Derrick Miller and Jared Coblentz’ first entrepreneurial venture didn’t go quite as well as they’d hoped. Their product was labor-intensive and wasn’t all that profitable. Plus, their available production time was limited. After all, the two best friends were still in elementary school.

“We tried to sell plastic canvas tissue box covers with Looney Tunes characters on them,” recalled Miller, “but we realized that we could only sell them for two or three dollars each, and it took way too long to make one.”

Since then, Miller and Coblentz, who both grew up in Fredericksburg, have pursued more successful opportunities. They’ve worked for their parents’ businesses, bought and sold real estate, and owned and managed rental properties. Miller, 28, said that Coblentz, 27, is really the one with the entrepreneurial mind. While away at Hesston and Goshen colleges as a business major, Coblentz would call Miller with his budding plans. Some, like their hot air balloon company, Holmes County Balloons, got off the ground pretty well. Others, Miller said, haven’t gone over much better than the Looney Tunes tissue boxes.

“Sometimes I have to shut Jared’s ideas down because he gets a little crazy,” laughed Miller.

But one idea the young men have stumbled upon which combines their love of God, their compassion for those in need, their passion for business, and their vision for downtown Millersburg, is sure to be a success.

Miller and Coblentz, along with Miller’s brother and father, Brent and James Miller, have opened 61 Surplus at 44 East Jackson Street. In the storefront along a busy stretch of road across from the Holmes County Courthouse, they hope to build a sustainable business that serves the community by offering unique, high-quality retail products--everything from Keurig coffeemakers and KitchenAid mixers to Weber grills and leather furniture--at greatly discounted prices.

“We purchase truckloads of products from companies’ online returns. When they’re shipped back to the company, sometimes the boxes get dinged up, but the product is still good. We receive the truck, sort through the items, find the lowest price online, and mark the items 40-50 percent lower.”

Miller said that unloading a surplus truck is kind of like opening gifts on Christmas morning; they have no idea what they’ll find.

“One of the loads we received included five Dell laptop computers, a flat screen television and some cases of diet cola.”

The bright, clean store presents customers with neatly arranged racks organized with brand-name merchandise, some readily recognizable and some a bit unusual.

“The sausage stuffer has been up there for about a week now,” laughed Miller. “It’s probably time to reduce the price.”

While one of the goals of 61 Surplus is to be a successful retail store where customers will find new items every week, the vision of the four directors extends far beyond downtown Millersburg. All of the profits from the business, said Miller, will assist the poor, feed the hungry and build orphanages in places like Thika, Kenya, a town with which Derrick Miller, Brent Miller, who provided the startup capital for the business, and Jared Coblentz already have strong ties.

“On Easter 2009, the three of us biked from Holmes County to Sarasota, Fla., raising money to build an orphanage in Thika. We thought we’d raise maybe $5,000, but, through per-mile sponsorships, we made more than $17,000. We’d like to continue the work we began there and help in other places as well,” said Derrick Miller.

To help accomplish their goals, the men, who have served in places like Laos, Pakistan and Thailand, take no salaries from the business and depend on volunteers to help them succeed. Based on feedback from customers and the sales so far, things look very promising.

“We’ve had a lot of traffic, customers have said the prices are good, and I’ve been pleased with the sales,” said Miller, adding that man power is still needed. “We could definitely use some more high-quality volunteers to keep things moving.”

The four men all work full-time jobs and have families. That’s part of what keeps them motivated to serve those in need.

“When you see children overseas who have no chance unless someone helps them, it really stays with you. I have a son, and if he were the one in need, I would want someone to be able to help him. That’s where the drive stems from. You need that drive, something to motivate you, because this is a lot of work,” said Miller, who is also earning his bachelor’s degree so that he and his wife, Sarah, can someday move to Thailand to teach children there.

But for now, shoppers will likely find Miller at 61 Surplus, his warm smile and friendly demeanor welcoming them to check out the great deals on fine products every Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They even offer a seven-day return policy so that customers can feel comfortable with their purchases while knowing their money is going to an excellent cause, a retail company whose name is derived from Isaiah 61, a passage emphasizing bringing good news to the poor, binding up the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives and comforting those who mourn.

“It encompasses our mission,” said Miller. “We want to revitalize Millersburg and help it from a business standpoint, but our main goal is to help children and others in need in Jesus’ name.”

And that, Miller believes, is a good business plan.

61 Surplus can be reached by email at 61surplus@gmail.com or by phone at 330-231-3846.