The employees who turned the Clarkston Colortyme into the second-most profitable store in the national chain have reunited for what they hope is a repeat performance.

Colortyme has opened in Clarkston after a four-year hiatus that began when Rent-A-Center purchased the Clarkston Colortyme in 2005, along with 26 Colortymes that were also owned by Gary Hughes. Rent-A-Center and Colortyme, which has 204 store in 33 states, had a non-compete agreement that just expired.

The manager of the store is Colleen Squires. She managed the Clarkston Colortyme, and until recently held the same position with Rent-A-Center, which remains open at the original location in same plaza that houses Albertsons in Clarkston. "We're the team that grew the store before and we're here ready to do it again," Squires said.

Hughes owns the store and has structured it such that Squires and Mike Arringdale, the assistant manager, can purchase it from him in four years, Squires said. "Without Hughes, we're nothing. He so believes in us."

Squires and Arringdale are joined by Joe Smith, the sales manager, Mike Olszewski, a delivery driver and Daniel Squires, a sales associate and delivery driver.

All of them, other than Daniel Squires, the adult son of Colleen Squires, worked together at the Clarkston Colortyme. Colortyme carries the same kinds of products it did previously: furniture, home appliances and electronics, including computers and large- screen televisions.

It also cashes checks, does taxes, wires money through Western Union, provides payday loans and sends facsimiles. The latter service is offered for free.

Payday loans will likely not be that large a part of the business because Washington has a new law starting in January that limits individuals to eight payday loans annually and tracks them in a database, Squires said.

Aside from that, about the only other thing that's changed with the business is its location. It's at Diagonal and Second streets in the building that used to house TR Video.

So far, customers have responded well, Squires said, noting she had filled 33 orders before the store opened. She credits the store's following to how it treats its customers.

The store doesn't charge interest on any item that is paid for in 90 days, works with customers who miss payments for good reasons such as losing jobs, fixes items that break before customers have finished paying for them and provides loaners to customers while the repairs are made, Squires said.

"We're the first one they call when a baby is born or their mama dies. We really have a relationship with our customers. ... Our family just seems to be getting bigger and bigger."

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Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.

Open for business

Colortyme is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Its address is 205 Diagonal St.