Specialty Merchandise Story
SMC began as an idea on a bus
Founder Abe Levine was riding into downtown Los Angeles to a job interview, after a failed attempt to start a business of his own. As the bus moved through the city streets, Abe noticed all of the small businesses along the side of the road, and he thought to himself, "These people all did it. They all have businesses of their own, and they all had to start somewhere. If they can do it, so can I."
And he got off the bus, borrowed a few hundred dollars from a relative, and began what would become SMC. Read more about SMC history here.