Designer compression socks and plush recliners line the bright aisles of home mobility store Mobül in Long Beach, making it look more like a Bed Bath & Beyond than a traditional wheelchair purveyor.

That’s the whole point, according to founder Wayne Slavitt. He was inspired by a depressing experience browsing medical equipment shops for something to help his mother-in-law get out of the car more easily.

“The store staff was unengaged, the merchandise typically dusty and dirty,” recalled Slavitt, 57. “It was not the best way to shop.”

But the former investment banker and serial entrepreneur smelled a business opportunity.

He researched the market for home mobility products and believes there is room for a chain focused on creating an enjoyable shopping experience. Slavitt launched a Mobül shop in Long Beach during summer 2013 and a Fountain Valley location a year later.

He fitted his spacious stores with cheery representations of bathrooms and dens to showcase the products and he offers the kind of customer service you’d expect from Nordstrom.

“We sell fashion compression,” Slavitt said. “It’s hard to imagine those two words can be used together.”

In addition to aging baby boomers, he is aiming to entice their children, who often shop for their aging parents’ bathroom grab bars and bedside commodes.

Though Slavitt wouldn’t disclose revenue, he said the Long Beach store is profitable and the Orange County shop is on its way. He’s about to start looking for funding to launch three more Southern California stores over the next year and a half.

“Every day, 10,000 people turn 65, and it will be that way for the next 14 years,” Slavitt said. “The market is growing, and consumers are looking for more fashion, style, more customer service and they want to take it home today.”

– Marni Usheroff