TV, computer supply store remains hidden secret

J&M Supply Co. has been one of Florence’s best hidden secrets for 46 years.

It was founded by Dickey Marshburn and Larry Jackson. Marshburn bought out Jackson’s interest in 1987.

Marshburn was a salesman for Dixie Radio Supply Co.until he and Jackson went into business together. They started out with $500 each.

“We managed to get by for a few months because we didn’t have any debt,” he said. “That was the main thing.”

Their specialty was delivering parts like TV picture tubes and other TV parts to such places as Western Autos and mom and pop stores. They also delivered TV antennas, which was a big business for them.

“When all that waned, we moved into computer parts,” he said. “We sell things like wire, cables, patch cables and some audio church microphones, amplifiers, mixers and others.”

Marshburn saw the change coming when TVs got cheap and it cost more to repair them than buy a new one. He got plenty of good advice from customers who were in the computer field.

“We all knew the TV business wouldn’t be around much longer,” he said. “I listened to a couple of guys that came in here that were knowledgeable in that field and really advised me on what to buy and how to get started. And we really went on from there. To my knowledge, there are only a couple of TV shops in Florence. The big stuff now is repaired by factory people under a warranty situation.”

Customers have always heard about J&M by word of mouth.

“I’ve never done any advertising and been very fortunate and very blessed to have stayed healthy and have a lot of good friends in the business that trade with me,” he said. “That’s what keeps me here.”

Marshburn doesn’t do any computer repair.

“We’re strictly wholesale and sell mostly to the people who do installation work,” he said. “Most of our stuff is external like the wires that go into walls, jacks, switches and that sort of thing. The guys I sell to are the ones that do the installs.”

Marshburn has an unusual pool table that has everything on it but cue balls and cue sticks. It has quite a history.

“It came out of a beer joint where somebody got killed and fell across it,” he said. “The people were superstitious and sold it to me for $100. It’s handmade and got about a 4-inch slate top on it. It’s got federal stamps on it dating back to 1948.”

Marshburn has been in his current location at 2125 West Jody Road since 1989. J&M is hidden behind a building he constructed in 1977. The business was downtown on Evans Street at one time.

“We do a lot of things different from other people and always have,” he said. “I guess we’re just too old to change. We’re strictly working on word of mouth and have a lot of repeat customers. Very few people come in here from off the street.”

Among others, Marshburn collects old rhythm and blues records. He has a 1970s-era Wurlitzer jukebox that plays 45 rpm records is in perfect working condition.