By Helen Karakoudas
Special to the Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — Another new business is coming to the North Second Street commercial corridor.
DJ Wilson and Erika Cedillo, a Loves Park couple, are in their fifth week of updating the building at 5205 N. Second St. as the future and only showroom for Afrodita White Goods, their almost two-year-old business for refurbished household appliances.
“We’re very excited about this location,” Wilson said of the space just south of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. The space had been empty since MidWest Title Loans closed there nearly five years ago. “It’s a lot of work building this out on our own, but we’re happy to be here.”
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Afrodita White Goods’ washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators and deep freezers are filling the 2,600 square-foot building that Wilson, Cedillo and their four employees are renovating and customizing for their use.
The machines are cleaned, inspected and repaired by Cedillo, Wilson and their crew; all are resold with warranty options.
Afrodita appliances originally filled space in an industrial park in Machesney Park. Seeking true retail locations, Wilson and Cedillo tested space for several months in a resale store in Beloit, Wisconsin, and then at a storefront on Illinois 173 in the Boone County village of Capron.
The refurbished appliances range in price from $200 to $1,800 depending on the machine’s age, type and brand. Current stock — now available from the Afrodita website — includes appliances by GE, Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, Maytag, Kenmore, Frigidaire, Electrolux, Amana, Crosley, Tappan and Roper.
“These are affordable, but not impulse buys,” Wilson said.
He explained their challenges in finding the best home for their business. “We had a high population and no traffic in Machesney Park. In Capron, it was the opposite. Now in Loves Park, we’ve got both.”
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Wilson and Cedillo are working with the building’s owner, Saul Serna, a local real estate investor and business coach, to buy the building.
“He helped us out with understanding commercial real estate purchasing,” Wilson said. “This is our first purchase of this nature, and it has been a great experience so far. Looking forward to learning more from Saul.”
The co-owners each bring their own skill set to the business: Cedillo, the technical know-how; Wilson, the muscle and marketing savvy.
Cedillo, a native of Mexico who has been in the Rockford area for the last 16 years, had worked for an appliance repairman.
“I started cleaning the appliances and then I started learning how to fix them. I helped him with deliveries, customers, pricing, parts. And I learned mostly everything. When he closed, I tried to do it on my own in a friend’s garage. I was doing well, but it was just me. Moving around big fridges, doing the deliveries on my own, repairs — I started getting a lot of pain in my hands,” Cedillo said.
Without any support, she quit.
“Then years after that, I met Dennis,” Cedillo said, nudging Wilson and smiling.
Followers of Team Fur Bandit, the local do-gooder bicycle club whose members ride animal-themed bikes in cycling events like Tour de Frost and Tour de North End, will recognize her energetic partner, the club’s founder.
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Wilson should also be familiar to local drivers who needed roadside assistance over the last two decades. He is a former co-owner of Coachmans CCR, a AAA-certified body shop in Machesney Park.
After the couple refurbished and delivered a dryer together in July 2021, Afrodita White Goods was born. They say they have since sold 2,000 “appliances powered by love” — a nod both to their branding (a likeness of Aphrodite but with the Spanish spelling) and the pay-as-you-go warranty options that Afrodita offers.
“For $12.99, the cost of a coffee at a fancy place, you can have your machine warranted month-by-month. The diagnostics, which is normally a hundred-dollar charge, we cover that towards the repairs. If the repairs are too high for you, we can get you something comparable or better,” said Wilson, who proudly notes that unlike big-box stores, all Afrodita’s warranty work is done in-house.
“We encourage people to purchase the warranty at the point of sale,” he said. “When the warranty is purchased, it is effective immediately. It reoccurs every month on the same day, at the same time, until canceled. Members can cancel at any time.”
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Warranty memberships are available for appliances bought elsewhere. too.
“If a customer purchases from an individual seller, another store, or if they already own the unit, they can put our warranty on the machine as a peace of mind,” Wilson said, noting there’s an inspection once the first month of such a warranty is paid. If the machine doesn’t pass inspection, the payment is refunded.
Wilson and Cedillo are hiring for help with the buildout and for sales positions.
There’s no opening date yet. But they say drivers-by will definitely know as it gets closer.
“When we change this building, the brand color will be very loud,” Wilson said, referring to the striking yellow in their logo. “Painting the outside is going to be our last step before opening.”
About | Afrodita White Goods
Where: 5205 N. Second Street, Loves Park
On the web: afroditawhitegoods.com; facebook.com/AfroditaWhiteGoodsLLC; instagram.com/afroditawhitegoods
Contact: 815-985-8604 (call or text)
This article is by freelance journalist Helen Karakoudas. Email feedback to news@rockrivercurrent.com.