Hardware Connection February 2018 by NHPA

By Tom Chasteen

Coming Up with a Plan to Achieve Our Goals

Maybe it’s an age thing, but it seems the older I get the faster the years go by. I believe it was George Bernard Shaw who once said “Youth is wasted on the young.” I don’t think “wasted” is the right description, but rather it’s more of an issue of experience and maturity.

When you are young you don’t have enough life experiences to truly appreciate what you know and what you don’t know or to differentiate between the two. I remember an older family friend used to always tell me, “Tommy, if you have your health you have everything.” When I was younger that saying always confused me, because when you have your health like most young people do, you assume everyone has good health and will continue to have good health.

NOW THAT I’M IN MY EARLY 60S AND IN THE SUNSET PHASE OF MY CAREER, I REALIZE HOW LUCKY I HAVE

BEEN IN MY LIFE TO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO AND INFLUENCED BY SOME WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO HAD THE PATIENCE AND WILLINGNESS TO TEACH ME THE THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW.

When I was in my late 30s and early 40s I began to realize just how much I really didn’t know. However, it wasn’t until my late 40s to early 50s that I would admit how much I really didn’t know. By the time I turned 50 it became very apparent that achieving success was more of a process than a destination, that I wasn’t bulletproof and that not everyone was blessed with good health. Even with today’s technology we still don’t have a cure for the common cold.

Now that I’m in my early 60s and in the sunset phase of my career, I realize how lucky I have been in my life to have been exposed to and inﬂuenced by some wonderful people who had the patience and willingness to teach me the things I didn’t know. For example, understanding the value of listening to different approaches to the same issue.

I will share with you what my six New Year’s resolutions are. I wrote them down and put them on my desk, so I see them every time I sit at my desk.

1. Smile more and less stress.

2. Don’t allow other people’s issues to become your issues.

3. Cut down on the things I don’t enjoy doing.

4. Don’t work with people who are difﬁcult, unrealistic or not trustworthy.

5. Create more memorable memories.

6. Don’t waste time on stuff that really doesn’t matter.

Now I just need to work my plan to achieve each of these goals for 2018.

I think I have a really good shot at all six goals if I can just learn to say “no” more often without offending people and if I can adapt to change better. I will share one other thing that will help each of us effect change and that is: “It takes 90 days to break a habit and it takes 90 days to create a habit.” Give it a try and I think you will ﬁnd it works.

In closing, I would like to personally wish each of you a happy and healthy 2018. With good health and happiness, success will hopefully follow. Feel free to contact me, from one retailer to another, at tom@thehardwarestore.com.

HARDWARE HUMOR

HARDWARE STORIES Amazing but TRUE

The holiday selling season leads to a hardware retailer’s annual nuisance: customers who want a double-male adapter for their Christmas lights. Here are some of those tales of woe.

We have been turning people away for this miracle device for over two weeks now. We did have a new twist on the situation. One customer thought a grounding adapter would solve his problem. So I had to explain what he needed was a double male and then break his heart by telling him he couldn’t have one. Run an extension cord or take down the lights and ﬂip them around. Twenty minutes wasted!

Randy Patzer

This issue caused one of the most upset customers we ever had. We were very polite and tried to tell her, but she wasn’t buying our story. Three of us were involved, and I’m a master electrician. It was like trying to prove there was no sun in the sky. We ﬁnally sent her to a big-box retailer. I’m not sure how she made out and haven’t seen her since.

Mike Maternoski Denmark Hardware Hank Denmark, Wis.

Garden City Ace Hardware

Garden City, Mich. dware

Ihad my ﬁrst call for this yesterday. Gosh was she mad. I told her I would rather have her mad than dead.

Karla Robson

Slavens True Value Cortez, Colo.

Ihad a great training session with a young employee who put together our ﬂoat for our parade. I told him to string the lights starting with the generator moving forward. Instead, he did the opposite on the front. He was using extension cord as he went along, so everything worked great until we did a test using the generator. Then, only half the lights worked. He then asked the dreaded question: Can’t we use an adapter? Needless to say, I gave him a quick lesson as to why you cannot do that and ran a cord to the front in time for the parade.

Gary Hanson

Hanson’s Hardware Columbia Falls, Mont.

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How’s

Business?

MIDWEST

Sales and customer counts in 2017? We had another growth year. We’re not up as much as we were hoping, but up probably about 10 percent. It was kind of a strange year, because we were averaging three days of rain per week during the summer. We’re a vacation area, and when weekend weather is bad, that doesn’t help.

