Issuu

Jared Littmann and Marlene Niefeld, co-owners

Backed by outstanding vendors, Orgill’s Smart Start program can improve your categories by quickly & easily switching out product lines to give your salesfloor the kick-start it needs.

• Reinvest dated & obsolete inventory

• Quickly & smoothly convert to Orgill-supported brands

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• Freshen up merchandise & implement the industry’s most innovative POP materials

Ask your Orgill Sales Rep about Smart Start or email retailprogram@orgill.com to learn more.

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

804-690-0666

chris@thehardwareconnection.com 317-514-8864

SENIOR

518-852-9624

Easier To Shop & Easier To Stock

Our new graphics are larger and more colorful which makes it easier for customers to find a match to the product they are looking for.

More detailed product descriptions on the label make products easier to find for the shopper and easier to put away by the store stockers.

“Put Away Numbers” allows stock people to find the assortment the refill belongs in more than twice as fast as the old system.

Color coded by category

Our specialty label program now matches the colors of our hanging pack and bulk product lines making it easier to put away stock by category- no matter which product line.

ASHELF LIFE Market Freedom: Indie Retailers Go Green — or Not

big part of what I do for Hardware Connection is share conversations I’ve had with hardware retailers.

One recent inspiring conversation was with Ann Chapman, owner of Century Club member Woodson Lumber Company in Caldwell, Texas. You can read about Chapman in “Being Present for More Than 100 Years,” which is part of “She Builds,” our continuing series of conversations with women retailers.

For the past 13 years, I have thoroughly enjoyed calling independent hardware retailers for Hardware Connection’s How’s Business section. I talk with retailers across the country who share local economic conditions and the unique aspects of their businesses. In the February issue, I asked Baxter Shaw, owner of Central Hardware in Brunswick, Ga., if sustainable products figure into his business. His blunt response: “Not down here in south Georgia.”

This answer reflects an honest assessment of his local market, and he runs his business accordingly. Other retailers, such as Jared Littmann, co-owner of K&B True Value in Annapolis, Md., have taken a different tack. Littmann has installed so many solar panels on his roof that he doesn’t pay for electricity, and he plans his assortment to provide eco-conscious leadership in his community. You can read about how

By Doug Donaldson

Littmann’s green-driven direction has paid off in this month’s cover story: “Power Play: Hardware Store’s Solar Win.” Also in this issue, Mike Cassidy of Chet’s Hardware in Catalina Island, Calif., shares a firsthand account about making an in-store water reclamation system—partially out of necessity because of potential droughts but also to save money on water bills. Cassidy’s story, “How to Reclaim Water in a Hardware Store,” is just a click away.

The beauty of the independent retail channel is that these retailers can choose to pursue business their own way, responding to the market or leading if they desire.

Steadily, though, consumer demand for sustainability, renewable energy, and recycling have increased in many areas of the country, and that’s been reflected in the products on hardware store shelves. One example: Consumers seek batterypowered outdoor power equipment 40.2 percent of the time versus 32.3 percent for gas. The landscaping service industry is increasingly adding green lawn care technology, not only to be more eco-friendly but because of the lower noise and vibrations.

With such market forces in mind, I recently had the opportunity to talk with executives in Orgill’s purchasing department. You can read the full interview, “Charting Success: Orgill Buyers and the

We have an aggressive growth strategy, and Do it Best makes

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Our merchandising and LBM expertise, distribution, retail insights, store design, and growth-driven mindset have propelled member-owner Ryan Ringer’s family business into an eight-location powerhouse.

Join a company that’s committed to taking your business as far as you can dream it.

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New Normal.” In addition to discussing the post-pandemic buying market and how the distributor turns competitive relationships to collaborative relationships, we touched on the market for sustainability and eco-friendly products.

Alan Shore, Orgill’s director seasonal merchandise, said: “If it’s [a hardware store] in a community that is very eco-conscious, or where there may be legislations against utilizing certain products that are not ecofriendly, then we have to adapt to that. We have to be there for our customers to service their needs. A lot of customers want to have eco-friendly products.”

The Orgill buyers also talked about how they monitor the market to make purchasing decisions on sustainable products. Certain categories, such as green cleaning

options, are in high demand. Walk any recent trade show and you will see how manufacturers are bringing products to market that can be recycled and reused, such as Flame King propane cylinders and PaleBlue rechargeable batteries, sponsors of Hardware Connection’s first Sustainability Special Section.

With the Sustainability Special Section, I don’t expect retailers to go hug trees. I do hope that the stories within the section inform, inspire, and provide a snapshot of market potential.

Thanks to all the retailers who have shared their stories in this issue. If you have a story to tell about your business, customers, local market, or anything else hardware industry related, please email me, doug@ thehardwareconnection.com. n

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Exclusive Insights Await: Register Today for the Independent Home Improvement Conference

pril is widely associated with the onset of spring, marking the departure from cold and dark winter days for much of the United States and the anticipation of warmer weather ahead. It’s also a month dedicated to planning gardens, outdoor projects, and summer travels. If you dream of white sand beaches, tropical drinks, and immersing yourself in a community of like-minded individuals, I have an exciting opportunity for you.

Registration is now open for the Independent Home Improvement Conference (IHI), a unique event set to take place from Tuesday, August 27, to Thursday, August 29, on the picturesque tropical island of Marco Island, Fla. We are proud to host the conference at the prestigious 5-star JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, offering a stunning setting with three miles of white, sandy beaches overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The resort boasts an array of amenities including 12 restaurants, an exclusive adult-only section (Sirene), two championship golf courses, a 24,000-square-foot spa, and four pools. Take advantage of our special hotel group rate of just $208

plus taxes, a significant discount from the regular rate of $600+.

Coming to the IHI means becoming part of a unique experience that combines The Hardware Conference and the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) Independents Conference. Expect to hear from top industry leaders, engage with keynote speakers, participate in educational breakout sessions, and enjoy three separate dealer award programs. Additionally, you will have ample opportunity for much-needed relaxation amidst the beauty of Marco Island.

Industry leaders, keynote speakers and expert panels will focus on ideas and solutions surrounding retail operations and innovation. Educational breakouts will offer four unique tracks, including operations, technology, employee engagement, marketing, merchandising, and advertising. Nightly dealer award ceremonies from NHPA—such as the Young Retailer of

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TREND WATCH

the Year and Top Guns—and Hardware Connection’s Beacon Awards Program highlight the evening events.

The Beacon Awards honor the best of the best independent hardware and home improvement retailers while inspiring a new generation of retailers to make their mark in the industry. For 2024, the Beacon Award sponsors include Epicor Software Corp., Ettore Products, and Fluidmaster, along with wholesaler sponsors Do it Best and Orgill Inc.

Since announcing this newly combined event, the IHI team has been tirelessly shaping agendas, vetting keynote speakers, and securing industry

experts for panel conversations. While we are still finalizing keynote speakers, we are pleased to share a basic event outline to assist with your travel plans. Register now for Early Bird Pricing and save $350 when you register by the end of April. Click here to register. Stay tuned for future updates, and we look forward to hosting you on Marco Island! n

INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY HOME PROJECTS

HARDWARE STORIES Amazing but TRUE

Caller: “Yes, I’m putting a bed together. It has those metric bolts, and I don’t have anything that fits.”

Me: “Um, all Crescent adjustable wrenches will work on metric bolts, too.”

Caller: “They will? (Sounding a little incredulous.) So, if I pick one up from you and it won’t work, I can return it?”

Me: (long pause) “Suuuuuure.”

Kelly Voss

Farm City Supply

Breckenridge, Minn.

When I started working in the family lumberyard, there was this oldschool lumberman, Jake. He was pushing 65 years old, never rushed, cracked a joke a time or two. I was about 16 at the time and working in the contractor area. The lumberyard had a little Toyota pickup, fun to drive, like a golf cart. That morning, there was a fresh layer of snow, and we had a big, wide-open parking lot. I’m inside the building and see that Toyota doing donuts, roaring around the lot. Then, the truck parks and out jumps Jake with a huge grin. Fast forward 30 minutes: I get the butt-chewing of my life from Ed, my father (aka my boss) about respecting equipment. He thought I was doing donuts in the parking lot. I did what any 16-year-old would do and threw Jake under the bus. My dad wasn’t having it. He warned me not to do donuts in the parking lot again. From then on, Jake would pull that little truck out and intentionally do donuts in the lot on the off chance that I would get another butt-whipping. That’s why I loved that old man, because he taught me to always have fun.

Butch Heimsoth Capital Lumber Co. Cheyenne,

Wyo.

*Compared to other gas tankless models without X3 Technology.

HARDWARE PRODUCTS REVIEW ShopTalk

SHÜBUG BUG SPRAY

Safety has always been a fundamental concern for humanity and is constantly evolving. Comparing your childhood to today, you can see the progress. Our family started wearing seatbelts when

By Craig Cope

I was 12, and I remember flying in the smoking section of airplanes. Safety evolution does not stop there but also extends to the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the chemicals we apply to

PRODUCT #1

our skin, if any. The last one might have caught you off guard, but your skin is the body’s single largest organ and is absorbent, also known as dermal absorption.

While spring may bring longer nights, baseball games, and other outdoor activities, it’s also the beginning of mosquito season. Seeking relief from biting insects, we reach for bug spray with little to no thought about which chemicals we apply to our body’s largest organ. The chemical that raises concern is DEET— the active ingredient in many repellent products. Some have started to question whether there are any effects of longterm exposure from daily use. While many companies offer non-DEET repellents, they generally don’t perform as well. At least, that was before Shübug.

Shübug offers two DEET-free alternatives: Shübug Active and Shübug Natural. The Natural formula is a 100-percent-natural, oil-based blend of coconut MCT and walnut oils. The Active version utilizes picaridin, a compound found in plants used to produce black pepper. The Active version offers 12 hours of protection while the Natural version provides 10 hours of protection.

The company shipped us both versions—Active and Natural—for testing. Living in south Florida means mosquito season is year-round, which gives

“

WHILE MANY COMPANIES OFFER NON-DEET REPELLENTS, THEY GENERALLY DON’T PERFORM AS WELL. AT LEAST, THAT WAS BEFORE SHÜBUG. ”

us plenty of opportunities to test bug repellents. We supplied our samples to a wide range of testers, including soccer moms and their children, landscapers, and backpackers. All the testers reported similar results to those expected with products containing DEET but without any of the chemicals. The children preferred the Natural version, because it “felt like lotion” and was not “sticky.” One tester said the product “felt light, too, almost nonexistent on the skin.”

When planning your spring product assortments, consider adding these DEET-free products from Shübug, which perform just as well as synthetic products. If it can work in south Florida, it can work in your local market.

