John Cassimus, Mountain Brook native and entrepreneur behind Zoe’s Kitchen opens Mike’s Merchandise in Pelham

Have you heard of Mike’s Merchandise? It’s opening in Pelham this month, and you’ll never guess who’s behind it.

It’s John Cassimus, Mountain Brook native, University of AL football player and the entrepreneur behind Zoe’s Kitchen, Maki Fresh, Miss Dots and Jinsei Sushi.

Yep, after many years in the restaurant industry, Cassimus has decided to say so long to food and venture into something new – the liquidation business.

Cassimus is best known for taking Zoe’s Kitchen, a single-family restaurant created by his mother Zoe and father Marcus and transforming it into a booming chain that operates over 250 restaurants.

Why the industry change?

With such strong entrepreneurial skills in the restaurant industry, why did Cassimus decide to leave it behind?

According to Cassimus,

“It was just time to move on… I look forward to this new chapter in my career…”

He also added that there is a high risk in the restaurant industry because there are too many restaurants for the current demand.

But you have to wonder, why switch from the restaurant industry to the liquidation business.

To this, Cassimus said,

“The discount retail industry has ben thriving over the past several years, and with the domination of online sales driving other large retailers out of business, it has created an opportunity.”

Mike’s Merchandise… Say What?

If you haven’t heard of Mike’s Merchandise before, here are the deets.

Mike’s Merchandise is a franchise based in Guntersville, AL and was started in the 1980’s by Mike Jones.

The store specializes in deeply discounted goods, such as appliances, housewares, baby products, clothing, construction products and hardware. It also sells a variety of brand-new surplus items from stores like Home Depot, Walmart and Target, as well as high-end items including furniture, carpet and name-brand shoes.

The new store that Cassimus is opening will be 26,000 square ft. and is expected to open this month.

Where can you find Mike’s Merchandise?

You can find Cassimus’s new venture, Mike’s Merchandise, at 2760 Pelham Parkway, Pelham, AL 35124.

Store hours are Mon.-Sat. from 9am-7pm and Sun. from 11am-5pm.