Idler’s has been a Central Coast icon for 70 years. Here’s how the store got its start
In 1954, a young washing-machine repairman in San Luis Obispo took a big step in his career.
Wilbur “Bud” Idler bought the small SLO appliance store where he’d been fixing commercial washers and dryers while earning his Cal Poly degree in animal husbandry.
Idler’s Appliances, the new name for the store he opened on Monterey Street in August that year, quickly homed in on what would be its specialty for decades: appliance sales, with a heavy focus on washers and dryers, plus installation, service and advice.
Today, some 70 years later, Bud’s decision has grown into an iconic chain of four Idler’s Home stores from Paso Robles to Santa Maria, along with a giant warehouse.
They’re all still under family ownership, still bear Idler’s name and continue Bud’s legacy, upholding his business motto of “the house that service built.”
How Idler’s Home store began
In the early 1950s, Idler was a wounded World War II vet in the U.S. Army Air Corps who had been shot down over Germany and spent nine months in a prison camp before being liberated at the end of the war.
He brought his family from Montana to San Luis Obispo so he could attend Cal Poly and earn a degree with an emphasis on poultry science.
But that course quickly changed.
“He went from chickens to washing machines,” a chuckling Don Idler told The Tribune.
The current owner and CEO of Idler’s Home, Don was the fifth of six children in Bud and Avis Idler’s family.
“I was born while my dad was still at Cal Poly,” he said.
The early growth of Idler’s Appliances took time, Don said.
“Maintaining commercial washers and dryers at Cal Poly and multiple apartment buildings pretty much sustained the business for several years,” he said.
It was a family operation, with both parents and all the kids helping out in the store.
“The Idler family was made up of two daughters and four sons,” Don’s daughter Jennifer Idler told The Tribune by email. “Growing up, they each had a special role to play in the growing family business.”
“As grammar school kids, we’d crush cardboard,” Don said with a smile.
As demand grew and the siblings got older, “We’d go out with serviceman George Yeager to try to learn from him how to do the repairs,” he said. Later, Yeager opened G&S Appliances.
“From working in the office, in store, to delivering product to customers’ homes and repairing items, it was always a family business and done with a smile and a lot of hard work,” Jennifer said of the growing enterprise.
Bud Idler died in 1978, but his company, legacy and customer-service philosophy live on.
Don took the reins in May 1985.
Since then, Idler’s has seen its staff grow to about 100 employees, called “team members.”
New generation continues Idler’s legacy
Don served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, doing two six-month tours in Vietnam. When he returned in January 1973, he attended Cuesta College while also working at Idler’s, but soon when went fulltime at the shop to help his parents.
Now, another generation has joined him in continuing the family business and tradition.
Jennifer majored in agricultural science at Cal Poly before becoming catering/sales director for the East Coast Hilton Hotels. Her brother Bryan Idler studied English at San Diego State University and worked in customer service and sales in the restaurant industry.
“We both had the amazing opportunity and parents that allowed us to go follow our dreams,” Jennifer said.
However, “you realize how wonderful it is here on the Central Coast and what a great family business (it is) to be part of,” she said.
Bryan moved home in 2010, Jennifer in 2012, “and we’re loving every minute of it,” she said.
Although the family declined to give specific ages, Don said he’s in his 70s, Jennifer is in her 40s and Bryan is in his 30s.
As the decades passed, Idler’s went through major growth.
In 1998, the family moved the San Luis Obispo store from its downtown location to a much larger building at 122 Cross St., in the industrial area behind Trader Joe’s.
They built the 30,000-square-foot Paso Robles store near Target in 2006 and opened the 18,000-square-foot Santa Maria store at 2406 S. Broadway in 2016.
Stores in Atascadero and downtown Paso Robles, built in 1979 and 1993 respectively, closed when the big, new store near Target opened.
Needing even more space, they opened a Sleep and Comfort Studio at 189 Cross St. in 2010, and leased a 32,500-square-foot warehouse at 870 Stowell Road in Santa Maria in 2000
Through all that expansion, they’re still doing things the way Bud taught them, maintaining his service-minded motto.
Today, appliances provide 65% of all sales at the company, Don said.
“They’re still the core of what we sell, from the most basic and affordable appliances to high-end, luxury models,” Jennifer said.
But the family has also widely expanded its product line, and it changed the store’s name to Idler’s Home in 2014 to reflect the new mix.
There’s a lot to see and choose from at Idler’s
Hearkening back to Bud Idler’s start, the store still sells, installs and services washers and dryers, but also much more.
On July 31, for instance, the Paso Robles store (2361 Theatre Drive, near Target) had 76 laundry units for sale, according to Don’s hip-pocket inventory.
Besides those, that store had on display 44 ranges, 42 refrigerators, 28 cooktops, 20 ovens, and 16 microwaves and microwave hoods.
At the same store, same day, there were 40 recliners, 34 beds, 32 couches and related items on the sales floor.
The widely diversified product list also includes spas, bedding, kitchen design and cabinetry, barbecue grills, pizza ovens, griddles and other elements for outdoor kitchens.
Idler’s website also lists furniture and décor for living rooms, dining rooms, sleeping spaces and kids’ rooms.
To stay competitive, Idler’s pledges to meet local competitors’ prices on identical product models.
Idler’s service includes volunteering, fun includes baking
Following in the traditions of Bud and Avis Idler, community involvement continues to be a priority at Idler’s, with family members winning awards and honors and team members actively volunteering. They even get additional paid days off when they take time to do charitable work.
After celebrating the 70th anniversary on Aug. 9, the focus shifts to the annual apple pie baking contest, which will happen in Santa Maria on Sept. 21. Mandatory preregistration for bakers of any age from San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara counties is going on now.
The highly competitive contest has been going strong for 36 years, but with a hiatus from 2020 to 2023.
A $2,500 Bosch range and ultimate bragging rights are the grand prize, with a $1,200 Bosch dish washer for second place and Bosch stand mixers for third and fourth place winners, as determined by local judges.
Which family member does what?
Don and Jennifer usually work out of the Paso Robles store, while Bryan oversees the San Luis Obispo locations.
Jennifer defined their roles. “Don, president (the one with all the wisdom). Bryan, vice president (builder sales, appliance buyer/merchandising and good dad jokes), and Jennifer as chief development officer (HR, marketing, team development and the one in charge of all the fun events),” she said.
Her dad’s reply was more concise.
“My son and daughter do the heavy lifting, and I have the memory,” Don said.
However, he also credits his wife of 50 years, Janis Idler, as being the “supportive, key silent partner that made it all happen.
“We’re still family,” the patriarch said, acknowledging that, while some things have changed, basic needs remain the same.
“We understand the new technology, but customers still want their washing machines to get their clothes clean, their ovens to cook their food and their refrigerators to preserve it.”
More about Idler’s
Track Idler’s Home on its website idlershome.com, blog, Instagram and Facebook pages (search for Idler’s Home), and even on YouTube.
For questions, email info@idlershome.com or call the Paso Robles store at 805-238-6020 and the San Luis Obispo location at 805-543-6600.