Sponsors:

Wholesale Sponsors:

2024 BEACON AWARDS

Join Us to Honor the Industry’s Best Retailers during the Independent Home Improvement Conference

The nation’s largest gathering of independent retailers regardless of wholesaler affiliation will be August 27-29 at the JW Marriott Marco Island Resort in Marco Island, Fla. Join colleagues and industry friends for this three-day learning and networking event, highlighted by the presentation of the 2024 Beacon Awards.

In addition to Best New Store, Retail Beacon Awards are presented from each participating wholesaler. The Beacon Awards are sponsored by Epicor, Ettore Products Company, Fluidmaster and Hardware Connection magazine. Wholesale sponsors are Do it Best and Orgill.

For more information about attending the event, along with all the other educational seminars, open-floor discussions and social activities, visit the Independent Home Improvement Conference site.

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PHYLLOM BIOPRODUCTS CORP. BEETLEGONE! ® AND GRUBGONE! ®

Veterinary experts estimate there are about 232,000 cases of pet poisoning annually in the United States, mostly due to accidental exposure to pesticides and insecticides. In some cases, pets ingest these chemicals indirectly, often by consuming the remains of targeted pests.

Phyllom BioProducts is committed to providing potent and environmentally safe biological pest control solutions for forestry, tree and shrub care, lawn and garden care, specialty agriculture, and animal health. Their patented strain of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is the first bioinsecticide effective against susceptible beetles, weevils, borers, and grubs upon ingestion. Unlike chemical alternatives, Phyllom’s products pose no risk to non-target beneficial insects like bees and butterflies. Moreover, their Bt strain is compliant with the USDA National Organic Program for use in organic crop production.

The company sent us samples of their beetleGONE!® and grubGONE!® products for testing. We provided these samples to a local organic gardening group. During discussions, one of the group’s experts

highlighted how 20th-century farmers utilized naturally occurring Bt as a crop protection tool. Lacking scientific expertise, we relied on studies published by independent third parties for our evaluation. Click here to view those results.

With the growing concern for food and environmental health, organic gardening is gaining popularity. Hardware stores with even small lawn and garden sections should offer organic alternatives to meet this expanding market demand.

We believe humans should have access to everyday protection from mosquitos that’s as safe as it is effective. It shouldn’t just be safe enough to be a part of your daily routine, it should be good enough to be a part of your daily health ritual. That’s why we use some of the oldest health stuff on the planet: MCT and Walnut Oil, as the base for our Naturals. Nature is good for us, why not use it.

HARDWARE PRODUCTS REVIEW ShopTalk

PRODUCT #3 BROADFIX SHIMS

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hensive range of shims for numerous applications, including doors, windows, countertops, kitchen cabinets and more. Plastic shims have multiple advantages over their wooden counterparts. Plastic does not rot, shrink, or swell, is termite-proof, and only compresses under high loads. Click here for a brief company video. We received various versions of Broadfix’s plastic shims for testing,

which we immediately took to the nearest home building job site for feedback. Our testers used the shims for a full day, finalizing a new kitchen installation. Each tester commented that they preferred plastic shims for increased efficiency and ease of use.

If your store carries shims, Broadfix could be your one-stop solution. n

How’s Business?

MIDWEST

How was business in 2023 and so far in 2024? While 2023 wasn’t as good as ’22, it was good and in 2024 we’re running flat right now.

What’s unique about your store? The business was founded in 1960, and I would say we’re diversified. We do a lot of hardware, lumber, and lawn and garden. We also have rental and do post frame buildings. We’re a pretty big store at 12,000 square feet.

What are your best niches? With our lumber, we try to buy quality materials. We’re not necessarily the cheapest, but it’s quality and we have good service. Our employees have a lot of product knowledge. We’re in a small town but if someone from Peoria comes into our store, once they experience our service, they come back.

What plans do you have for 2024?

We met with the Do it Best store design group about another location. We’re looking right now, but nothing definite.

What’s your approach to outdoor living? We’re a Traeger dealer and also sell Big Green Egg and Blackstone grills. We have a pretty extensive grilling sec-

EB Buildings & Lumber in Princeville, Ill., has devoted a large section of the store to grilling, displaying Big Green Egg, Blackstone, and Traeger products.

tion in the store. We also sell spices and Traeger spice is where everybody seems to be going.

Doug Streitmatter

EB Buildings & Lumber Co. Princeville, Ill.

NORTHEAST

How was business in 2023 and so far in 2024? We had our best year in a very long time. We saw a lot of growth, a lot of opportunity even in New York. We do a lot of commercial sales and our commercial sales

Welcome to the Hardware Connection Century Club!

The Hardware Connection Century Club, sponsored by the National Hardware Show®, recognizes “The Innovators and Survivors Who Helped Build America.” Our Century Club currently includes 804 hardware and LBM retailers, 21 wholesalers and 207 manufacturers that were founded in the United States of America and remain in business after 100 or more years.

You can find the complete list of Century Club members including old store photos and links to company history by clicking here. We congratulate the following retailers who have been added to the Hardware Connection Century Club this year:

Andrew Posey & Son Hardware, Jasper, AL—1924

Bourassa True Value Hardware, New Bedford, MA—1924

Bowling’s Feed and Hardware, Catlettsburg, KY—1924

Braun Building Center, Manitowoc, WI—1905

Carl Eliason & Company Lumber & Hardware, Sayner, WI—1924

Chairtown Lumber Company, Gardner, MA—1924

Clark Devon Hardware, Chicago, IL—1924

Congleton Lumber, Lexington, KY—1905

Denver Lumber Company, Denver, CO—1923

Gennett Lumber Company, Fletcher, NC—1901

Guy C. Lee Building Materials, Smithfield, NC—1924

Hamilton Building Supply, Hamilton, NJ—1924

Heller Lumber Company, Arlington Heights, IL—1924

Holman Supply Company, Moultrie, GA—1920

Howell Hardware, Millville, NJ—1924

H&W Hardware, New York, NY—1924

Kelly Seed & Hardware Co., Peoria, IL—1905

SOUTH

How was business in 2023 and so far in 2024? Overall, it was good. It started trailing off toward the end a little bit. I would say transaction count held very steady, if not encouraging, but average ticket definitely went down. People are not spending the amount of money they were. Interest rates have kind of tied up the housing market, which is a big driver for us. People move into new homes, they paint and get new grills— both are big categories for us. In south Florida, we have insurance hikes, and that’s really stagnated the market. This

Jeremy Peterson, owner of Family Hardware in Fort Myers, Fla., says average sales tickets are trending up in 2024.

year, business is more encouraging. I was talking with some vendors, and it seems like the sentiment is that whatever caused the economic dip we may have hit rock bottom. But who really knows? In the store, average ticket sales are definitely trending in the right direction this year.

What’s unique about your store?

We have a really strong grilling section. We’re a platinum Big Green Egg dealer. We also have a lot of space for grilling, about 2,000 square feet, where customers can see every model of Napoleon and Big Green Egg grills. That’s a niche we’ve carved for ourselves.

What are your best niches?

Definitely grilling. In a machine shop attached to the store, we have a full-service sharpening shop, and we sharpen carbide, circular saw blades. We sharpen probably 500, 600 saw blades a week. The sharpening business is its own entity in a way. We service the local cabinet and aluminum industry. For other retailers looking to get into a sharpening business on our level, I would suggest purchasing an existing operation. If there’s an established shop in your area, purchase it. That’s what we did. I couldn’t imagine trying to build it from nothing, pulling together all the specialized equipment.

What plans do you have for 2024?

We’re starting the initial talks of looking for a third location. We have a couple areas in mind, but we’re in the very beginning stage.

What’s your approach to outdoor living? In conjunction with that assortment, we push out a lot of digital marketing, not just social media. We want to constantly be on the top of customers’ minds when they think grilling and outdoor living. We’ll do targeted mails to specific homes in our areas with pools. If you have a pool, you’re more likely to be a griller.

Jeremy Peterson

Family Hardware Fort Myers, Fla.

SOUTHWEST

How was business in 2023 and so far in 2024? So, 2023 was really good, but coming out of the pandemic, I guess we weren’t quite as good as ’21 and ’22. We were really busy, but had a really good year. We’re probably 75 percent contractor and 25 percent retail do-ityourselfer. This year started out real slow. January was awful, but February and March have been good. We are on a lake in northeast Oklahoma, and so we have relatively high-end homes and almost all custom. I don’t think we’ve been hit as hard as some other areas. A lot of these people aren’t overly concerned about in-

Did you know 55% of transactions take place outside of business hours?

With the combination of Spruce and Spruce eCommerce, you can capture more after-hours revenue without sacriﬁcing time at the family dinner table.

co r fo r Reta i l

HOW’S BUSINESS?

Right: Craig Walker

terest rates, because they already have the money.

What’s unique about your store?

We are a home center and we cater to the lake traffic. We have a lot of boating stuff and some sporting goods along with all the regular retail items. About a quarter of the store is dedicated to contractors with related displays and rental.

What are your best niches? The pot, cannabis industry is big in the area. We have a few things like freeze dryers and other supplies that those folks need. For hardware retailers who would want to expand into that niche, I’d recommend having those products displayed and in stock. Let the customers know what you sell.

What’s your approach to outdoor living? For where we are, outdoor living would be deck living. We sell everything from the deck itself—we’re a Trex®stocking dealer. We also have Trex® furniture and other deck furniture such as recliners. People come in looking for all kinds of things related to deck living so we have to have a little bit of everything. We have a 10,000-square-foot showroom and have a big wrap-around porch where we display lawn mowers.

Craig Walker

Walker’s Hardware & Lumber Langley, Okla.

WEST

How was business in 2023 and so far in 2024? The ticket count went down about 10 percent and the average ticket went down more because our market slowed. We still have volume, but we’re not selling the larger-ticket items. In sales, we’re down at least 15 percent. We do about 80 percent contractor, commodities sales, and volatile prices have meant some chunks were taken out of margin. In 2024, we’ve ticked up a little.

Rolling into 2024, we have similar numbers to 2019, sort of back where it should be. We have a missile base here that’s in the process of realignment, where they’re

Butch Heimsoth, owner of Capital Lumber Co., looks for business to pick up because of a new Meta data center and missile refurbishment in the area.

redoing everything—missile propulsion, guidance. We don’t have any direct federal contracts, but we expect some trickle-down business with 2,000 families coming through the area until the project ramps down in 2029. We also have Microsoft data centers here, and Meta is planning on building a 2.4 million-squarefoot data center as well.

