Where Can You Buy an Imported Israeli Non-Scratch Scrubber in Crestwood?

Sterling Frey, proprietor with his son, Steve, of Crestwood Appliance Center, 9979 Watson Road, knew, after more than 16 years in the appliance repair business, that fixing small appliances was not going to be a sustainable enterprise in the future.

With the price of small appliances consistently dropping, Sterling knew he had to adjust.

"After all, who's going to fix a $10 toaster?" he said.

Sterling had always attended trade shows where merchandise of all kinds was being offered for sale.

That's when he made a decision to purchase a couple of cases of an item that would save his business.

The item? An Israeli-manufactured non-scratch scrubber, of all things.

"It's the top item I've ever found at a trade show," he said. "I've sold 1,200,000 of these things and will sell maybe two million this year."

Sterling buys the scrubbers in bulk and sells them to  grocery stores, and other outlets nationwide and in Canada that want what Sterling calls "a guaranteed sale."

"It's my top No. 1 item," he said. "I could retire on them right now if I wanted to."

But retirement isn't an option currently, he said, because "I can only fish so much."

Thanks to the scrubbers, Sterling doesn't need to contemplate retirement. He clearly enjoys running the business, an eclectic enterprise of appliance parts, die-cast model cars, trucks and airplanes, Matchbox cars, and even a gizmo that helps people pop a tight lid off of a cranky jar.

And it all started with the scrubbers, sold in silver or gold at 99 cents each.

What happens when the scrubber craze comes to an end?

"I don't worry about it because I can always find something new," he said.

Sterling also says working with, and haggling with, customers is an attraction that keeps him working.

He regularly receives calls from people who have a collection of old die-cast cars or other items, inquiring whether he's interested in buying.

His response always is the same: "I'll take a look at what you've got."

One such "look" turned out to be a shipping container at a man's house that included so many die-cast cars the owner didn't even know how many he had. Sterling squeezed part of the way into the container to take a look and then made the man an offer, which eventually was accepted. It turned out there were 3,571 cars in the shipping container.

Another prospective seller came in with a big box on Matchbox cars, which Sterling negotiated to purchase. It was another seller who didn't know what was in the box he was selling. Sterling discovered an entire layer of old comic books in the bottom of the box, including Batman, Superman and other Marvel comics, which turned out to be more valuable that the Matchbox cars he thought he was buying.

So, if you need a handy and effective imported Israeli scrubber that can be used to clean anything from stainless steel, patio furniture, china dishes, sinks, cookware, car windows, vinyl siding and kitchen cabinets, Sterling Frey has just the item for you. It comes in silver, or in stylish gold. and, at 99 cents each, you can buy several and give them as gifts to your friends. They are a practical item, and one that has allowed Sterling Frey to maintain his appliance repair business for many years.