Wilson's Appliance Centers

The Wilson Family has been selling and fixing appliances since 1921, when founder E.V. Wilson began selling Maytag wringer-washer machines door-to-door. He employed several commissioned salesmen to load individual trucks and sold them to families. Business was booming until the stock market collapse in October 1929. By 1934, E.V. had recouped enough money to purchase a nearby lot on Margaret Street and he began selling other name-brand appliances. He renamed his company to what it is now, Wilson Appliances Co. When World War II was declared, Maytag and other appliance companies converted to making weapons and military goods. Supplies grew short and in order to continue to move inventory, Wilson began buying used appliances and boosted his repair business. After the war, E.V. brought his three sons, John, Edward Jr., and Michael into the family business. Over the next few years, competition in the local appliance business began to grow but the reputation of Wilson Appliances Co. kept them ahead of the fold. The company is now run by Nate Wilson, the third-generation owner of Wilson Appliances Co. Over the course of the last decade, Nate’s business has become a beacon for good prices and good service. Because there’s so much competition from the box stores, the business must always be on the cutting edge. For instance, when Nate took on a more managerial role, he decided that the company should move from its old location on Broad Street to a much larger facility on Route 3. This allowed the business to offer about 50 percent more products and new brands. Also, Wilson’s Appliance is a member of the largest appliance-buying co-op in the United States, which allows the company to buy with the same power as the box stores. In 1997, Wilson established a second store in Elizabethtown to capture Essex County customers. His old store on Broad Street now sells factory-blemished appliances, which are a great value for the customer. In 2012 Wilson’s re-located the Elizabethtown store to Sentinel Road in Lake Placid. Wilson Appliance Co. has been through the great depression, World War II and three generations of owners to cement their business as a cornerstone of the Plattsburgh market. Nathan seems to share his father’s view of the place: “The business is him. It’s not work.”