Best niche categories? We have pretty good sales with appliances. We sell the Whirlpool line of stoves, refrigerators, washing machines and dryers. It really surprised me how well we’ve done with appliance sales. We just beefed up our bolts. We’re carrying lots of big bolts and we’re known for that.

How do you create a fun shopping environment? We’ve been fortunate through the years to keep employees for a long period of time. Customers come in and ask for speciﬁc employees. We’ve also done some special events, such as

celebrating our 50th anniversary. From time to time, we do drawings for prizes. New initiatives for 2018? We’re looking to do a lot more with soils and fertilizers. Last year, with all the rain, we didn’t have as good of a year, but this year we’re looking to have strong lawn and garden sales.

Joel Hyytinen

Hyytinen Hardware Hank Aitkin, Minn.

NORTHEAST

Sales and customer counts in 2017? I’ve been doing this for the past 20 years, and 2016 and 2017 have been the worst two years. I have ﬁve stores and only one was actually down. Overall, though, the trend has been nothing but down since 2007.

Left: Joel Hyytinen.

Right: Hyytinen Hardware Hank

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Best niche categories? We do well with our rental department. We also sell 20,000 eggs a year. There are a lot of chicken farms nearby.

New initiatives for 2018? Just maintenance that hasn’t been done in years. We’re putting new carpet in a couple stores. We purchased two stores in the last couple of years, but haven’t done any remodeling since before the recession.

James Prichard Star Hardware

East Windsor, Tolland, Somers, Hartford and Ellington, Conn.

Sales and customer counts in 2017? Up, up, up about 10 percent. We’re a fairly new store in our ﬁfth year. The increase is largely because more people are discovering us. We’re adding more of Ace’s big name brands such as Big Green Egg.

Best niche categories? Two of our best niches are live goods and grilling. We’re in a strange situation: We were a paint store that added hardware. People come in for the paint and discover the hardware and vice versa. Our live goods

niche is supported by a local event called the Garden Walk. Homeowners have their gardens placed on a map and tours go around and visit all the gardens. It’s scheduled between blooming times and homeowners want to have more ﬂowers in bloom, so they’ll come for our live goods.

How do you create a fun shopping environment? We routinely score perfectly on mystery shoppers. We offer a sort of personal assistant to shop with customers. We’re an Ace Express store, one of the ﬁrst in the country. We’re tiny, under 3,000 square feet, but we’ve been able to get 85 percent of the products that would be in a 6,000-square-foot-store. We’re more of a classic urban footprint, with high shelves. We use store radios to pull in associates to help wherever they’re needed to maintain personal service.

New initiatives for 2018? We’re adding a new store in south Buffalo in the next couple of months. We are a really different kind of store: Envision a hardware store with a Benjamin Moore store inside of it, sort of like how big bookstores have coffee shops inside. Our paint area has a separate checkout but functions as a paint department for the hardware store, too. We also carry Ace paints, so customers can choose which makes the most sense for them. We rack Ace and Benjamin Moore sundries together.

What’s it like to be a hardware retailer? There is one dynamic that’s been interesting. Coming from a

background of a paint store, it’s been a big difference adding hardware. At a paint store, you’re selling customers work. It can be pretty negative sometimes and affects the employees at the counter. Whereas, a hardware store can be more fun. A lot of times, you’re saving someone’s day or solving a problem. There are a ton of different types of projects and it’s a totally different feeling. For our store, it’s nice because it’s in a neighborhood and customers feel like it’s their own store. It ends up being a great day working in the hardware store, and it’s totally changed employees.

Dan Crockford

Schuele Ace Hardware Buffalo, N.Y.

SOUTH

Sales and customer counts in 2017? We were probably a few percentage points up over the previous year. I

believe the increase is a reﬂection of the local economy.

Best niche categories? We have specialty housewares and are known for Lodge cast-iron pans and outdoor cookware. In the early spring, we sell a lot of beekeeping supplies. We’re also a Case knife dealer and that has done well for us. The store offers a lot of services. We manufacture and repair screens for doors and windows. We also have a lot of house accounts for our contractor customers.

What new initiatives do you have planned for 2018? Going into the second quarter, we’re going to introduce a new line of heirloom seeds and expand our organic gardening products. A little later in the year, we’re going to expand our delivery service. Currently, we deliver within a ﬁve-mile radius. We’re in a

Schuele Ace Hardware

Three generations of the family (from left): Rodger Anders, Efﬁe Anders and Rich Anders.

