Business Spotlight
Tiemart: “Neckties and More at Affordable Prices”
Tiemart®, Inc. is a family-owned-and-operated business, located at 525 Morris Ave. dedicated to providing high quality neckties, bow ties, pocket squares and other fashion accessories at affordable prices. Tiemart products are sold on-line directly from 5 branded websites, as well as though Amazon and E-Bay. All orders are processed from the Mundelein facility.
When asked about his business philosophy, company founder, Mike Martyka, he pointed to a weather-beaten sign on the wall of his office that read, “YOU CAN’T DO BUSINESS FROM AND EMPTY WAGON”. The sign, he elaborated, came from one of the first businesses he was contracted to liquidate and sell on line over 20 years ago. Today, the company’s “wagon” is full and growing, featuring an assortment ties and accessories, in hundreds of solid colors, prints, and stripes for men, women, boys and girls. “Thanks to a new technology called dye sublimation,” Mike explained, “we can print just about anything on a tie. If you want a picture of your pet, or your spouse, on a tie, we can do it”.
The majority of Tiemart ties are manufactured exclusively for them, under the Tiemart®, Alexander Logan Neckwear®, Regent Morris Neckwear® or Jaina Kiersten labels. These ties are durable and inexpensive. Tiemart sells thousands of ties a year for weddings, clubs, churches, high schools, schools, choirs, conventions, sports teams, and individuals. Tiemart ties are in TV and movie productions, on cruise lines, and at even at Disney Land.
Martyka, a former executive at K-Mart, left the big-box, retail world in 1997. While still at K-Mart Mike started buying inventory from closing retail stores and selling the merchandise on-line through bulletin boards, Prodigy and AO. He discovered E-Bay in 1998. After leaving K-Mart he knew enough about on-line selling that he made it a business. He bought refrigerators, books, desks, and mystery lots from government auctions; plus Hawaiian shirts, jewelry, video games and Barbie dolls from retail close-outs. He stored the stuff at a warehouse and sold it on-line. When he took a job to liquidate the merchandise of a Ralph Marlin tie retail store, he got into the tie business. He almost gave up the tie business at one point when odd-lot merchandise sales were going well. But, could not find anyone interested, so it kept it. In 2006 he closed the warehouse and moved the tie business to his home basement where he and his wife, Darlene, devoted themselves to selling ties on-line.
In 2008 Mike and Darlene moved to the Morris location, eventually buying the building a few years later. Today it is a family operation with 15 employees including Mike and Darlene’s 4 children—Jeff, Kimberly, Christine, Amanda--and a son-in-law, Doug. With family support, an emphasis on customer service, and investment in technology Tiemart is keeping its virtual “wagon” full of products to sell.
Tiemart is a great supporter of MCC events and a Mundelein Businesses. They received the 2016 Gold Star Business Award from the Village of Mundelein, the Leland “Trig” Watson Business of the Year award from MCC, and the 2018 Business Excellence Award from the Daily Herald Business Ledger.
When asked about his business philosophy, company founder, Mike Martyka, he pointed to a weather-beaten sign on the wall of his office that read, “YOU CAN’T DO BUSINESS FROM AND EMPTY WAGON”. The sign, he elaborated, came from one of the first businesses he was contracted to liquidate and sell on line over 20 years ago. Today, the company’s “wagon” is full and growing, featuring an assortment ties and accessories, in hundreds of solid colors, prints, and stripes for men, women, boys and girls. “Thanks to a new technology called dye sublimation,” Mike explained, “we can print just about anything on a tie. If you want a picture of your pet, or your spouse, on a tie, we can do it”.
The majority of Tiemart ties are manufactured exclusively for them, under the Tiemart®, Alexander Logan Neckwear®, Regent Morris Neckwear® or Jaina Kiersten labels. These ties are durable and inexpensive. Tiemart sells thousands of ties a year for weddings, clubs, churches, high schools, schools, choirs, conventions, sports teams, and individuals. Tiemart ties are in TV and movie productions, on cruise lines, and at even at Disney Land.
Martyka, a former executive at K-Mart, left the big-box, retail world in 1997. While still at K-Mart Mike started buying inventory from closing retail stores and selling the merchandise on-line through bulletin boards, Prodigy and AO. He discovered E-Bay in 1998. After leaving K-Mart he knew enough about on-line selling that he made it a business. He bought refrigerators, books, desks, and mystery lots from government auctions; plus Hawaiian shirts, jewelry, video games and Barbie dolls from retail close-outs. He stored the stuff at a warehouse and sold it on-line. When he took a job to liquidate the merchandise of a Ralph Marlin tie retail store, he got into the tie business. He almost gave up the tie business at one point when odd-lot merchandise sales were going well. But, could not find anyone interested, so it kept it. In 2006 he closed the warehouse and moved the tie business to his home basement where he and his wife, Darlene, devoted themselves to selling ties on-line.
In 2008 Mike and Darlene moved to the Morris location, eventually buying the building a few years later. Today it is a family operation with 15 employees including Mike and Darlene’s 4 children—Jeff, Kimberly, Christine, Amanda--and a son-in-law, Doug. With family support, an emphasis on customer service, and investment in technology Tiemart is keeping its virtual “wagon” full of products to sell.
Tiemart is a great supporter of MCC events and a Mundelein Businesses. They received the 2016 Gold Star Business Award from the Village of Mundelein, the Leland “Trig” Watson Business of the Year award from MCC, and the 2018 Business Excellence Award from the Daily Herald Business Ledger.