What’s unique about your store? I do an industry podcast called Lumberyard Legends. In the podcast, I like to connect with others in the industry, ask them how they got their start

and maybe tell a funny story or two. In the store, our people are our biggest asset and we truly go above and beyond for our customers. We have hosted belt sander races for 12 years.

What are your best niches? We have a fairly large selection of tools, primarily DeWalt and Milwaukee. While we don’t have a tool repair shop on-site, we’re known for being able to get tools repaired. Once a week, a driver goes to Denver and makes six to more than a dozen stops at tool repair shops and vendors where we can save some by doing the transportation ourselves.

What plans do you have for 2024? I’m looking to expand the Milwaukee power tool line and give more space to that brand. As the missile-related business increases, I’m looking to gear up for that.

Capital Lumber Co. in Cheyenne, Wyo., has hosted belt sander races for 12 years.

What’s your approach to outdoor living? We’re not really strong in that area. We do have Traeger pellet grills and some standard rakes and shovels. Because we don’t have an onsite mechanic, I didn’t want to get much into mowers or other outdoor power equipment.

Butch Heimsoth

Capital Lumber Co. Cheyenne, Wyo.

Simpli ed. Supported. Success.

Name: Mona

Department: Customer Experience

Years of Service: 5

“Mona has been absolutely outstanding. She follows through promptly and has really invested both time and e ort to learn our business and answer our questions. She has greatly improved our relationship with Paladin.”

Marc - Celebration Hardware

By Doug Donaldson

DEALER PROFILE

POWER PLAY: HARDWARE STORE’S SOLAR WIN

Jared Littmann, co-owner of K&B True Value in Annapolis, Md., defined his store’s identity with a commitment to green business practices including installing solar panels and stocking an eco-friendly assortment.

When asked what defines his store, Jared Littmann, coowner of K&B True Value in Annapolis, Md., can just point to his roof.

Spanning most of the roof are enough solar panels to provide all the electricity the store needs—and then some. Being eco-conscious is ingrained in the K&B True Value brand.

“I’ve always been passionate about the environment and protecting it for future generations,” Littmann says. “The hardware store is a more direct way to implement change for the environment in a soft-handed way.”

Along with his decision to power the store with renewable energy, Littmann, during his two decades in the hardware business, has chosen his assortment to reflect more green options, such as battery-powered tools and environmentally friendly cleaners. When planning the assortment and buying for the store, he looks for

Jared Littmann and Marlene Niefeld, co-owners of K&B True Value, which celebrates 50 years in business this year. Niefeld is the daughter of store founders, Ken and Bobbie Niefeld.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

products that are environmentally friendly. Consumables that have refillable options fill store shelves along with other products such as laundry detergent sheets with more natural, non-chemical cleaners. Littmann was also an early adopter of LEDs and organic fertilizers.

ENGINEERING, LAW SCHOOL, THEN STORE OWNER

His commitment to the environment began well before owning the store, though. A New Jersey native, Littmann earned an engineering degree with a focus on the environment from Washington University. Then, he went to law school at the University of Maryland. After working

The 224 solar panels on K&B True Value’s roof provide 100 percent of the store’s electricity, often generating more power than the store requires, adding green power back into the grid.

as a lawyer for seven years, he and his wife, Marlene Niefeld, wanted a more family-friendly lifestyle. Niefeld grew up in a hardware store family. Her parents, Ken and Bobbie Niefeld, opened K&B Hardware in 1974.

Littmann began working in the store in 2004 to learn the ropes and see if the business aligned with their vision for a different lifestyle. Then in 2007, he and his wife purchased the business.

Since then, Littman has dived headfirst into the hardware business and the Annapolis community. After

serving for 11 years, he completed his tenure on the True Value board of directors in March 2024. He has also given much time to the Annapolis community, serving on the city council, school boards, local task forces, along with coaching youth sports. He announced that he is running for mayor of Annapolis in 2025. As the election nears, he’s easing into more of a part-time role and his wife is taking a lead role in store operations.

Littmann characterizes his store as “small but busy.” With about 9,500 square feet of retail space, the store racks up about 175,000 transactions a year. On a busy spring day, the store can register about 1,200 transactions.

In addition to installing LEDs and solar panels in the store, the K&B True Value assortment reflects eco-conscious values. One example: Earth Breeze laundry detergent sheets, which are dye-free, vegan and cruelty-free, and phosphate and phthalate-free.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

With a predominantly do-it-yourselfer customer base, the store serves a wide swath of demographics, with expensive, waterfront homes nearby along with the public housing right next door. On a peninsula, the Annapolis store features a solid marine business.

“Being a hardware store owner means having a variety of skillsets and developing new, different skillsets because we have to do so many different things—human resources, accounting, business strategy, community engagement,” Littmann says.

“It’s all really enjoyable as is giving back to the community.”

This past March, the Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce recognized K&B True Value as the 2024 Small Business of the Year. From left to right, Amy Berry, membership/marketing director for the chamber of commerce, Jared Littmann, Marlene Niefeld, Ken Niefeld, and Mark Kleinschmidt, president and CEO, Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce.

As a neighborhood mainstay for 50 years, K&B True Value has employees who have worked there for more than 30 years.

LIGHT OF THE COMMUNITY

Throughout its five decades, the store has provided support for several community programs. In 2009, K&B True Value started the Cash for

Littmann says going solar made good business sense for K&B True Value. He expects the ROI on the solar panels to be about six and a half years, and for the panels to last for 20 to 25 years.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

Schools program, which offers customers a chance to donate to 16 local schools, which the store matches. Soon after the program started, it regularly raised $10,000 per year for schools, which could use the money however they wished. Some schools have used the money to help students buy backpacks, eye glasses or technology. Other schools have used the money to support after-school programs or as prizes for teacher or student contests.

In recent years, Littmann recruited other businesses to participate, and in 2023, schools have received $30,000 from Cash for Schools. Since the program started, customers and sponsors have raised $156,000 for elementary, middle and high schools in the area.

In March, the Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce recognized K&B True Value as the 2024 Small Business of the Year. The Maryland General Assembly also recently made an official proclamation congratulating the store on its 50th anniversary.

TAPPING THE POWER OF THE SUN

The store’s first set of solar panels got installed in 2012. Those 72 panels cost $65,000 and provided a 15 percent offset of the building’s electricity use with a five-and-a-half-year ROI. Because of advances in solar panel technology, Littmann saw the

opportunity to fully power the store with renewable energy and installed a new set of panels in March 2022.

The 224 panels now on the store’s roof provide 100 percent of the store’s electricity, often generating more power than the store requires, adding green power back into the grid. Littmann anticipates the $232,000 cost of the panels to be recouped in energy savings within about six and a half years. Helping this bottom line is depreciation (which can account for about onethird of the cost) along with federal, state and local incentives. The panels should last 20 to 25 years, according to Littmann.

With each panel providing 0.45 kilowatts of power, the system generates 100.8 kilowatts, which is more than enough to provide for all the store’s electricity needs. In addition to having no electricity bill, Littmann says having solar power for the store means that he doesn’t have to worry about unpredictable spikes in energy prices.

“With the solar panels, I’m not just doing the right thing for the environment, but making a good business decision,” Littmann says.

He is considering the next step, which would be adding a battery power system. The benefit of adding batteries means that if the grid goes down because of a storm, his store will still have power. n

SHOULD YOUR STORE GET SOLAR PANELS?

For Jared Littmann, co-owner of K&B True Value in Annapolis, Md., relying on renewable energy and stocking environmentally friendly products distinguishes his business and makes good business sense. He suggests that other store owners could benefit from going solar, too.

“Hardware store roofs make terrific places for solar panels,” Littmann says. “The big, flat roofs. Angular big flat roofs tend to not have obstructions and are in business for a really long time.”

He says that if a store owner is invested in the business and plans to be in the same location more than 20 years, then solar definitely makes sense. However, for stores that are tenants in their buildings, paying electric bills through solar panels may not have as many benefits.

Before installing solar, Littmann’s peak energy bill cost the store $26,000. With his first set of solar panels and installation of LEDs, that bill was decreased to about $13,000. Now, with his current solar system, he believes he saves about $15,000 a year in energy bills.

5 TIPS WHEN CONSIDERING SOLAR

Within the past 12 years, Littmann has installed two sets of solar panels on his store’s roof. With that experience, here are his five tips for other store owners considering the same route:

1. Survey surrounding foliage. Ideally, the roof will be in the sun throughout the day. However, tall trees could create shade on portions of the roof. By using Google Maps, solar installers can provide an estimate of the amount of power a system can generate.

2. Check condition of roof. Make sure the roof is in good condition before installing solar panels. Or replace the roof before panels are installed. It’s a much bigger headache to make roof repairs after panels are installed.

3. Hire high-quality solar installation services. Look for solar panel installation companies that have extensive experience. Ask if the companies will handle all the local approvals and permits and about the kind of equipment the company has available for installation.

4. Ask the right questions of installers. In addition to years in the business, ask any potential installer if they have handled commercial projects. Littmann also suggests asking for and checking with references.

5. Research incentives, tax breaks. Because of the local, state and national incentives to utilize renewable energy, Littmann says solar panels are worth the investment. With a little research upfront costs can be lowered.

WHY RETAILERS SHOULD PREPARE FOR ‘RIGHT TO REPAIR’

By Craig Webb

THE GROWING MOMENTUM TO MAKE PRODUCTS MORE FIXABLE COULD HAVE BIG IMPLICATIONS FOR HARDWARE STORES.

Practically forever, hardware stores have been known as the place to go when someone needs to fix something. That reputation could soon sweep you up in a global “Right to Repair” movement that could provide new sales opportunities—and potential headaches.

You already may have heard about new Right to Repair laws being enacted by states and getting increased attention in Washington, D.C. Most of those laws are directed at complicated,

electronics-rich, non-hardware products such as smartphones, farm equipment and automobiles. But in some states and particularly in Europe, regulations are being drafted that would extend repairability to simpler appliances and

Above: People have been complaining for at least a century about companies that limit who can repair their products— as well as designing products with planned obsolescence, which means it is manufactured in such a way that you need to buy a new version when the old one goes bad. Photo credit: Ifixit.com

tools. Looking further ahead, one can even imagine a day when hardware stores would serve as collection points to take back and help recycle devices they have sold.

If what is happening in Europe seems unlikely to affect the United States, consider this: Apple is changing the plug on its latest iPhones because the European Union demanded it. Lots of products today are so international that one region’s regulations can affect the product’s design everywhere.