Anders Hardware dates back to 1909.

heavily populated area, but we’ll push the delivery service out a little further.

Rich Anders

Anders Hardware

Northport and Tuscaloosa, Ala.

SOUTHWEST

Sales and customer counts in 2017? Up a little, but almost ﬂat. I

attribute it to weather, especially the last two months of the year. The store is in a very seasonal area. Our population almost quadruples during the winter. But we’ve had rain and temperatures have been much higher than normal. We did

not sell any of the cold-weather products we’re used to selling.

Best niche categories? We’ve recently brought in STIHL and Big Green Egg. We have deﬁnitely seen an uptick in barbecue and accessory sales. We’re doing very well with lots of bug repellent, sunscreen and repairs. We’re a dealer for YETI, Pelican and Canyon coolers and those have done well, too.

New initiatives for 2018? We’re always working on product mix. Last year we switched to LED lighting. Not only did it decrease energy use, but it gave the store better lighting because we went with daylight bulbs. We also experience less fade on merchandise packaging and bin tags. Any store that has the ability to switch to LED should take advantage of it.

The grill department at Frontier Ace.

How’s Business?

This year, we’re looking to do more store events, such as Big Green Egg grilling events. We will also participate with the Ace grilling promotion in May.

Brian Kabat Frontier Ace Hardware | Apache Junction, Ariz.

WEST

Sales and customer counts in 2017? We’re up about 10 percent from previous year. We have a good staff and good product line and advertising and merchandising is working. We’re a fairly young store—this will be our ﬁfth year.

Best niche categories? We’re really strong with fasteners and have a lot of metric, stainless and furniture hardware—about 28 feet. We also get closeout deals from a warehouse. We bring those products in and offer them at deep discounts to customers. A few recent items: A Craftsman wrench set used to sell for $65, priced at $30. A pillow fan, which we’ve sold about 100. We’re also really strong in barbecue, offering Weber, Traeger and Big Green Egg. We’ve become a barbecue destination for the neighborhood.

How do you create a fun shopping environment?

We have a good sense of humor on the sales

ﬂoor. Our customer service is outstanding and very personal. We take customers from the door and present them with good, better, best options. Every now and again, we do barbecue demos. Last Memorial Day weekend we had an event with Traeger grills.

New initiatives for 2018? We’re looking at adding handyman services. We already do screen repairs but are thinking about adding in-store and in-home handyman services and minor carpentry.

What made you enter the hardware industry? I would ride my bike by this store and saw it being built. I had a 20-year career in the oil industry and was out of work. I stopped one day and knocked and asked the owner if he was hiring. He asked if I had any experience in retail hardware and I said ‘no.’ We both had a good laugh about that. I started by sweeping ﬂoors and progressed to fulltime associate, and now I’m managing the place.

Christensen Garden Grove Ace Hardware | Garden Grove, Calif.

Paul

Paul Christensen

From Tom’s Shop

HARDWARE PRODUCTS REVIEW

As an independent hardware retailer, I always look forward to the beginning of a new year. It has always been a time to reﬂect on what didn’t work the year before in hopes of not making the same mistake twice. It was also time to make a new start and try new merchandising ideas, new niches and new products.

PRODUCT #1: SPEEDWAVE™ SPADE BIT

ROBERT BOSCH TOOL CORP.

Bosch’s Daredevil™ line has developed a SpeedWave™ paddle bit that truly lives up to its name. This woodboring paddle bit has several enhanced features that literally can drill as much as 10 times faster than conventional wood-boring paddle bits. It starts with a full-threaded tip that needs minimal push to get the threaded tip started. Then the paddle part of the bit itself has a contour (wave) that allows the cutting tips to create a clean hole edge and move the wood shavings out of the hole quickly, decreasing friction and increasing the cutting speed. However, it doesn’t just stop there. The 4” and 6” shanks come with an

By Tom Chasteen

The spring hardware shows are set to begin with countless new opportunities. It also gives the attending retailers time to exchange information and thoughts on how they intend to improve their businesses in 2018. Vendors are also excited to show off their new products, packaging and marketing plans for 2018.

impact shank for high-torque impact drivers. The Daredevil line also comes in 16” shanks for conventional drill chucks. Our testers tested the 4” length bits and all of them commented on the convenient size and how easy they are to access in tight spaces, but are still long enough to drill through a 4x4. Check out this video.

