Nokomis Surplus owners looking for next owners

Sarah Friedman

Everyone knows Nokomis Surplus. Most people don’t know that this familiar neighborhood store was created almost accidentally during the beginning of the pandemic.

Raul Morales bought the two-story building at 4935 S 34th Ave. in December 2019 when it house Mug and Brush barber shop. He purchased the building as a way to earn income. After working in the restaurant business for 20 years, Raul felt that he was still having a hard time making ends meet. “I climbed the ladder, but I never saw any results,” said Morales. “It was never enough money to save up. It was just enough to survive.” With his new investment as a landlord, he would be able to save enough money to have the life he dreamed of.

In February 2020, when the pandemic was first creeping across the United States, the owners of Mug and Brush decided not to renew their lease. Left with an empty building, Raul only saw one option: create his own business. “We put all of our savings into this place. We didn’t have a lot of options. It was one of those things where you gotta do what you gotta do.” He described a grueling six months of re-doing the entire building. The previous owner did not take great care of it, and there were holes in the floor.

He had an online surplus business where he was working out of a warehouse. He would find deals, such as a Target store going out of business and looking to sell all of their inventory as cheaply as possible. He described his wife, Maria Morales going to the warehouse after work, opening pallets and pallets of boxes – each like a present – and delightfully surprised to see what was inside. She spent hours of her time after work just managing inventory. “I just always liked sales,” said Raul Morales. “I always liked this niche. I went through this tough financial time and so I was always looking for deals. I figure other people like looking for deals, too.”

He added, "I don’t want to say we had it tough, but we did start from nothing, so we had to work really hard to get somewhere. Especially when you work paycheck to paycheck. You’re struggling just to make ends meet. How are you ever going to start a business?” He turned the top floor into a place to live and rented out his house on Airbnb. He proudly described how Maria would clean their old house after each guest and receive five-star reviews.

Together with the help of some friends, Morales slowly built up Nokomis Surplus. “When we first started, we didn’t have a forklift. We would have to bring in 200–300-pound items using ramps,” said Morales. The asphalt driveway was more like dirt, so they had a hard time moving inventory even when it came on wheels. Later they covered the driveway in concrete to help manage this process. After Nokomis Surplus became profitable enough for him to move back into his home, he changed the top floor into more storage space. He kept the kitchen up there, so his wife can continue to cook daily.

Now, after seven years of creating a successful business, Raul is looking to retire. He imagines a future with a small farm and even raising his own chickens. Although he is ready to start his next chapter, he wants to ensure his old dream is in good hands. “I feel like we finally did the hard part of the grinding part, and now we’ve built it up,” he said. Morales especially wants his previous home and business to continue to be a fixture in the neighborhood. He is even willing to take the time to work with and train the next buyer if they would like to continue Nokomis Surplus.

Although the building is listed for sale, he is willing to put in work to ensure his dream lives on, if someone would like to continue it. He turned down interested buyers who he thinks may not complement our neighborhood. I am proud he is in my neighborhood and look forward to meeting the next owner. Please contact Raul if you would like to be the next owner: (952) 250-4396.