People have been complaining for at least a century about companies that limit who can repair their products—as well as designing products with planned obsolescence, which means they are manufactured in such a way that you need to buy a new version when the old one goes bad. What’s different today is that the federal government and state legislatures are listening. Five states have passed Right to Repair laws in recent years, including Oregon, whose law covers just about every product with a computer chip. Other states

Hardware stores may start stocking circuit boards for a toaster or custom screws for brand-name products as a result of the “Right to Repair” trend. At the very least, these products could become part of the SKU array offered online by a hardware store’s wholesaler.

have covered products such as motorized wheelchairs and farm tractors.

California’s new law requires manufacturers of electronics and appliances to provide parts, tools and documentation to product owners and independent repair shops, Consumers’ Checkbook reports. (Click here for the status of proposals in other states.)

All this inspires speculation on how hardware stores will figure into the move toward making replacement parts more easily available. Stores already are the go-to place to purchase generic replacement toilet fill valves, lawn mower blades, and blanks for door keys. It’s not much of a jump to imagine hardware stores also stocking circuit boards for a toaster or custom screws for a brand-name product. At the very least, these products could become part of the SKU array offered online by a hardware store’s co-op. And employees who already are challenged to know plumbing and lighting soon could find themselves getting peppered with questions about the inner workings of appliances.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

Lots of products today are so international that one region’s regulations can affect the product’s design everywhere. For example, Apple is changing the plug on its latest iPhones because the European Union demanded it.

SAVING ENVIRONMENT, MONEY WITH DO-IT-YOURSELF SPIRIT

In the United States, Right to Repair has been driven largely by a desire to save money combined with a do-it-yourself spirit. In Europe, you hear much more about environmental concerns.

“Throwing repairable consumer goods away has a profound environmental impact, resulting in the use of 30 million tons of resources, the production of 261 million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions and the generation of 35 million tons of waste annually in the EU,” the European Union Parliament announced shortly after that body approved its stance on Right to Repair. Consumers opting to replace a good instead of repairing it lose about $12 billion (€13.03 billion) every year, according to the European Union.

The EU Parliament’s position is that consumers have a right to request

ONLINE SUPPORT FOR DIY REPAIR TREND

Along with the thousands of YouTube repair videos out there, web sites such as ifixit.com and repair.org are providing advice and advocacy for do-it-yourselfers.

A broken iBook G3 led Kyle Wiens and Luke Soules to found ifixit.com in 2003. The duo managed to repair the computer, but they struggled without access to instructions. They went on to start an online business selling computer parts and partially broken laptops. That morphed into creating repair manuals and posting them online.

Now, more than 20 years later, ifixit. com is the world’s largest online repair community, helping thousands of people fix broken stuff with free, step-bystep repair guides.

Started in 2013 and made up of businesses and consumers, The Repair Association pushes for public policies that uphold consumers’ right to repair. The organization advocates for pro-repair laws and standards, particularly for products featuring digital electronic components.

This organization tracks and attempts to shape state and federal right-torepair legislation. The organization promotes reuse as an environmentally friendly policy, saying that the more people repair and reuse products, the less trash ends up in landfills.

By 2030, Fiskars aims to get the majority of its net sales from “circular products and services,” up from 14 percent in 2023. This goal would be accomplished by using recycled raw materials, designing products for easy repair, and providing a shared reuse service.

repair for a variety of common products, including washing machines, vacuum cleaners, smartphones, and bicycles. Companies selling products would have to prioritize repair if, during the product’s warranty period, repair is cheaper or equal in cost to replacing the product.

“To make repairs the more attractive choice for consumers, [members of the EU Parliament] want producers to offer replacement devices on loan for the duration of the repair,” the Parliament’s statement continued. “If a product cannot be fixed, a refurbished one could be offered instead.”

The EU Parliament’s proposal now goes back to the EU Commission, which first proposed standards as part of its drive for a “circular economy” and which, ultimately, will set the rules. But some companies already are taking up the initiative on their own.

FISKARS SETS EXAMPLE FOR REUSE MODEL

Fiskars, the Finnish company best known in the United States for its garden tools, aims by 2030 to get the majority of its net sales from “circular products and services,” up from 14 percent in 2023. This would be accomplished several ways, including using recycled raw materials, designing products for easy repair, and providing a shared reuse service. In Sweden and Finland, it currently buys back unwanted “vintage” versions of its drinking glasses and silverware.

What Fiskars produces for Europe is likely to be the same as it makes for America. And it’s a small stretch to imagine tool makers designing products with Right to Repair in mind. It’s a slow but powerful movement. Hardware stores are advised to look in that direction. n

Craig Webb is president of Webb Analytics, a Washington, D.C.-based consultancy that helps construction supply companies spot and respond to trends, threats, and opportunities. cwebb@webb-analytics.com.

RETAILER2RETAILER

By Mike Cassidy

HOW TO RECLAIM WATER IN A HARDWARE STORE

I’m Mike Cassidy, co-owner of Chet’s Hardware on Catalina Island, Calif., and I saved money and natural resources with some plumbing fixtures and a big ol’ tank.

In 1977, Chet’s Hardware on Catalina Island became an integral part of my life.

My grandmother lived on the island, which is 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. When I was young, my parents would visit her, and they fell

Above: Chet’s Hardware co-owners Mike Cassidy and Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy moved into their new location in 2020, restoring the historic building that Merchant Marines used as a recreation center during World War II.

in love with Catalina and its relaxed lifestyle. Almost on a whim, they decided to move there and buy the local hardware store. I was about 16 years old at the time and hated leaving my high school and friends, but it wasn’t long before island life won me over.

It’s not surprising that I quickly started working at the hardware store. Depending on whom you ask, I was either fired by my dad or quit several times over the years, but that didn’t stop me from developing an appreciation for the hardware business. My dad passed away in 1990 and my mom and I ran the store for the next dozen years. She did the bookkeeping, which I hated, and I ran the store and dealt with customers, which she hated but I really enjoy. Now that my wife, Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy, and I have bought the store, we have the same arrangement. She does the paperwork. Thankfully!

HISTORIC BUILDING, NEED FOR WATER

For such a small island, Catalina has an outsized history. William Wrigley Jr. bought the island in 1919 and set about investing in utilities, infrastructure and amenities, hoping to create a vacation magnet for the burgeoning population

Upper: On Catalina Island, one of the biggest challenges is the water supply. During the last drought, watering plants was a low priority when water was rationed.

Middle: Chet’s Hardware on Catalina Island, Calif., stocks a little bit of everything, because the closest store is 26 miles across the Pacific Ocean.

Lower: In addition to cost savings and being environmentally friendly, reclaimed water is better for the plants in the store’s nursery because it has no chlorine.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

on the mainland. Just one of his many marketing brainstorms was bringing his Chicago Cubs here for spring training in 1921, a tradition that continued until just before World War II, when, like the rest of America, the island was mobilized for war. Many subtle artifacts from that time remain, including in the building where our store is now located, which served as a recreation center for the Merchant Marines.

We began moving into this building in 2020 and did all the renovations while the world was shut down during COVID. We completely restored the building, reclaiming some of the old gymnasium floor, which we now use as a countertop in the hardware store. It was important to me that we preserve the legacy of the building.

At Chet’s, we sell a little bit of everything, because the next closest store is across 26 miles of ocean. We have a good mix of housewares, plumbing, and hardware. In the back of the shop, we have an area for refrigerator service and for fire extinguisher maintenance and lock work.

I enjoy helping people when they come in with a problem. From helping boaters with esoteric bits of hardware to helping local contractors with an emergency supply problem, we never know who’s going to walk in the door or what their needs are—no matter what, we love helping solve their problems.

didn’t want to water plants in the nursery from the island’s limited reservoir water, so he created a water retention system with this 850-gallon tank.

Like the rest of arid Southern California, one of the biggest challenges on Catalina is our water supply. I didn’t want to water the plants in our nursery from the island’s limited reservoir water. Along with the price, if there was ever a drought, we’d be stuck. During the last drought, watering plants was a low priority when water was rationed, and people’s showers were limited to a fivegallon bucket of water.

As a community, we do everything we can to conserve water on the island. Saltwater toilets were an early adaptation and there is a desalination plant on the island, but those methods only do so much. Recently, it looked like the local water supplier was going to

Chet’s Hardware co-owner Mike Cassidy

increase rates by 200 percent over the next five years. Fortunately, I had an idea.

COLLECTING RAINWATER, AC RUNOFF

Because we’re on an island, we have to do a little bit of everything. Along with the hardware store, I am a heating and air conditioning contractor. I knew I could build a tank to recover rainwater and condensation from our air conditioning and icemaker.

Three years ago, I found an 850-gallon tank and pulled together some plumbing fittings, gutters, a pump, and hoses. About $3,000 later, we have a system to make more water than we use.

Along with using about 30 gallons a day watering the plants in our nursery, I even use the collected water to wash cars. We have a 10-ton air conditioning unit that produces 30 gallons of water a day that I reclaim into the big tank. When it rains, the system recovers 20 to 30 gallons a day from a 20-foot by 30-foot section of roof.

The system has worked better than I envisioned. Most of the time, the 850-gallon tank is full, so I guess I’m doing something right—especially since we don’t need to worry about using water from the reservoir.

MAKE YOUR OWN SYSTEM

If you need to water plants in a nursery, the potential for collecting water from rainfall is great. For example, all it takes is an inch of rain to fill our 850-gallon tank. Along with cost

savings and being environmentally friendly, reclaimed water is better for the plants because it has no chlorine. Our nursery plants are really healthy because of it.

When looking for sources of water to reclaim, don’t forget your air conditioning system. On hotter days when the air conditioner is running, you can add up to 30 gallons from that source.

You don’t need a lot of plumbing know-how to create your own water reclamation system. Most of our system is through gutters and gravity fed, a pretty passive system. The only exception is the water from the icemaker that is pumped up to the tank.

If you are setting out to create your own system, keep in mind that any faucets connected to the system need to be labeled as non-potable water. Make sure rainwater passes through a mesh screen to filter out any leaves or debris.

It really feels good to do things like wash cars or the sidewalk and know that I’m not wasting water that’s potable, especially when droughts may happen. n

Mike Cassidy along with his wife, Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy, own Chet’s Hardware on Catalina Island, Calif. Along with reclaiming water, the couple have taken some other sustainability steps within the store, including installing LED lighting.

Tresa Yada, assistant store manager of Fallbrook Ace Hardware in Fallbrook, Calif., says customers appreciate the ease of recycling batteries.

INCREASE FOOT TRAFFIC WITH RECYCLING

Hardware

stores and manufacturers incorporate sustainability into business models to keep customers coming back again and again.

In Fallbrook Ace Hardware, buckets are positioned near the checkout counter and battery display. In 2021, the Fallbrook, Calif., store joined the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance Household Battery Recycling Program, which helps the community by recycling used batteries.

