Searching for the best office supply prices in Thurston County? Look no further than the corner of Legion and Plum in downtown Olympia. You likely know the street corner by the Chair of the Month display in the corner window. The Creative Office, locally-owned by Lowell Gordon, has been supplying Olympia-area businesses with office furniture and supplies since 1995.
Gordon knew he wanted to be a business owner. In 1984, he started a sales agency to the industrial welding and safety industry. After successfully growing the business to include sales in multiple states, Gordon realized that the tremendous amount of travel meant that he was not able to be involved in the local community.
In 1995, Gordon purchased the office furniture business of the former Meredith’s Office Furnishings when the Meredith family relocated to Alaska. Two years later, he added the office supply portion and in 2001 added another business component to specialize in ergonomics.
Today, The Creative Office serves Mason, Lewis, Thurston and Pierce County with free, next-day delivery on over 40,000 office supplies. “We have more than five times the number of office supplies than the big box stores,” says Gordon. Beyond office supplies and furniture, the company also specializes in office space planning, ergonomic solutions, and promotional products.
“By shopping at The Creative Office, you are supporting a local company. All our revenue stays here and is reinvested,” adds Gordon. “When you call to place your order, you can talk to the same customer service representative each time. This person understands your business and can suggest products to meet your needs.” The Creative Office employs 21 people, including three employees originally employed when Gordon purchased the business.
The Creative Office touts their WOW delivery service that brings the customer’s order wherever specified. For example, copy paper can go directly to a storeroom, next to the copy machine or into a specific office. “We buy our copy paper by the truck load and have the best prices in town,” comments Gordon.
“Our TCO-brand toner cartridges offer tremendous savings with excellent quality,” describes Gordon. “We are so confident in this product that we put our name on it and back it with a 100% guarantee.”
Recently, The Creative Office became a dealer for Haworth. Haworth is one of largest contract furniture manufacturers in the world. Not only does Haworth offer some of the highest quality furniture in the industry, it opens up new design opportunities to all businesses. The Creative Office was also just awarded the Hon Diamond level dealership recognizing them as one of the largest Hon dealerships in North America.
The Gordon and Meredith families have become closer entwined than simply completing a transaction for the sale of the business. After many years apart and little contact, Gordon’s daughter reunited with the Meredith’s oldest son Aaron. The pair is married with a son, Casey Lowell Meredith.
Beyond running the business, Gordon can be found volunteering in a variety of local organizations including serving as President-Elect for the Lacey Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer for Behavior Health Resources Foundation, Charter Member of the Gateway Rotary, Small Business Chair of the Washington Retail Association, and Treasurer for Coastal Business Services Board. “I am thankful that I am able to return the gifts and talents that I have been blessed with, back to the community,” remarks Gordon.
The Creative Office
721 Legion Way SE
Olympia, WA 98501
800.900.1732
Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Shop office supplies here.
