Welden Hardware celebrates 130th anniversary Business model aims to serve close-knit town By Bruce Deckert • Editor-in-Chief Avon Today • Canton Today • Simsbury Today
John and Melissa Brett Photos by Connecticut Headshots • 860-593-0850 www.connecticutheadshots.com
WELCOME TO AN IMPROMPTU HISTORY QUIZ: What does Welden Hardware have in common with the following events? The inauguration of Benjamin Harrison as the 23rd U.S. president ... the opening of the Eiffel Tower... and the publication of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Hint: These events took place the year that Welden Hardware was established — 1889. Yes, really ... 1889! The signature Simsbury business is celebrating a dual anniversary in 2019 — the store’s 130th and John and Melissa Brett’s 15th as store owners. A Simsbury native, John began working at Welden a few months after his college graduation in 1988, starting as a sales associate before becoming the full-time power equipment mechanic and then the general manager. When the opportunity to buy the business presented itself, he found himself at a career crossroads: He could either switch gears and find a conventional 9-5 job, or take the ownership plunge. “The prospect of owning a business and working side by side with my wife was much more appealing,” he says. “So we decided to take the risk.” This risk/reward venture has been a team effort since its inception in 2004. Melissa (50) manages Welden’s business operations while John (54)
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WELDEN HARDWARE 10 Station Street • Simsbury, CT 06070 • 860-658-4078 email — weldenhardware@gmail.com www.weldenhardware.com Year Established — 1889
Owners (since 2004) — John and Melissa Brett
Number of employees — 3 plus John and Melissa Scott Guzzo-Plum, manager • Matt Ouellette, sales associate Justin Morse, small engine mechanic and sales associate Company slogan — AT YOUR SERVICE • Tagline: “Your hometown hardware store for all your seasonal needs”
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