The Alliance provides the five-gallon buckets and signage to collect AAA, AA, C, D, button cell, 9-volt rechargeable, and single-use batteries. With other participating locations in addition to Fallbrook Ace Hardware, the program has recycled more than 750,000 batteries.

“The Fallbrook community is filled with residents who really care about our town,” said Tresa Yada, assistant store manager, after the store joined the program. “We welcome the opportunity to be a part of that community.”

Mountain Hardware in Truckee, Calif., stocks Flame King 1-pound refillable propane cylinders to meet the needs of its outdoor enthusiast customers.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

Flame King tanks are compatible with propane gear such as grills, lanterns, heaters, and camp stoves.

With 10 locations in Fox Valley, Ziegler’s Ace in Illinois is another hardware retailer that’s partnered with a non-profit organization to participate in a recycling program. Ziegler’s teamed up with EarthPaint, which recycles paint and paint containers. Once collected from locations such as Ziegler’s Ace, the paint is scraped out, separated based on color, sheen and use, filtered and repackaged to be sold.

Ziegler’s Ace partnered with EarthPaint to provide customers an option for disposing of old paint in a way that would not negatively affect the environment, according to Ziegler’s Ace president Adam Ziegler, who also lauded EarthPaint’s mission to protect the planet through environmentally friendly paint recycling.

Based in Wood Dale, Ill., EarthPaint has recycled more than 70 million

About 40 million single-use propane cylinders are sold in North America every year, and in National Parks such as Yosemite, discarded propane tanks have created a potential hazard and require special disposal procedures. Through collection programs in six of Yosemite’s 13 campgrounds, the National Park Service collects 24,000 canisters each year.

pounds of paint, keeping it from being disposed of in landfills and possibly leaching into ground water. With the money raised from the project, the organization funds employment of adults with disabilities.

Ziegler’s Ace is also the first retailer to participate in EarthPaint’s spray paint recycling program, which removes paint from aerosol cans so they can be recycled.

MANUFACTURERS INNOVATE WITH RECYCLING

Flame King, a Riverside, Calif.-based manufacturer of propane tanks, helps eliminate waste from single-use propane camping tanks. About 40 million disposable propane tanks are used each year throughout North America, a large

portion ending up in landfills. These tanks aren’t made to be refilled.

However, Flame King’s refillable propane tanks have reinforced walls, a valve specifically made for refilling and are the only Department of Transportation-certified 1-pound refillable cylinder that can be refilled by customers with a refill kit.

Another manufacturer, EAB Exchange-ABlade, has created a recycling program that will keep pro customers returning to the store. Founded in 1976, EAB stakes the claim of being North America’s first eco-friendly power tool accessory brand. With a line of more than 1,000 exchangeable power tool accessories, the EAB program allows cus tomers to use, say, a saw blade, bring it back to your store and then select a new blade. Customers receive a credit up to 48 percent toward new purchases and an EAB territory manager collects the recycled blades.

EAB products, even those damaged or with missing teeth, are returned and either recy cled or remanufactured, depending on the condition of the accessory.

In addition to the recycling program EAB reduces CO2 emissions and utilizes mini mal packaging to reduce waste. EAB claims to save 88 tons of iron ore, 46 tons of cok ing coal, and 7 tons of limestone every year through its exchange program.

“I have lived by the belief that if you make something, you should take responsibility for it, and manage it through its entire life cycle,” said Rob Forbes, founder and owner of EAB Power Tool Company. “We are a company dedicated to making a difference to our environment, one power tool at a time.” n

Upper: During refurbishing, EAB Exchange-A-Blade products go through a 10-step quality-control process that helps ensure quality.

Lower: In addition to the blade exchange program, EAB blades are sold with minimal packaging to reduce plastic waste.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

ORGANIC FERTILIZER

Sales of Organic Fertilizers (Independent Hardware Channel) 12 Months % Change vs. Year Ago

Unit Sales Breakdown for Organic Fertilizers

Seasonality of Sales of Organic Fertilizers (Index=100)

Source:

Epicor’s Industry Data Analytics tracking information is based on sales from a representative sample of hardlines retailers located throughout the U S For more information, call 512-278-5800 or email epicorindustryanalytics@epicor com

ORGANIC FERTILIZER MERCHANDISING

Upper Left: Ernie’s Hardware & General Mercantile, Sour Lake, Texas

Upper Middle Left: Southland Hardware, Houston, Texas

Lower Middle Left: Joe’s Hardware, Buffalo, Mo.

Lower Left: Wilmes Hardware, South Sioux City, Neb.

Upper Middle: Beaty Hardware, Cleveland, Tenn.

Upper Right: Blackhawk Hardware, Charlotte, N.C.

Lower Right: Valley Park Elevator & Hardware, Valley Park, Mo.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

CONSUMERS BETWEEN 18 AND 29 YEARS OLD ARE MORE LIKELY (50 PERCENT+) TO SEEK ORGANIC PRODUCTS THAN THOSE AGED 65 AND OLDER.

ORGANIC FERTILIZER MARKET AT A GLANCE

• In 2017, there were 156.1 hectares of organic crops. Four years later in 2021, organic farming in the United States included 623 thousand hectares and has been increasing during the previous 20 years, propelled by laws and regulations, according to Mordor Intelligence.

• The North American organic fertilizer market is expected to top $3.05 billion by 2029 because of a rise in acreage devoted to organic crops.

• Animal manure is the most common organic fertilizer, and other products used to manufacture organic fertilizer include blood meal, cottonseed meal and fish emulsion.

• Organic crops sales, including those from nurseries and greenhouses, amount to about $5.8 billion, according to Mordor Intelligence.

• Household income plays a factor in consumer purchases of organic products. For consumers with income less than $30,000, about 42 percent seek organic products.

However, of those consumers who have an income of more than $75,000, about 49 percent seek organic products.

• In addition to consumer demand, organic fertilizers have been more popular in the marketplace because of advances in the manufacturing processes and formulations. Such developments have led to more options for controlled-release fertilizers and microbial inoculants, which are bacteria, fungi or other microorganisms that promote plant health.

• In California, there were 3,061 organic farms and ranches in 2021, the most of any state. Pennsylvania had about 1,125 certified organic farms.

• Dry organic fertilizers—including granules, pellets, and powders— look to dominate the organic fertilizer market. Offering ease of handling, storage, and transportation, dry organic fertilizers are convenient for manufacturers and customers. Dry organic fertilizers have a longer shelf life compared to liquid and can be easily blended with other soil additives, increasing ease of application.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

STORES GO GREEN TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS

Gardening expertise in everything from organic nutrients to seed starts draws customers to Renfrow Hardware in Matthews, N.C.

Founded in 1900, this Century Club retailer is run by the fifth generation of owners from the Matthews area. Current owner David Blackley purchased the store from the Renfrow family. A few blocks from the hardware store is Renfrow Farms, a sister business that David’s daughter, Pressly Williams, manages. The farm sells fresh flowers, fruit, and vegetables.

“We can make our own food, grow some of our own seed, and teach people how to grow their food—and I think that’s the future of the store,” Blackley said.

The store specializes in edible gardening products and classes and offers a

Eldredge Lumber in York, Maine, partnered with Coast of Maine Organic Products to provide 10 bags of compost to a local school for its vegetable garden.

comprehensive set of online guidelines for growing just about any kind of vegetables and fruits that can be grown in the area.

BOLSTERING ORGANIC ASSORTMENT FOR COMMUNITY

Eldredge Lumber in York, Maine, has been ahead of the organic surge for about a decade. In 2015, the store received a commendation from the Organic Consumers Association for removing products with neonicotinoids and glyphosate from their shelves. These chemicals, which are found in pesticides, can be harmful to pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

The store has since created an organic section within its lawn and garden department and stocked organic alternatives such as organic compost.

“So far, it’s been overwhelmingly positive,” said owner Scott Eldredge a year after making the switch. “I’ve received many compliments and only one complaint. And the last time I looked at the numbers, the garden department was up 30 percent.”

More recently, the store partnered with Coast of Maine Organic Products to provide 10 bags of compost to a local school’s vegetable garden. n

Above: David Blackley, owner of Renfrow Hardware in Matthews, N.C., teaches a class in seed starting basics. The store offers several gardening and agriculture classes throughout the year.

Right: Along with helpful, in-store gardening displays such as this one, Renfrow Hardware has an extensive, online resource library with gardening tips.

SHE

Woodson Lumber is a fourth-generation Century Club member, and the company’s stockholders include, from left: Stu Chapman, Kate Borroni, Ann Chapman and Philip Chapman.

By Doug Donaldson

BEING PRESENT FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS

From covered wagon origins to a fourth generation of family ownership, Woodson Lumber has been building Texas for more than 110 years.

The origins of Woodson Lumber could be traced to the trail of a covered wagon that owner Ann Chapman’s grandparents drove to eventually settle in central Texas. Brothers Jim and Harrie Woodson founded the lumber company in 1913, building the business and enduring World War I, the pandemic of 1918, and the Great Depression. After World War II, the second generation took up the mantle of ownership. Chapman, the current CEO, represents the third generation of ownership, and the business has been part of her whole life. When she was a little girl, she would go to work with her father on Saturdays and

SHE BUILDS

she worked alongside him during the 1990s. By 1994, she started working at Woodson Lumber full time. Her children, representing the fourth generation, are stockholders and gaining industry knowledge by working in the business.

Now, Century Club member Woodson Lumber Company, headquartered in Caldwell, Texas, has seven locations in central Texas. When reflecting about her family’s history and entrepreneurial spirit, Chapman expresses deep gratitude.

“I hope that my family— both living and passed on to glory—knows how much we

cherish our time together and that family relationships are most important,” Chapman says. “I hope that we are good stewards with people and the business overall. I hope future generations continue to enjoy helping others, creating jobs, and supporting and building our communities.”

Along with family, Chapman is also appreciative of her community, suppliers, customers,

Ann Chapman believes in helping community members enjoy the places they live by offering the items they need and want in an environment that is welcoming and helpful.

SHE BUILDS

Headquartered in Caldwell, Texas, Woodson Lumber Company has seven locations in central Texas including this one in Mexia, Texas.

and employees. “Currently, we’re focused on the legacy that our family can leave for the future,” she says.

When researching company history before their 100th anniversary, Chapman found an old magazine quote in which her grandfather explains that everyone needs a place to live and how important that is, and that perhaps they might need a fence and a barn, too.

“We always hope to help our community members enjoy the places they live by offering the items they need and want in an environment that is welcoming and helpful,” she says.

With more than three decades of experience, Chapman shared with

Hardware Connection her insights about women in the hardware industry and what she expects in the future:

How has the role of women in the business changed since you’ve been in the industry?

