You can tell by the way people talk about him today that R.H. “Bob” Reny was a special kind of man.
He connected with people in a special way. He was a salesman sure, but he was a man who would look you in the eye, firmly shake your hand, inquire after the health of your mother and recall the names of your children.
Ironically, Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton was apparently the same kind of man. The two probably shared more in common than either would admit. Reny and Walton both started with next to nothing and they both worked very hard and very long to achieve success. People who met Sam Walton, who worked for him, talk about him with the same kind of reverential tones some people around here reserve for Bob Reny.
The difference between the two was that Reny wasn’t interested in remaking your town to fit his business. He molded his business to fit your town.
To this day, each individual Renys is a unique store. Like children in the same family, they are similar but different. Each has its own personality, while it’s hard to tell one Wal-Mart from another as they are all laid out with the same ruthless efficiency.
Like Maine, like Mainers, Renys is idiosyncratic, which probably speaks a great deal to its success. We are, after all, the state that proudly claims Moxie as our official beverage, count lobster and moose as our best known residents and Stephen King as our best known export.
Reny’s genius was understanding who his customers were and setting up his business for the long haul. He embraced Maine, and built his business to become the quintessential Maine store, more so, we dare say, than even the esteemed L.L. Bean, a company that has pasteurized and deified its founder beyond all recognition.
In the sense that he started with nothing and through hard, hard work and lots of it, he built a small fortune for himself, Bob Reny actually epitomized the American Dream. He didn’t sit around waiting for his break to come. He got off his duff and made his break.
Looking ahead, Renys the business will be fine. The company is in good hands, Bob and John and Mary Kate and all. They know what they are doing. They are not competing with Wal-Mart or Target or what have you. They don’t have to. They know who they are.
