultant" not distributor there are no protected territories anyone anywhere can become a consultant and with a little motivation can do well. In general, as I'm sure you all know, there's millions of people washing there $40,000 cars with dishsoap and a sponge. Our mission is to educate the American public on the things we all hold as common knowledge.
If anyone has any questions about what we're doing free to email me or give me a call at ***-***-****.
Thanks,
Jason Birklid - President
The Essential Garage, Inc.
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It's Amway (Scamway) for detailers!