You know, that’s difficult for me. I don’t put much thought to being a “woman in the business.” There are certainly more women in our industry now than there were 30 years ago.

I view my role as a leader in our business as one of being a good steward with employees, customers, and the organization overall. Success still comes down to understanding others, treating people well and being a

trustworthy partner in others’ lives. All of us in the industry have the opportunity to provide good jobs where people can grow and become the best person they can be, provide services and products at the right price, and grow the business.

What kind of hurdles did you face as a woman in the hardware industry?

My experience tells me that showing up to work and doing the best you can, asking questions, and learning over time is common for anyone to get over hurdles.

When has it been rewarding to be in the hardware industry?

One of the most rewarding aspects of this industry for me has been helping people grow in their knowledge and build careers.

What would be your advice for women entering the hardware industry?

I share similar information with everyone in our industry: Be addicted to hope. What we do isn’t always easy. Keep your optimism stirred up, and always ask questions when you aren’t sure or don’t know something. I would encourage people to continue to be open minded, surround yourself with great people, and go to work every day. When I first entered our family

“ WHEN I FIRST ENTERED OUR FAMILY BUSINESS, I ASKED MY DAD HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL, AND HE TOLD ME, ‘GO TO WORK EVERY DAY.’ I THOUGHT HE WAS MAKING FUN OF MY LACK OF EXPERIENCE, BUT THE REALITY WAS, HE WAS TELLING ME THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT’S IMPORTANT: BEING PRESENT.

”

Ann Chapman, CEO Woodson Lumber

business, I asked my dad how to be successful, and he told me, “Go to work every day.” I thought he was making fun of my lack of experience, but the reality was, he was telling me the truth about what’s important: Being present.

SHE BUILDS

What’s next for the hardware industry?

When you consider how we operate our local businesses, opportunities for doing business at a faster pace with more accuracy certainly abound, but there’s also a balance with creating an experience for both customers and employees that we feel should remain personal.

Advocating for pro-business policies at our state and federal levels will provide other opportunities in the hardware industry. There are many dealers who consider themselves small businesses and when our businesses feel constrained by state and federal laws and regulations, there are consequences to our industry. We hope to support probusiness and pro-LBM legislation at both the state and federal levels.

Staffing issues continue to be a common topic of concern. Workforce development overall and health-care costs will continue to wield large influence in our industries.

Product supply chain issues seem to be normalizing, but we have concerns that have roots in pro-business policies that would benefit by encouraging manufacturing here in the United States. This goes hand in hand with energy and transportation. These may not be the easiest topics to face in our lumber and hardware industry, but they carry significant impact in long-term strategy and profitability. n

5 LESSONS FOR A CENTURY+ OF LONGEVITY

When asked about what principles sustain a 100+-year-old company, Ann Chapman, CEO of Woodson Lumber Company, provided these insights:

1. Focus on connecting with people on an individual basis and enhancing more personalized shopping experiences in store and online.

2. Endeavor to make processes more efficient and seamless to the customer, and be easy to do business with.

3. Be eager to find ways to waste less and help customers do the same. Eco-friendly products and practices are important.

4. Use technology where possible to automate work. AI can provide support in marketing and human resources.

5. Provide a personal touch to help customers and employees feel connected with the business. Setting a family tone at the stores and in communities emphasizes multigenerational connections.

Woodson Lumber encourages employees to find ways to waste less and help customers do the same.

Q&A: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

JEFF CURLER HEATH KENNEDY

ALAN SHORE

CHARTING SUCCESS: ORGILL BUYERS AND THE NEW NORMAL

In an exclusive interview, Hardware Connection talked with Orgill buying executives Jeff Curler, executive vice president of purchasing; Heath Kennedy, director hardlines merchandise; and Alan Shore, director seasonal merchandise, to discuss the Collierville, Tenn.-based distributor’s purchasing strategies in the post-pandemic environment.

Q&A: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Jeff Curler, executive vice president of purchasing for Orgill

HC: Do you sense any desire to go back to pre-pandemic buying mindsets?

Jeff Curler: Everything that we do today, we reference the pre-pandemic as the last normal time, and the industry is still trying to figure out what the new normal is. I was moderating a panel and someone made the comment that 2023 would re-establish what normal was moving forward, but that didn’t happen. So, we’re hoping that 2024 sets the bar again. From the perspective of less messy and less chaotic, everybody would like to go back to those days, but they’d like to keep the sales that occurred over the course of the Covid period. We learned a lot of things.

HC: What’s a lesson from the pandemic that’s changed how you do business?

JC: The supply chain crisis and the surge in the business put a stressor on our ability to fulfill our customers’ needs through our operations team and from the vendor community. Any one distributor that had a 40 percent increase could have been handled by the vendor community, but when they all were running 40 percent increases, that didn’t happen. It’s the same thing on the inside of our distribution system. We were not prepared for that kind of volume. Orgill CEO Boyden Moore had set forth a mission to double our business in five years. Coming out of the

pandemic, we were able to correct and install an operational network that is now prepared for that type of goal.

HC: What were some of the changes to get that operational network to handle such an ambitious goal?

JC: The main change was bringing on additional shifts in the distribution centers to handle more volume, both inbound and outbound. We did cross training across the inbound side and the outbound side of the building, which was critical. We could move resources within the distribution center as needed. That type of flexibility is going to be necessary as our business goes up by a billion dollars at a time. So with that, we’re prepared to move almost $3.8 billion in sales today to $6 billion. We have the infrastructure in place to do that.

HC: What is your biggest challenge in getting to that goal?

JC: If we were trying to do that organically, we’d be kidding ourselves. The biggest challenge is going to continue to fuel new customer additions and that type of growth. I think one of the challenges, and I don’t know that it’s a challenge anymore, but it would’ve been getting the vendor community on board. As we look at our channel in terms of who serves this channel from a distribution standpoint, it’s really coming down to a two-horse race. Vendors

Q&A: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

are learning to allocate their resources to the horses they want to ride, and we believe Orgill is one of those.

Heath Kennedy: It’s ensuring that our vendors are allocating appropriate production and that they’re planning for growth alongside Orgill and that we are aligned in terms of forecast for growth. We can’t control the level of production that they have, the level of manpower in their production facilities. We really have to plan and communicate our growth with our vendors and get them on board to where they’re

servicing us at the quantities and with the inventory that we need to sustain that type of growth.

JC: Last year, we started using the term allocate ahead of our growth. If the vendors were on board and collaborating with us, that wouldn’t be necessary, but it’s almost as if for a while there, until the growth came, we were kind of begging for merchandise. With that came the job of convincing them that trust us, the growth is coming.

HC: How is buying going to change in the next five years?

JC: The buzzword is AI. We would like to redirect our purchasing managers and our entire replenishment staff to the art of making money, buying smarter, buying on promotion, and not just placing purchase orders with vendors. We believe that there is a cadence that occurs with a lot of the ordering that doesn’t necessarily need human interference or human interaction. What we would like to see as we grow is the ability to continue to place orders with our vendors with the same amount of people. We don’t want to double our business and double our administrative expenses. If we can work with software providers on a buying system that uses AI to help us with autonomous buying where only the orders that they really need to put their eyes on first are reviewed, then that’s automation coming into play. We’d like to use AI in

Heath Kennedy, director hardlines merchandise for Orgill

seasonal planning, weather patterns, and world events to shorten lead times versus last year, for example.

HC: Recently, you announced enhanced relationships with Simpson Strong-Tie, Libman, O-Cedar, and Swiffer. How will those relationships benefit hardware retailers?

HK: Simpson Strong-Tie has been a vendor partner of ours for several years. We just recently formed a stronger, enhanced relationship with them. This kicked off in January and they are our primary supplier and partner for connectors. We also support additional categories that they do extremely well in: fasteners and quick-drive tools acres. Through that process, we really formed a great relationship with their leadership, which has led to Orgill being a solution for the independent channel and for the pro consumers.

Alan Shore: On our cleaning assortment, we found ourselves in a difficult situation throughout and past the pandemic. As customers became more sensitive to cleanliness around their home, we saw a surge in sales and unfortunately our provider that we had in the warehouse really reacted in a completely opposite manner than what we wanted from them. Rather than increase production, they decreased production. They closed two distribution centers and shortened

their line of products to core SKUs rather than recovering and getting back to a broad assortment of products. The vendor essentially decided that they were going to divest and minimize this category as they saw better opportunities with some of the other brands and categories that they represent. It was out of necessity. We determined that we couldn’t put ourselves with a partner that was not committed to the category. We found a partner in Libman that has such passion for what they do that we instantly knew that this was the right opportunity for us. They produce nearly all their products in Illinois. They manage all the manufacturing and production, whereas

Alan Shore, director seasonal merchandise for Orgill

Q&A: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

our previous source manufactured offshore. The president of Libman Company, Andrew Libman, told us, if you guys are buying a product, we’ll produce it for you. We added O-Cedar with the best spin mop in the industry with top-selling cleaning SKUs in the industry and a really good line of products. We got more eco-friendly by adding E-Cloth, which does not require any sort of cleaning chemicals. It’s activated solely by water. For our customers who are conscious about that we now have a better solution. Swiffer came out with their new power mop that was certainly a benefit as well.

HC: How do you assess a vendor or potential vendor?

JC: We’re a distributor, so we hardly say no to a vendor that wants to have a relationship, particularly a vendor where they’re just billing through Orgill and drop shipping to customers. But when you start talking about bringing goods into our warehouse, there are other criteria involved. For example, does it fit into the mode of our mission, which is to provide dominant service, understanding that our customers want choices. They don’t want to be cookiecutter stores out in the industry. They want to differentiate themselves, and to do that, they need a good selection of options and brands. We’re always looking at that. I view our vendors as either

strategic or non-strategic. If you’re a non-strategic vendor, we’re just looking for a transactional relationship with you. You need to meet a small amount of criteria and you go. But if you’re a strategic vendor, the second quality would be a collaborative vendor. Orgill is all about collaborating with strategic partners. That’s where we make most of our hay. We spend a lot of time trying to move competitive relationships to collaborative relationships.

HC: That’s an intriguing notion— moving the competitive relationship to the collaborative relationship. What’s an example?

JC: One of those occurred within our paint business when there was a merger between Sherwin-Williams and Valspar. Valspar was a long-time vendor with Orgill, and we had great relationships within the company. Initially, we were disheartened to realize that Sherwin-Williams had assumed control of Valspar, because we had a very competitive relationship with Sherwin Williams. They had their own stores and in a sense were competing with us for the paint business. We immediately started to work with senior management, all the way up to the CEO. We had a lot of battles along the way, and it was a struggle. It was a great job of bringing those two teams together and taking the best of both categories. In the end, it was absolutely worth pursuing.

