Okotoks Shorts: Adanac Liquidation: Okotoks' Best-Kept Furniture Secret

What does it really mean to support local… and what happens when a business puts community savings above corporate margins? 

Carlin Lutzer is joined by Ian McAteer, co-owner of Adanac Liquidation, for a conversation that will completely change how you think about furniture shopping in Okotoks. 

Ian and his business partner Brian built something rare: a store tucked behind Home Hardware on Fisher Crescent that flips the traditional retail model on its head sourcing movie sets, Canadian-made furniture, and incredible mattress deals at prices that leave the big-box stores in the dust. 

From buying Amazon returns to acquiring western film props, Adanac's journey is a story of smart hustle, community roots, and genuine local pride. 

If you live in Okotoks and haven't discovered this hidden gem yet, this episode is your sign to go hunting.

Listen for:

1:16 What inspired Ian McAteer to build Adanac Liquidation right here in Okotoks?

3:03 How does buying movie sets and TV props shape the Adanac shopping experience?

4:00 Why should Okotoks residents never pay full retail price for furniture again?

6:25 How does Adanac Liquidation give back to the Okotoks community it calls home?

10:53 Where exactly can Okotoks shoppers find Adanac Liquidation and what can they get?

Connect with Guest: Ian McAteer | Co-Owner, Adanac Liquidation
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram 

Connect with Carlin

Email | Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Transcript

Announcer (00:00):

Hey everyone. Welcome to the Okotoks Podcast, brought to you by Carlin Lutzer Real Estate. Glad you're here.

Carlin Lutzer (00:16):

Welcome back to another edition of Okotoks Shorts, where we highlight some of the great small businesses right here in the foothills. Today's episode is one of those hidden gems. I'm sitting down with Ian, co-owner of Adanac Liquidation. Alongside with his brother, Brian, they built something pretty unique, a business that flips the tradition retail model on its head. We're talking about buying movie sets, sourcing incredible furniture deals, and creating a place where you don't shop, you hunt. And if you've ever thought liquidation meant damaged or second rate products, you're about to have that idea completely turned upside down. Let's get into it. Ian, thank you for joining me today.

Ian McAteer (01:06):

It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.

Carlin Lutzer (01:08):

Yeah. And you and Brian are the co-owners of Adanac Liquidation. Now, did I say that right?

Ian McAteer (01:16):

You did. Yeah. So myself and Brian, two brother-in-laws, two business partners, started Adanek back in November 2021. So Adanac, Canada spelled backwards, so we promote Canadian-made as much as we can.

Carlin Lutzer (01:31):

Yeah. Yeah, no, for sure. That's quite a catchy name. Now, is this the only location or is Adanac kind of all over Canada?

Ian McAteer (01:42):

No. Well, the Adanac liquidation, the business that myself and Brian have is just based in Okotoks. Okay. So

(01:50):

Again, about four years ago we started up, I moved from BC to Okotoks and Brian and myself looking for a change of pace, change of career and decided we buy and sell movie sets and TV shows as part of our business. So back in May 2021, we had the opportunity to acquire a set in Calgary and we did that together and used the profits that we made out of that to open up in Okotoks. So predominantly we're about saving people money in furniture and mattresses would be our core business. Again, we said we buy and sell movie sets, so they're kind of quirky items from time to time. But again, can we save you money? I suppose we've been told in the past the art of negotiation is both parties are happy. So if you can save money and we can make a bit of money, you'll keep coming back to us.

Carlin Lutzer (02:49):

Yeah. And it is a very unique setup that you guys do have because right now it's predominantly furniture when you walk in there right now, but it could change from week to week, depending on what you guys get in shipments, right?

Ian McAteer (03:03):

Yeah. I mean, prior to Christmas, our focus was selling an outdoor western movie that was filmed in Calgary. So a lot of hunting gear, a lot of western wear, a lot of snowmobile gear. A year ago, we had a Walmart clothing deal where we were selling clothing at a dollar a piece. So it changes and evolves every week. We try and bring in a new deal as quickly as we can get it. So you never really know what's going to be there is our pullback really that you can kind of come exploring really and see what money we can save you each week.

Carlin Lutzer (03:45):

Right. So Ian, when I hear the word liquidation, I usually think broken, damaged. Some other company couldn't sell it, so they just got rid of it. Is that what describes you guys?

Ian McAteer (04:00):

No, not at all. I mean, liquidation for us is how can we help you save money? Why should you have to pay retail ever again in Alberta, in Canada? The example that we give, we sell a king mattress of $589. In a larger retail store, that brand new mattress is several thousand dollars. We just have a different model. So there's myself and Brian. We're tucked away in Okotok, so our overheads are lower. We don't have a huge marketing campaign. We sell the same brand new mattress directly from the manufacturer. We don't offer that 30-day sleep warranty that you're paying for out there, but you get the same manufacturer warranty you get anywhere else. So again, you can spend $589 with us or you can spend several thousand dollars elsewhere. Again, it's the same with the furniture. You can go in and spend a couple of thousand dollars on a Canadian made sofa in some of the larger furniture stores.

(05:01):

They're in larger space. They're in 50,000 square feet. They have 37 staff. There's three of us. So we're sitting in 4,000 square feet in Okotoks. We bring it in, we show it to you, you like it, and then you're walking out of there with a brand new Canadian-made sofa with the manufacturer warranty for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars cheaper than anywhere else. It's just a different model. We sometimes say jokingly to people, when they come in to spend money on furniture or mattresses, "Oh, here we go. We're going to be spending thousands." And myself and Brian will say, "It's not the money you spend here. It's the money you save here." And again, it's like for like throughout Canada, we can't be touched. We just have a different model in the way that we approach things.