PRODUCT #2: DYNATRAP XL

DYNAMIC SOLUTIONS WORLDWIDE

The DynaTrap XL is a ﬂying insect killer that will cover an area up to one acre, doesn’t use pesticides and is odor free. The way it works is the two small lights in the top of the trap generate warmth and UV light rays that attract the bugs. The company has developed an exclusive surface that produces a carbon dioxide

attractant for mosquitoes and other ﬂying insects. Then once the insect ﬂies into the trap a small fan sucks them down to a large catch basin where they die.

Our testers were all satisfied with the DynaTrap itself, but all commented on issues that can affect the efficiency of the DynaTrap. If you don’t empty standing water within the area you would like to be insect free, then mosquitoes will literally breed faster than you can trap them and kill them. The other issue several testers commented on was if your property is next to a natural breeding area for flying insects such as mosquitoes, then wind blowing from the breeding area onto your property will effectively increase the area you are trying to control.

All of our testers agreed the DynaTrap XL was very effective—just check the catch basin—but cautioned if your property has extenuating circumstances you may need more than one trap.

Check out this video to learn more about the DynaTrap XL.

PRODUCT #3: FLEX HEAD CUT OFF TOOL | SP AIR CORP.

SP Air Corp. has developed two additional pneumatic products that we wanted to follow up on from our previous review in the September/October 2017 edition of From Tom’s Shop.

The ﬁrst tool is the SP-7231 Flex Head Cut Off Tool, which allows the user to actually rotate the cutting head from 90 degrees to 45 degrees, up or down, effectively giving the tool three position cutting angles

PRODUCT #4: RECIPROCATING AIR SAW SP AIR CORP.

The other product by SP Air Corp. is their SP-7610 Reciprocating Air Saw. It is 12” overall length (including the blade) that is gear driven from the pneumatic motor. All three of our testers commented that “this is one tough saw.” The total saw only weighs just over a pound and has almost a halfinch cutting stroke.

If your store has an industrial clientele or you service body shops you deﬁnitely should take a look at SP Air for your pneumatic tool needs, because these are metal-cased, high-impact tools designed for the serious d-i-yer or professional.

working in tight places.

This tool also comes with builtin power regulator, safety speed lever and rear exhaust. The power shaft has a safety guard that will accept up to 3” cutting discs and has an 18,000-rpm speed.

industry is all about. Contact me at tom@thehardwarestore.com.

THE HARDWARE CONNECTION WINS A MAJOR AWARD!

The Hardware Connection has been honored with the 2017 Eddie Digital Award from FOLIO magazine for Best Standalone Digital Magazine in the B2B Category.

For more than 20 years, the Eddie & Ozzie Awards have recognized excellence in magazine editorial and design across all sectors of the industry. FOLIO’s cornerstone awards program involved

more than 300 magazine professionals serving as judges to narrow 2,800 entries down to the winners across all digital and print sectors.

The 2017 winners were honored during the FOLIO awards luncheon in New York City on October 11. The Hardware Connection, which was founded in 2009, was one of the youngest publications cited for excellence.

Just Another Reason Why We Are the Industry’s Digital Leader!

Creating a Shopping Environment FUN

By Chris Jensen

It can be argued that only retail businesses that know how to create a fun shopping atmosphere will survive into the next generation. That might be a slight exaggeration, but it’s probably not far from the truth.

Sullivan Hardware & Garden in Indianapolis features a real train that gives kids a ride to Santa’s house.

Today’s time-pressed consumers simply have too many choices for where and how to buy products, and Amazon is always just a click away. If your store does not leave a favorable impression nearly every time a consumer shops there, then you run the risk of being overlooked in the future.

Not every retail store can be like Ikea or Bass Pro Shops, but it doesn’t hurt to try to mimic some of their success. Ikea and Bass Pro Shops are successful because their stores are fun to shop,

Click Here to See a

Slideshow of More Fun Stores S

showcase great merchandising and feature unique things you cannot ﬁnd anywhere else.

Bass Pro Shops started with eight square feet of shelf space in the back of a Missouri liquor store in 1972. Today, the chain of outdoor gear and apparel attracts more than 120 million visitors who like gawking at huge aquariums ﬁlled with exotic ﬁsh.

You may not be able to replicate the aquariums at Bass Pro Shops or the artful room vignettes at Ikea, but perhaps you can do similar things on a smaller scale. Make your store a destination for fun if you want people to view it as a destination for home improvement products. What follows are six key ways you can create a fun shopping environment in your store. See if some of these ideas will work for your operation.