HC: How much do environmentally friendly and sustainable products figure into your buying strategies?

AS: We serve a very diverse customer base that is really what makes us unique, but it allows us to be successful. We’re so diverse in the fact that we have farm and pet, we have hardware stores and home centers, so we can see shifts within some of these store types. There are a lot of diverse mentalities as well. We serve all 50 states and 50 countries. We have customers that are going to be more sensitive than others about it. We have to be diverse in our offering. We want to service our customers’ needs that are specific to their customers and their communities. If it’s in a community that is very eco-conscious, or where there may be legislations against utilizing certain products that are not eco-friendly, then we have to adapt to that. We have to be there for our customers to service their needs. A lot of customers want to have eco-friendly products. We’ve certainly integrated that into our assortments in a major way, but we can’t abandon our customers in those communities where there’s less sensitivity to that as well.

JC: We do not have an initiative that says go out and seek eco-friendly products and try to drive that. We do not have retail stores where we could force that change by forcing the products in the stores. So, we have to be

“ OUR CUSTOMERS DON’T WANT TO BE COOKIECUTTER STORES OUT IN THE INDUSTRY.

THEY WANT TO DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES, AND TO DO THAT, THEY NEED A GOOD SELECTION OF OPTIONS AND BRANDS. WE’RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT THAT. ”

careful. We do look for trends that we see at markets. If a hundred people are standing around a booth, we find out what’s going on, such as a new ecofriendly cleaner. That would be a good example of an area where we’re riding that wave right now. Eco-friendly cleaners in housewares is a big deal. If you’re not there, you’re really missing the boat. But nobody’s come out with an eco-friendly drill bit yet. When they do, if it runs that way, we’ll go in that direction. n

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

STIHL RZA 760 ZERO-TURN BATTERYPOWERED MOWER

• Built-in lithium-iron phosphate battery with 24 kWh of power.

• Eight-hour run time potential enables pro landscapers to mow up to 21 acres on a single charge.

• Choose from 48-inch, 52-inch, or 60-inch mowing decks.

• High-visibility, color touch-screen displays control settings such as driving and blade speed and remaining battery power.

• Speeds can reach up to 16 mph, making for less down time between nearby jobs.

• Reduced noise, zero exhaust emissions, and fuel cost savings of battery power.

• Weather-resistant construction has been designed and tested for splash water protection.

• Includes two ETO (Electric Take Off) powered ports.

EVEREST SUMMIT ICE & WATER

• Recycles excess cold water, making the machine efficient at dispensing ice and water.

• Utilizes remote management software for ease of maintenance along with free support from service team.

• On-demand ice dispensing means less waste, eliminates delivery process and need to stock inventory.

• Built-in credit card reader and protective locked, steel cabinet allows for machines placed outside to be accessible even when store is closed.

• Filtration system and UV sterilizer removes chemicals such as chlorine along with any other tastes and odors that may be present in local water supply.

• Easy for customers to use because ice can be dispensed directly into coolers.

• Small, 20-square-foot footprint.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

THE WILD BONE DOG TREATS

• Real, whole-muscle proteins with no powered meat, byproducts, fillers, additives, or scraps used in production.

• Ingredients include lean protein, flaxseed, blueberries, apples, eggs, carrots, and green beans.

• Minimal processing to preserve nutrient content.

• Available in eight flavors, including bison, salmon, elk, venison, rabbit, peanut butter, ham, and quail.

• Ingredients are sourced within the United States and manufactured in Lancaster County, Pa.

• Other product lines include jerky and chicken cutlets.

SHOWA 382 MICROPOROUS GLOVES

• Nitrile-coated and silicone-free, general-purpose gloves prevent fingerprints to metal sheet and glass.

• Ergonomic design ensures comfort and is further enhanced by the gloves’ breathability.

• Embossed nitrile palm finish disperses oil away to increase grip and precision in greasy environments.

• Durable, lightweight gloves provide a reliable grip while being form-fitting, breathable, and latex-free.

• Ideal for use in intricate parts handling in industries including automotive, mechanical, aerospace, airport, and ports.

LEVITON LEVEL 2 SMART ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) CHARGER

• Works with the My Leviton App via Wi-Fi, which allows customers to control entire home from load center to lighting to EV charger.

• Versatile application and can be installed both indoors and outdoors, featuring a water-resistant enclosure and a cable designed to prevent freezing and cracking in extreme weather.

• With an industry-standard SAE J1772™ cable, the Leviton EV Series can charge any EV, including Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Subaru, and Tesla with a Teslasupplied adapter.

ECOS ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER

• Utilizes parsley, a natural cleaner that removes everyday dirt, grease, and grime from any water-safe, hard surface.

• Safer Choice-certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also certified, vegan, and never tested on animals.

• Formula contains no animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

• Made with a base of plant-derived ingredients and natural plant molecules.

• Eco-conscious manufacturing process, made with 100 percent renewable energy.

ECOS 800-335-ECOS ecos.com

• Easy installation with pre-attached input cable and mounting hardware included. Leviton Manufacturing 630-450-1972 leviton.com

IN THE NEWS

BIG MOVES FOR BIG PLAYERS THIS SPRING

This spring has seen several shifts in the hardware industry including wholesaler acquisitions and a big-box retailer purchasing a specialty trade distribution company.

On March 19, House-Hasson signed a letter of agreement to acquire Bostwick-Braun, based in Toledo, Ohio, and the second-oldest hardware distributor in the country. BostwickBraun will shift its focus to industrial supply, and hardware operations will be managed by House-Hasson. The acquisition will double House-Hasson’s number of distribution centers. Read more including comments from

NEW STORES

• R.P. Lumber Co. acquired Golden Rule Lumber, a family-owned retailer in Ottawa, Ill. With this most recent acquisition, R.P. Lumber has 82 locations throughout Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

• Johnson Paint, a Ring’s End brand, acquired Wilmot’s Decorating Centers in Middleboro and New Bedford, Mass., which brings the paint store count to 13 locations and Ring’s End total store count to 33 locations throughout Connecticut and New York.

• The Aubuchon Company has acquired Bibens Ace Hardware, which has seven locations in Ver-

House-Hasson President and CEO Steve Henry here.

Earlier in March, wholesalers Do it Best and United Hardware announced that they were merging. See the Hardware Connection coverage of that news here.

At the end of March, Home Depot entered into an agreement to acquire SRS Distribution, a distributor serving professional landscapers, pool contractors, and roofers. SRS has a sales force of 2,500 throughout 47 states along with a truck fleet of more than 4,000. Under the terms of the merger agreement, a subsidiary of Home Depot will acquire SRS for about $18.25 billion.

mont. After closing the deal in April, the Aubuchon Company will operate 119 stores in nine states.

• Fixit Ace Hardware in Roswell, Ga., opens this month. Fixit Ace has two other locations in Atlanta.

• Miami-based Lumber Plus expands with a new franchise in Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

• Owners Kevin and Mark Salandra opened Ace Hardware of Clarion in Clarion, Pa., on March 22.

• Central Valley Builders Supply, based in Napa, Calif., acquired

Fixit Ace Hardware in Roswell, Ga.

Caseywood Corp., based in Grass Valley, Calif.

• Owner Dennis Stroebel is opening Ace Hardware in Anson, Texas, this month.

• Cole’s Ace Hardware in Independent, Iowa, celebrated its grand opening on March 22, according to owner Brad Cole.

• Rincon Ace Hardware in Rincon, Ga., celebrated its grand opening in March.

• Owner Chris Cleaver announced the grand re-opening of Cleaver Farm & Home in Chanute, Kan., set for mid-April.

• Wharton Feed & Ace Hardware of Wharton, Texas, celebrated a grand re-opening at a new location on Richmond Road.

• Jasper Ace Hardware in Jasper, Fla., is hosting a grand re-opening event in April.

• Nation’s Best recently acquired Pilot Lumber stores in Alexandria, Ky., and Bellevue, Ky., along with Timberline Builders Supply in Walden, Colo., bringing the Do it Best affiliated group of stores to 55.

KUDOS

• Memphis magazine named Orgill CEO Boyden Moore the CEO of the Year.

• Cañon City True Value in Cañon City, Colo., receives U-Haul top 100 U-Haul Dealerships for 2024.

• The Los Angeles City Council named the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Townsend Avenue “Tritch Family Square” in honor of the owners of Tritch True Value in the Eagle Rock neighborhood.

• LMC, a Wayne, Pa.-based lumber and building materials cooperative primarily serving pro and DIY lumberyards, celebrates 70 years in business this year.

• Newton’s True Value in Cherryvale, Kan., celebrates its 100th anniversary and joins the Century Club.

• Titan 100 named Darin Workman, owner of The Helpful Hardware Company in Cumming, Ga., as a 2024 Georgia Titan 100.

• Knife maker W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Corp. announced that Roachdale Hardware in Roachdale, Ind., will be hosting one of the company’s Family Reunion Tour Events on June 1.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

• Do it Best named Lisa Saunders as the company’s new divisional merchandise manager. She will oversee merchandise strategies for building materials, housewares, cleaning and storage,

Lumber Plus adds New York location.

Bibens Ace Hardware in Essex, Vt.

Lisa Saunders

farm and ranch, along with heating and automotive departments.

• LMC has appointed Jenny Brawley as the new regional manager for the Southeast region. With 25 years of experience within the manufacturing industry, she will be based in North Carolina.

• Jeske Hardware Distributors welcomes Matt Elder to the sales team as the account manager for the company’s Pacific Northwest territory.

WHOLESALER, MANUFACTURER NEWS

• Orgill has moved its Tipton. Ga., distribution center and will include technology such as the Geek+ Shelfto-Shelf Person Pop Pick System.

• True Value announced it has launched its “Hardware Hero” campaign, geo-targeted marketing initiative designed to connect consumers with hyper-local product solutions at True Value stores near them.

• Ace Hardware climbs to number five on Entrepreneur magazine’s list of top franchises. In addition, Ace Handyman Services ranked No. 132.

• Distributor US LBM has acquired Orange, Va.-based Homestead Building Systems, a structural building component manufacturer and distributor in the Mid-Atlantic region.

• GMS Inc., a North American specialty building products distributor, announced

the acquisition of Kamco Supply Corporation, a New York City-area supplier of ceilings, wallboard, steel, lumber, and other building materials.

• MITER Brands, with 10 window and door manufacturing facilities throughout the United States, acquires PGT Innovations, a manufacturer of highly engineered and advanced windows and doors.

IN MEMORIAM

• William Bates Crabb III passed away March 1, 2024, at the age of 82 in Saint Johns, Fla. He helped Orgill plan, build and operate the distribution center in Inwood, W.Va. He retired from Orgill in 2012 as vice president, Northeast Region.

