Hardware Store

[TWINKLE_TOES]

<font color="blue"> Why do you go to your neighborhood hardware store? </font>

One stop shop, their inventory has built up over the last 50 years based on what people want not on what some salesman gives them a good price on (Eagle 50,000 items, that I don't want, 50% of what I do)

<font color="blue"> What do wish they sold that they don't? </font>

Groceries and gas/diesel, then it would be truly one stop shop.

<font color="blue"> He is thinking about a rental center, How often do you all rent smaller tools, etc ? (no tractors unfortunately)</font>

Never. I make do and rarely pass an opportunity to by a new tool. This may be viable though.


<font color="blue"> How do you all think he can continue to compete? </font>


I don't think he can. Customer loyality ends at a dime difference in price. He simply dosen't have the buying power to compete. I pay a higher price at my local harware store because they have served me well for 40 years and I would like them to stick around. I think I see signs of them headed for the rocks also, to bad.

Probably dosen't fit his curcumstances but, one store in this area is a combined feed and hardware store with just bare essentials in hardware. Seems to have it's head above water.

 

[Wingnut]

We had a similar situation here. The guy mixed hardware, repair (pumps, small engines), as well as feed and some small amount of farm supplies.
They had a big sell-out sale some months ago ... I think he still has his pump repair business going but they sold out the hardware business.
As much as you might WANT to shop locally ... it's pretty difficult for a small business to survive when the big boxes are so close, have such a large inventory, and have such cut-throat pricing.
The local rental shpo also closed down.
It's pretty hard to have a small business unless you have a good niche market / product. We've become accustomed to low prices and throwaway products.

pete

 

[PhilNH5]

Hazmat,
Cyr's is about 4 minutes from my house. Great place. Especially with the recent remodeling.

My all time favorite hardware store is Bensons in Londonderry and Derry. A giant HD just opened across the street from the Londonderry location. Don't know how long Benson's can survive that. Haven't been in the HD and probably won't. I may have to make Cyr's my new favorite place.

Phil

 

[JerryG]

We live in a small town, but we have two stores that sounds a lot like your dads. One of them is a farm and home store, they sell feed and hardware. To help out, they have added Stihl equipment and do small engine repair. That has seemed to help out their business alot. The other is a old time type hardware store. They have added the sale and installation of well pumps and the associated parts. That has also helped to increase their business. The stores that went under that these two replaced, would not add anything or any services, I think that that is one of the reasons that they went under.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

In laws owned a stationary store in a downtown area, outside Harrisburg, Pa., for 20 years. They did well, put the 4 kids through college, etc etc., they had a great customer base. Staples moved to town, they saw a 50% drop in business. They could not buy product at a wholesale level and sell it at enough profit and compete against the buying power of Staples. When Office Max moved in they put the For Sale sign up, no takers, closed the store and retired! Both stores were a few miles outside of town built on previous farmland. Then they wonder why downtowns are dying /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Good luck in what ever you decide.

Tom

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Our Tractor Supply Store has a nice hardware section.... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif,I was suprised what all they had. A nice store....

 

[bgott]

My first stop for hardware is my local Ace store. I have ran up to a grand a month on my account there. I can get in and get out and everybody there knows where everything is. I would rather take an a$$ whippin' than go to the HD that's less than a quarter mile away. My Ace is open to 8 PM every night except sunday and then it's open to 6 or 7. They have some women working there that have been there for years. The rest are high school or college kids. Your dad ought to try to get some college kids to work for him if there is a school nearby. The owner of my Ace has a reputation of working around school scheduling so he seems to have no problem finding applicants. He and his kid just bought another hardware store across town and he has plans to expand this store so I suppose there is still money in it.

 

[Mosey]

I buy most of my hardware at Lowes. The hardware stores here in Columbus, IN are poor. I like Lowes because they are easy to return things to (never any hassle) and they have lower prices then Ace or True Value. I went into the hardware store last week looking for a couple things Lowes didn't have. I thought maybe I just needed to go to a "real" hardware store. They didn't have it either and the employee was less knowledgeable than the Lowes employees. I do know of a good hardware store in Demotte, IN (where my wife's parents live). They have knowledgeable people and are very well stocked and do a lot of business. It helps that the nearest Lowes, Menards, or Home Depot is 30 miles away. I pay much lower prices at Lowes though.