Today we’d like to introduce you to Gherman Stelian
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
OK, here goes my “American Dream” story. It all started on July 2, 2000, when I arrived at JFK airport in New York with $300 in my pocket. The very next day, I took a Greyhound bus to Atlanta, where my brother used to live. To this day, I have no idea how he managed it, but somehow he let everyone in ATL know I was coming. So, on July 4th, when I arrived, everyone was out on the streets celebrating my arrival with fireworks!
On a more serious note, the beginning was not easy. For the first four years, I worked in construction—starting at $6 an hour. I still remember those long working hours, with my personal record being 154 hours in just two weeks! It was physically demanding, but I was in my twenties, so I was able to push through. During those years, I worked all over the East Coast, from West Virginia to Texas, in 15 different states.
After that, someone gave me a chance as a structural designer. Looking back, it wasn’t a great job, but compared to construction, it felt like I hit the jackpot. While working as a designer, I was able to transfer my college engineering credits from my home country Romania and went back to school to finish my undergraduate degree. In 2008, when the recession hit, I lost that job, but instead of being discouraged, I took more classes and completed my degree earlier than planned at Southern Poly. During my senior year, I was hired by a major electric company where I worked as an engineer for the next 13 years. During that time, I also completed my MBA at UGA.
In 2021, after losing my corporate job—a position that provided good benefits but made me miserable—I decided it was time to work for myself. Around the same time, my brother-in-law sold his house to someone in the liquidation business and suggested I look into that industry. I saw massive untapped potential in it, and through my research, I discovered the bin store niche. I created a business plan, found a realtor, and began searching for a location.
I literally built this ‘plane’ while flying it. In the beginning, I did everything myself—from building the 40 tables (bins) to everything else needed. Then a young guy who had just finished high school asked if I needed help, and he became my first team member. In the beginning, I opened and closed the store six days a week. Eventually, some of my customers even asked if they could work with me. Over time, I built a team I’m incredibly proud of—one I can trust to treat customers right and make sound decisions in my absence.
I’m especially grateful to my store manager, a 20-year-old who’s not just hardworking, but also smart and reliable. I believe the success of a business often comes down to the quality of its employees, and I feel extremely fortunate in that regard.
We’re also proud to say that BinCredible Deals has become an important part of our local community. Since opening, we’ve made significant donations to schools, non-profits, retirement centers, homeless shelters, and many other local organizations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has never been smooth. If it were, everyone would take it, and the outcome wouldn’t be anything special. I believe that if the entry barrier is low in any business, success will likely be low as well, because you’d be competing with everyone else. Struggles are necessary because they build the skills needed for success.
From the start, I did nearly everything on my own, which presented its own challenges. One of the toughest aspects was the supply chain. With so many suppliers out there, the quality and price of merchandise can vary greatly. We go through more than an 18-wheeler of merchandise every week, which means we need a constant stream of products coming in. But honestly, it wouldn’t be as fun if everything fell perfectly into place all the time. No pain, no gain, right?
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At BinCredible Deals, we specialize in liquidation, offering a wide variety of quality merchandise at incredible prices. We’re known for great deals, like $10 iPads, and for providing our customers with a “treasure hunt” experience.
Our pricing is unique: Every week, we put an 18-wheeler of new merchandise into the store. On Friday, everything is priced at $10. As the week progresses, prices drop—$8 on Saturday, $6 on Sunday, $4 on Monday, $2 on Tuesday, $1 on Wednesday, and by Thursday, everything is only 50 cents! The beauty of this system is that our customers essentially decide what an item is worth based on demand. If something isn’t selling, the price drops until it does. Recently, one of our customers found a $1,400 item for just $10. You really can’t beat that! We also give away free items, like phone cases, books, face masks, and moving boxes, all at no cost to our customers.
But what I believe truly sets us apart is our strong community involvement. We make regular donations to schools, non-profits, retirement homes, and homeless shelters. We also volunteer to support our local community. I always tell myself, “We’re all in this together,” and that’s something we try to live by.
What are your plans for the future?
I believe in always challenging myself to do things better and find new ways to provide value to our community. We regularly make small changes in the store based on feedback, and we’re also planning to offer new services. I’ll keep the specifics a surprise for now, but if everything goes as planned, our customers will be pleasantly surprised in the next few months!
We’re also very close to finalizing a deal to take over another store in the Atlanta area that’s not performing well. I’m confident we can turn it around and bring even more value to the local community under the BinCredible Deals brand.
Looking ahead, I want to find even more ways to connect with and support our local community, whether through donations, volunteering, or any new initiatives we haven’t thought of yet. I firmly believe that our level of involvement in the community is what sets BinCredible Deals apart from other stores. We’re all in this together.
Pricing:
- Friday $10
- Saturday $8
- Sunday $6
- Monday $4
- Tuesday $2, Wednesday $1, Thursday 50¢
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.BinCredible.deals
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bincredibledealsbinstore?igsh=NzU1Zmh1NW5mamE%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/100084089107469/
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCWLPZthMsKs3hX09WKO09pA
- Other: TikTok: @bincredibledealsbinstore