• William Michael Hickey Sr., of Mount Dora, passed away on March 1, 2024. Hickey owned True Value hardware stores in Philadelphia and Conshohocken, Pa., and Florence, N.J.

• Harold Kuizema, 98, longtime owner of H. Kuizema and Son True Value Hardware in Grand Rapids, Mich., passed away April 3.

• Joyce Wright of Cedaredge, Colo, owner of a Do it Best store along with husband Larry, passed away at 81 years old on March 15.

• The owner of Enyart’s Hardware in Rochester, Ind., Barbara J. Enyart, 84, of Rochester, Ind., passed away this past March.

Jenny Brawley

Matt Elder

William Bates Crabb III

UPCOMING EVENTS

APRIL

LBM Advantage NextGen Leadership Conference

April 28-May 3, Gaylord Rockies, Denver

MAY

Hardlines Distribution Alliance Group Merchandising Conference

May 6-9, Embassy Suites Downtown, Indianapolis

Orgill Summer 2024 Online Buying Event

May 20-June 2

JUNE

House-Hasson Summer Dealer Market 2024

June 13-15, Sevierville Events Center, Sevierville, Tenn.

National Lawn & Garden Show

June 17-19, Hyatt Regency St. Louis, St. Louis, Mo.

spoga + gafa garden trade dfair 2024

June 16-18, Messepl. 1, Köln, Germany

AUGUST

Ace Hardware Fall Convention

August 8-10, McCormick Place, Chicago

Florida Hardware Dealer Market

August 2-3, Ocean Center Convention Center, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Independent Home Improvement Conference

August 27-29, JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, Marco Island, Fla.

Orgill Fall 2024 Online Buying Event

August 5-18

SEPTEMBER

Blish-Mize Fall Customer Buying Market

September 12-14, Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park, Kan.

Do it Best Fall 2024 Market

September 6-9, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis

Horizon Distribution Inc. Fall Expo 2024

September 11-12, Yakima Convention Center, Yakima, Wash.

True Value Fall Reunion

September 9-11, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.,

OCTOBER

House-Hasson Hardware Fall Dealer Market

October 10-12, Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, N.C.

LMC Expo

October 23-25, Philadelphia

LMC Fall Planning Conference

October 28-30, Encore Boston, Boston

Wallace Hardware Fall Dealer Market

October 2-3, Sevierville Convention Center, Sevierville, Tenn.

NOVEMBER

Hardlines Distribution Alliance Executive Planning Conference

November 19-21, Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, Tucson, Ariz.

Orgill Winter Online Buying Event

November 4-17

Big John’s Ace Hardware, Glenwood Springs, Colo.

McCoy’s Building Supply, San Marcos, Texas

h, spring! The new season brings warmer weather, a fresh planting season, afternoon showers, and rainbows beautifully stretching across the skies. Got a great photo of a rainbow near your store? Email doug@thehardwareconnection.com.

H&H Home and Hardware, Marion, Ky.

Redding’s Hardware & Goods, Tombstone, Ariz.

McGuckin Hardware, Boulder, Colo.

Curtis Lumber Co., Ballston Spa, N.Y.

Nikiski Hardware & Supply, Nikiski, Alaska

Solenberger’s True Value Hardware, Winchester, Va.

Boyne City Hardware, Boyne City, Mich.

RETAIL IDEAS

STORES CONNECT TO STUDENTS WITH PROM DRESSES, JOB TRAINING

Two Century Club retailers have made community connections to local high school students through some unique programs—one provides affordable prom dresses as a remembrance of an employee; the other offers job training in trade professions.

Melissa Michalowski, a senior at Reed-Custer High School in Braidwood, Ill., worked extra hours at Whitmore Ace Hardware to save money for her prom dress. Co-workers in the store described her as an always friendly hard worker who loved her job.

In 2008, while driving during a storm, Michalowski and her friend Crystal Carr

Laurie Becker, marketing director of Whitmore Ace Hardware in Braidwood, Ill., created Melissa’s Closet to honor Melissa Michalowski, who was working at the store to save money for a prom dress. The annual event that has been running for more than a decade collects and sells affordable, gently used prom dresses to high schoolers.

both died in a crash. To honor their co-worker, Whitmore Ace Marketing Director Laurie Becker created Melissa’s Closet, an annual event that collects and provides affordable, gently used prom dresses, jewelry, and accessories to area high schoolers.

“Melissa made the store a very pleasant place to visit, and we wanted to do something for her,” says Michael Cripe, owner of Whitmore Ace Hardware. “We could see Laurie had a good idea and was passionate about it, so we decided to roll with it.”

Since beginning the event more than 10 years ago, more than 2,500 girls have

received dresses, and each year more than 100 volunteers give their time to collect, clean, help fit, and offer to do makeup and hair for prom-goers.

Whitmore Ace Hardware has 14 locations in Illinois, which act as drop-off points for dress donations. The event charges students $5 per dress, then donates that money to a local scholarship fund.

SHARING TRADE CAREER KNOW-HOW

Curtis Lumber, based in Ballston Spa, N.Y., with 23 locations throughout New York and Vermont, has a deep commitment to raising awareness about the construction trade career path for local students. In conjunction with New York’s Capitol Region Workforce Development Coalition and more than 40 trade professionals, Curtis Lumber engages students in several activities and learning opportunities.

For example, the company hosted a student session during its 2023 Builders’ Expo. About 80 students from nine high schools participated in the program, which explained opportunities in trade careers. The event also included handson activities such as designing kitchens, decks, and cottages using software provided by Curtis Lumber. Students were able to visit vendor booths and hear from

Upper Left: More than 100 volunteers, including employees at Whitmore Ace Hardware, donate their time to collect, clean, help fit, and offer to do makeup and hair for prom-goers.

Lower Right: About 80 students from nine high schools participated in the Curtis Lumber 2023 Builders’ Expo, which offered information about trade careers and handson activities such as designing kitchens, decks, and cottages.

Upper Right: Curtis Lumber visited Green Meadow Elementary in Greenbush, N.Y., to introduce students to trade careers and build toolboxes.

professionals who shared their experiences working in careers in the trades.

As part of the initiative, Curtis Lumber representatives also visited middle and elementary schools and guided activities such as building toolboxes and birdhouses. n

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

40%

In 2022, 40 percent of retailers offered online sales, a 9.5 percent increase since 2021, according to ECI’s 2024 Top Trends the Home and Building Supply Industry Needs to Know.

65%

With steady gains for the third consecutive month, the Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index increased. This past February, 65 percent of consumers said it’s a good time to sell a home. Those who believe it’s a good time to buy a home ticked up slightly to 19 percent.

$13,667 On average, homeowners spend $13,667 on an average of 11.1 home improvement projects during 2023, according to Angi’s State of Home Spending report. Homeowners spent 51 percent more on home projects during 2023 than they did on home services in 2019.

72%

Nearly three-fourths (72%) of familyowned businesses hope to pass the business within the family, but only 34 percent have a concrete succession plan, according to ECI’s 2024 Top Trends the Home and Building Supply Industry Needs to Know.

60%

Of retailers surveyed, 60 percent stated that drivers are the most difficult position to fill, according to ECI’s 2024 Top Trends the Home and Building Supply Industry Needs to Know.

68%

Hardware retailers and lumber and building supply companies are still looking for good employees. About 68 percent of dealers are trying to find the right employees with the optimal skills and attitude, according to ECI’s 2024 Top Trends the Home and Building Supply Industry Needs to Know. n

Hardware Connection April 2024

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

Easier To Shop & Easier To Stock

Color coded by category

ASHELF LIFE Market Freedom: Indie Retailers Go Green — or Not

LET’S GET GROWING

SPRAY

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Exclusive Insights Await: Register Today for the Independent Home Improvement Conference

TREND WATCH

INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY HOME PROJECTS

HARDWARE STORIES Amazing but TRUE

HARDWARE PRODUCTS REVIEW ShopTalk

SHÜBUG BUG SPRAY

2024 BEACON AWARDS

PRODUCT #2

PHYLLOM BIOPRODUCTS CORP. BEETLEGONE! ® AND GRUBGONE! ®

HARDWARE PRODUCTS REVIEW ShopTalk

PRODUCT #3 BROADFIX SHIMS

How’s Business?

MIDWEST

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Welcome to the Hardware Connection Century Club!

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SOUTH

What’s unique about your store?

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SOUTHWEST

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WEST

Simpli ed. Supported. Success.

DEALER PROFILE

POWER PLAY: HARDWARE STORE’S SOLAR WIN

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

ENGINEERING, LAW SCHOOL, THEN STORE OWNER

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

LIGHT OF THE COMMUNITY

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

TAPPING THE POWER OF THE SUN

SHOULD YOUR STORE GET SOLAR PANELS?

5 TIPS WHEN CONSIDERING SOLAR

WHY RETAILERS SHOULD PREPARE FOR ‘RIGHT TO REPAIR’

THE GROWING MOMENTUM TO MAKE PRODUCTS MORE FIXABLE COULD HAVE BIG IMPLICATIONS FOR HARDWARE STORES.

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

SAVING ENVIRONMENT, MONEY WITH DO-IT-YOURSELF SPIRIT

ONLINE SUPPORT FOR DIY REPAIR TREND

FISKARS SETS EXAMPLE FOR REUSE MODEL

RETAILER2RETAILER

HOW TO RECLAIM WATER IN A HARDWARE STORE

HISTORIC BUILDING, NEED FOR WATER

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

COLLECTING RAINWATER, AC RUNOFF

MAKE YOUR OWN SYSTEM

INCREASE FOOT TRAFFIC WITH RECYCLING

Hardware

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

MANUFACTURERS INNOVATE WITH RECYCLING

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

ORGANIC FERTILIZER

ORGANIC FERTILIZER MERCHANDISING

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

CONSUMERS BETWEEN 18 AND 29 YEARS OLD ARE MORE LIKELY (50 PERCENT+) TO SEEK ORGANIC PRODUCTS THAN THOSE AGED 65 AND OLDER.

ORGANIC FERTILIZER MARKET AT A GLANCE

SPECIALSECTION SUSTAINABILITY

STORES GO GREEN TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS

BOLSTERING ORGANIC ASSORTMENT FOR COMMUNITY

SHE

BEING PRESENT FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS

SHE BUILDS

SHE BUILDS

SHE BUILDS

5 LESSONS FOR A CENTURY+ OF LONGEVITY

Q&A: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ALAN SHORE

CHARTING SUCCESS: ORGILL BUYERS AND THE NEW NORMAL

Q&A: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Q&A: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Q&A: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

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