The appliance and lighting salesman is selling his Callister St business, Applite, after working almost every Saturday since he started his business in 1989.
And if a deal isn’t sealed with a new owner by October, he’s flicking off the switches in his Shepparton store and walking into retirement anyway.
Last year, he decided to stop working Saturdays as he looked to slow down a little.
“Gee, it feels like a long weekend when you get two whole days off,” Mr McKinnis said.
That taste of freedom gave him an ever-so-slight glimpse into a future filled with days of traipsing across Europe exploring or honing his lawn bowls skills on his local green.
“I used to be a golfer, but old age and mobility changed that,” he said.
He’s hoping some surgery in November to help him move better will also strengthen his lawn bowls game.
During his 35 years selling appliances and lighting, his role became so much more than that of a salesman.
He learned his products inside and out and stood by the quality brands he had hand-picked to sell, becoming more an educator, who his customers could trust.
If he sold a washing machine, he would install it.
“If it’s not balanced properly, it will walk all over the place,” he said.
“I spend time teaching customers on how to clean them, etcetera.”
Mr McKinnis said it had been important to him to deliver that personalised service with aftercare to help customers troubleshoot on the rare occasion something played up.
A testament to that dedication is a third generation of one family coming to enlist Mr McKinnis’ expertise in fitting out their home with the same Miele appliances he had for the two generations before them.
Though his deadline to sell or close Applite is next month, after it has been on the market for 20 months, the store is still full of current lines, with a canopy of all styles of lights hanging from the ceiling, heaters, fans, indoor and outdoor lamps, wall-mounted heated towel rails and household appliances.
They’re all currently on sale, so Mr McKinnis might make purchasing the shop more appealing to a prospective buyer who doesn’t want to take on the huge range of stock he introduced over his time.
Mr McKinnis said there had been many changes in his 35 years in business, but the biggest he’d seen in his time at Applite was the introduction of LED lighting over the past 13 years.
“It’s a better form of lighting,” he said.
“It hasn’t been an easy change because many people don’t really understand the difference.”
But his faithful customers were happy to be guided by him.
“I’m happy doing what I do for my customers,” he said.
“I don’t need to advertise; I could’ve made it bigger by advertising, but I didn’t need to with returning customers and word of mouth.”
Mr McKinnis, while ready to turn all the lights off for the last time, looks back at his time in business with satisfaction and gratitude.
“It’s been good for me,” he said.
“I’ve just loved the people contact and seeing pleasure on people’s faces when they get something good.”
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