Carlin Lutzer (05:45):

Absolutely. I have dropped in there numerous times and it's kind of something that, yeah, you have to come in on a regular basis and sometimes even be patient to kind of wait for what you're looking for. But your goal has been achieved inside of saving money. I know that I was shocked with the price that I was able to purchase my leather love seat for. And then I go look comparatively on Ashley Furniture or the brick or all these other places and your prices don't even come close for the amount of savings that I made.

Ian McAteer (06:25):

Well, we're in Okotoks now. There's two families own this business, myself and Brian. And so if you think about it, if you save money on a sofa set this year and you need a mattress next year or you need a bedroom set or you need a dining set or your son or daughter are moving out, you'll keep coming back to us. So again, we're in it for the long term where we support a lot of the local charities and have kind of building up a relationship there with It Takes a Village. We do a lot of work with Inclusion Foothills as well. We celebrate our anniversary each year by sponsoring an Okotoks Oilers game. So we're celebrating the fact that we're another year older, but also then celebrating the fact that there's some great hockey here in town. So again, it's building up that long-term relationship here in Okotoks and having fun doing it.

(07:23):

And we love it. I mean, the first movie set that we acquired, we had no clue what was in there when we went in and bought it. But again, either did anybody else coming into the store. So you never know. We have a bit of fun doing what we do.

Carlin Lutzer (07:42):

For sure. And didn't you guys start out buying crates from Amazon and then you would try to sell a lot off and then you kind of realized there wasn't enough money in it for you in that?

Ian McAteer (07:55):

Yeah, no, true. Our business has evolved over the four years. If you came into us day one, you would've seen a lot of Amazon returns or canceled orders from online stores. We had a 1970s movie set there, so a lot of vintage furniture. So over time, how many small dollar items do we need to sell to pay the rent versus can we sell a mattress or two or a sofa or two to cover that overhead? So again, over time it evolves and it's finding the right deal at the right price for us so that we can pass on savings and make some money. So we have turned around and we've walked away from deals where over time we feel that the benefit to ourselves and to others is not worth it. We have another joke line, well, it's not so much a joke, but it's would we sell it to our mother-in-law?

(08:55):

And if the answer is yes, then we offer it for sale. If the answer's no, it's not worth the hassle. And again, we have a beautiful mother-in-law, but she would come back and remind us that we've sold her something that doesn't

Carlin Lutzer (09:08):

Work. Right. For sure. Yeah. Yeah.

Ian McAteer (09:10):

That's less than ideal. So from that point of view, it's, can we find a decent product at a decent price where somebody can make a savings?

Carlin Lutzer (09:20):

Right. So Ian, people can go on your website. They can see what you have in stock. They can also follow you on Facebook and you are on Instagram as well.

Announcer (09:31):

Yeah.

Carlin Lutzer (09:32):

That's actually, just so the listeners know, that's how I found my deal on the love scene is I follow them on Facebook and there was this posting that you guys made of a couch that was just too good to be true. And so I then fell in line. I was second in line. I was waiting and I was hoping that that person from Lethbridge wasn't going to come pick it up because I wanted that couch because the price was right.

Ian McAteer (10:00):

The price was so good. You got a great deal and we lost our shirts on it, but at the same time, we lost our shirts to create space for the next deal coming in.

Announcer (10:11):

Yes.

Ian McAteer (10:13):

And it happens. We've had customers in the past come and ask us where we've got the items from, that what we've offered them to sell them so far are sectional versus what they had a quote for were just two different, way out of whack. So again, everything we sell, we make money on, but if we can make money and you can save money, then that's the goal for us.

Carlin Lutzer (10:41):

Absolutely. Well, I say this as a customer, satisfied customer, I'm a big fan of you guys and what you guys are doing. Now, where can we find you? It's a little bit tricky to find you.

Ian McAteer (10:53):

Yeah, we're a bit of a tour around Okotoks to get us, but if you know the Dog Stadium in Okotoks, we're down near there. It's Fisher Crescent, so In Behind Home Hardware, and then we're tucked down at the back. There's some fantastic businesses down there, by the way. So it's not just us, but we're one fisher present in Okotoks. We're in both Bay seven and Bay five. And again, add-on liquidation. So Canada spelled backwards on Instagram or on Facebook. And again, if there's something that you're looking for that you don't see in our store, we can get. So we have access to over 5,000 pieces of furniture. We offer custom services as well where you can pick your own fabric and design your own sectional. So even if you don't see it in our store, we can save you money acquiring it through ourselves.

Carlin Lutzer (11:37):

Yeah. No, that's awesome. We're skipping a few middle people along the way to save the client money and make you guys some money in the end. So Ian, this is great. This is a great story. This is a great business that I'm proud that I was able to find you and really waving the flag of Anadack liquidation. So Ian, thank you so much.

Ian McAteer (12:02):

Really appreciate it. Thanks so many for your time and look forward to seeing you soon.

Carlin Lutzer (12:06):

You have a great day. That was Okotok Shorts. It's all about highlighting great small businesses right here in the foothills. And I tell you, places like Adanac Liquidation are exactly why this community is so special. It's not just about what they sell, it's about how they do it and the value they bring to people locally. If you're not following them online, you might miss your next great deal because what's there today might be going tomorrow. And if you have a business you'd like to see highlighted on Okotok Shorts, reach out. I'd love to hear from you and continue telling the stories that make this community what it is. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review and share it with someone who loves supporting local. We'll see you on the next one.

Announcer (13:02):

That's all from the Okotoks Podcast where we keep it grounded, just like the big rock. Thanks to Carlin Lutzer Real Estate for the support.