Pictured above are Wally Allerdice, III, Sue Allerdice and Wally Allerdice, Jr. in their hardware located on Walworth Street in Saratoga Springs. Wally, Jr. came from a long line of local businessmen who were committed to their business, families and community and are passing the legacy down to their sons, Wally III and William, not pictured. Image courtesy of MarkBolles.com.
there,” he said. From there the Allerdices went on to open a satellite store in Milton, another at Saratoga Lake, and the rental shop, which is co-owned by TR and Keith. The Saratoga Lake shop, though, was too small to make it, so the couple closed it in 2002 and looked at Malta as an alternative site. That is when Wally and Sue began to eye the former Northway Travel Trailer building on Route 9. That 19,000 square-foot building is the largest to date of all their stores, but does not have the lumberyard and barns of the Walworth Street store. Another business savvy decision Allerdice made over the years was the switch from a partnership with True Value to one with Ace Building Supply. “When they built the warehouse at Exit 16, I switched,” said Allerdice, explaining that with a warehouse within a few miles, his company was able to fill larger orders more easily and quickly—a necessity in today’s marketplace. “For example, one day the state called and wanted 100 trash cans for a SPAC concert,” explained Allerdice. “We could get them right away because the warehouse is right there.” As an employer, Allerdice is equally savvy. Evidence of his easy nature and skill as an employer is the number of his employees who have been with him for over 20
years—nearly one quarter of the 95-plus who work for one of his businesses have stayed in his employment. “I could not have done this without the people who work for me,” said Allerdice, adding that Adirondack Trust and Bill Grande also played a vital role in the success of his business. “I like to give credit where credit is due. We are here because of our employees. They know how to treat people—they treat people like they like to be treated.” As for carrying on the family tradition, Allerdice’s oldest son, Wally Jr., has been an employee at the store since he was 15, learning the ropes.” “I’m as retired as I am going to get,” said Wally, admitting that he has passed off many of the daily duties of running the store to others. “We are just trying to teach our son the business and enjoy what we have.” Front page photo from left to right: Wallace Allerdice III, Wallace Allerdice, Kathy Desjardin, Keith Potter, T.R. Pennell, James Cameron III, Joseph Redding, Celeste Jacquard, William Hartloff, Cathy Fiore, William Curtiss, Rachel Forbes, William Arbogast, Rebecca Desjardin, Jennifer Frolish, Lettie Dickerson, Malcolm Snowden, Robert Robitaille, Brian Labelle, David Moen, John Vaughn. Front page image courtesy of Deborah Neary.
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