Copper Star opens fifth retail location in two years

PHOENIX – Copper Star Home Medical Supplies has added a fifth retail location covering the entire Phoenix-metro valley to its constellation of stores. 

“We saw a huge need for the Tempe, Ariz., market, which was severely underserved,” said Korry Johnston, president and co-owner. “We now have very convenient locations from the east to the west and everywhere in between.” 

Copper Star offers CPAP, mobility products, hospital beds, lift chair recliners, compression stockings and more. 

Johnston and his partners opened Copper Star at the end of 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world on its head.  

“Talk about a scary time to start a retail business,” said Johnston. “Luckily we knew how to start a new company and how to grow a new brand.” 

Johnston, who has more than 10 years of retail DME experience under his belt, says they put an enormous amount of care into their showrooms, considering carefully everything from scent to music to product presentation. 

“On top of the visual appearance, we have staff members who are excited to be there and be customers’ field guides for the day,” he said. “We also have a dedicated outreach team to take our specialized customer experience to those who are unable to make it into our locations.” 

While other retailers like Target and Amazon may be able to offer “race-to-the-bottom” pricing, they don’t have the expertise to solve customer problems with the right solutions, says Johnston. 

“Our industry is very different from other industries,” he said. “You can’t take the mentality of big-box retail and try to make it in this industry. You really need to understand our small niche and how to blend that with retail.”