THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 20, 1995 TAG: 9512190091
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
WHEN A HORSE, cargo or utility trailer sells at B&D Trailers, the owners turn right around and buy another in its place, never pocketing a dime for themselves.
Joan, Barbara and Diana Mills say they believe the success of their new business hinges on reinvesting their money.
``It's like chasing your tail,'' laughed Joan Mills. ``One sells and we turn right around and buy another.''
Not once since opening in March have the mother and her daughters collected a paycheck and they don't expect to for several more months.
By July, they hope to be doing well enough so that they can start drawing salaries and work full time in their trailer business.
``Though we won't know how to act (with a paycheck),'' Joan Mills said.
Diana Mills is still working another job as an accountant.
The Mills women sell the three types of trailers out of an old gas station at the corner of Princess Anne and Indian River roads in Pungo.
On any given day, the lot is filled with some 40 trailers.
The enclosed cargo trailers are their best seller because they have more uses. Crafts people can haul their wares, construction workers their tools and materials, and some even use them as mobile concession stands. They start at $1,755 and go up according to the options chosen such as dome lights or roof vents.
They also carry open utility trailers, starting at $695, which are typically used by landscaping businesses to haul their tools, but they have other uses, too, like transporting motor bikes.
Their main product, though, is horse trailers. Their prices start at $3,000 and they stock ones that hold up to four horses. They can special-order ones to fit up to eight horses and they offer them in steel, fiberglass-reinforced plywood or aluminum.
Some are downright fancy. For instance, there are sliding doors to separate compartments, dressing areas and, in some, living quarters in addition to horse bays.
The women, all owners of the business, have sold between 25 and 30 horse trailers so far, and they also sell hitches and accessories.
They are not strangers to horses and horse lovers.
They board several horses at their Gum Bridge Road home and ride nearly every day. Joan Mills began riding at 12 and was the one who encouraged her daughters to do likewise.
It seemed only natural that they would go into a business they already knew about.
``We'd been talking about a business for a long time, and this one just seemed to fit well,'' said Barbara Mills. ``After all, we already knew about horses and horse trailers.''
Diana Mills, 31, does the electrical wiring for the trailers. Her brother, David Mills, 29, helps out by doing all the hitch work part time.
This is the first time Joan Mills has ever been in the world of retail. She acts as receptionist and salesperson while daughter, Barbara, 33, does the payroll and bookkeeping as well as sales.
The Mills have been Pungo residents since moving from Kempsville in 1967.
Diana and Barbara Mills moved home last year after each sold her home. They used their profits to investment in the business.
Barbara Mills quit her job in the bookstore industry in September, and Diana Mills hopes to quit her accounting job soon.
B&D Trailers is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The phone number is 426-6608. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Joan Mills, right, and her two daughters Barbara, left, and Diana
own B&D Trailers in Pungo.
by CNB