Local Internet Entrepreneur Launches Okanjo.com

(Editor's Note: Jeff Rowe's wife Susan Spillman has contributed to Patch, and so did their son Jordan Rowe when he was going to Campbell Hall.)

Jeff Rowe, of Encino, and Milwaukee-based Mike Drescher, the start-up team behind Zap2it.com, have reteamed for a new e-commerce website that uniquely offers both the local benefits of Craigslist and the instant purchase power of eBay.

Called Okanjo, which means, “check please” or “check-out” in Japanese, the site launched Feb. 1 and already has nearly 200,000 items listed, totaling $4 million dollars.  

With eBay, now focusing on new products from manufactures and major retailers, Okanjo is targeting sellers that are primarily small retailers, individuals, professional collectors, and artists. 

The site’s offerings run the gamut from such new with tags items as a Kate Spade iPhone case, Gymboree baby sweater and plush leopard print dog bed, to barely used merchandise, including a black Banana Republic dress and girl’s Abercrombie jeggings, to an eclectic assortment of sought-after collectables like an official Green Bay Packers football helmet autographed by Packer quarterbacks Bart Starr, Bret Farve and Aaron Rodgers and a women’s vintage Mickey Mouse watch.

The idea for Okanjo came after Rowe met a frustrated eBay seller who complained the site’s fees were too high and was hard to navigate. 

Having spent his early career in local media, Rowe saw the potential for a service that enabled local buyers and sellers to connect, but still be able to conduct a secure and instant financial transaction.  Unlike other many other ecommerce sites that charge to list, Okanjo users can list products and post photos for free, and only pay a flat 7% fee when their products sell.  Items can be purchased using credit cards or PayPal.

In addition, sellers have the option to donate all or a portion of their earnings to the charity of their choice. Buyers can also search for sellers who support a particular charity.

“Our goal is to make buying, selling and giving easy for everyone,” says Rowe.  Rowe co-founded Okanjo with Mike Drescher.  Rowe and Drescher also teamed up in 1996 when they developed and launched UltimateTV that was acquired by Tribune Media Services in 1999 and is now Zap2it, a successful entertainment information site.

Prior to Okanjo, Rowe was an executive at AOL in Dulles, VA, NBC and VH1.

Many major sites over the last 15 years had a regional or local flashpoint.  Groupon out of Chicago, Pinterest from Iowa and Facebook grew out of Harvard/Ivy League schools. 

Okanjo was launched in Milwaukee, but Rowe expects the site to grow, much like Google, Tumblr and Twitter did.  Milwaukee offered a familiar starting point and gives Okanjo a foothold in the upper Midwest.   Already, the site boasts sale items posted from all 50 states.

“We see a huge opportunity,” says Rowe.

His goal is to turn Okanjo into a global brand.  “We want to go big.”

You can reach Jeff Rowe at jeff@okanjo.com.