1. APPEAL TO THE FIVE SENSES.

Everyone knows that you will sell more of a product if customers can touch and feel it. That’s why Orchard Supply Hardware stores have a demo area where customers can try out tools. The same concept applies to the other senses of sight, smell, sound and taste. Sight is especially important, because customers will be turned off if a store is dirty and cluttered or not well-merchandised.

Upper: New Palestine Hardware in Indiana offers free popcorn every day.

A custom-made saltwater

When coming up with a new look for its store in downtown Naples, Fla., in 2010, Sunshine Ace decided to focus on one of its greatest assets—its family culture, according to President Michael Wynn.

The design incorporated 24 photo panels around the perimeter along with more than 70 photos that feature the Wynn family or old-time shots of Naples. Three large murals were

Lower:

ﬁsh tank at Frontier Ace looks like a Craftsman toolbox.

hand-painted by local artists to depict old-time Naples scenes.

“We’re doing more to leverage local, since people want to do business with local companies. Customers are more aware than ever how money is being recirculated in the community,” says Wynn.

Walk into Cypress Ace Hardware in Houston and it’s hard to miss the smell coming from the Fudge Bar. A wide variety of fudge types are made on site in front of customers, which makes it hard to resist.

McGuckin Hardware in Boulder, Colo., has a harpist come in and entertain customers during the holiday season. The music is soothing and stands out from the Muzak soundtrack experienced at most stores.

Blackhawk Hardware in Charlotte has a coffee bar that sells specialty coffee drinks and custom grinds of freshly roasted coffee. The smell wafts throughout the store. Lehman’s Hardware in Kidron, Ohio, and Bering’s in Houston sell gourmet and locally produced food items and make food samples available to customers.

“Our store is 109 years old and we play up our nostalgic appearance. We wait on customers one by one with lots of personal interaction,” says Richard Anders of Anders Hardware, with two stores in Alabama. “The music playing in the store is also nostalgic, from the 1950s. We try to keep a lively, fun environment. We have popcorn machines and customers can help themselves,” he says.

Upper: Customers shopping at Florence True Value in Florence, Ariz., encounter a real ﬁre hydrant and an old ﬁre pole.

Lower: Frontier Ace in Arizona held a customer contest to name its new chameleon, with Pixel winning out.

2. APPEAL TO KIDS.

Eighty percent of home improvement decisions and purchases are initiated by women, so it makes sense to make your store kid-friendly so it appeals to moms. Host a clinic for kids so they can make a special gift for mom or dad, or set aside a space in the store where kids can color and play with Legos. Baby chicks are

FEATURE

always a hit with kids, as Ace Handiman North in Titusville, Fla. has discovered.

Cole Hardware in San Francisco used to have a cookie club for kids. When kids presented their special cookie club card they were given a package of cookies to enjoy. Free helium balloons were also given out to kids of all ages.

Pick & Shovel in Newport, Vt., features a 2,500-square-foot pet shop. A dedicated staff sells fish, lizards, cats, spiders and other small pets. It’s hard to miss the dozens of aquariums and cages filled with fish and animals. Kids make a beeline for the pet shop every time they visit the store, and they probably beg their parents frequently to take them there.

“We have a custom-made saltwater ﬁsh tank that looks like a Craftsman toolbox, and we have a real chameleon in our paint department,” says Brian Kabat of Frontier Ace Hardware in Apache Junction, Ariz. “We have free popcorn and lots of parents come in with their kids. We also have a scorpion tank to help sell black lights.”

3. HOLD FUN EVENTS AND CONTESTS.

Special events drive sales by increasing customer counts and exposing new customers to what your store has to offer. High-performance retailers typically host a special event or sale at least once a month, because they know it makes more sense to be proactive than sit around and hope customers decide to visit. It might be a bag sale, bucket

Ladies Night at Marcus Lumber in Iowa is full of fun activities.

sale, tent sale, anniversary sale, customer appreciation day, d-i-y clinic, contractor luncheon or Ladies Night.

It is hard to ﬁnd a retailer who has held a Ladies Night event that has not been successful. Women bring their friends and family members, they have a blast, they purchase products and they turn into frequent shoppers.

Keim Lumber in Charm, Ohio, has conducted a very successful Ladies Night event for the past nine years. They attract as many as 900 female customers, including quite a few Amish women.

The Do it Best retailer gives each attendee a little bag with information on products, special promotions and local businesses that offered door prizes. The grand prize drawing features a $100 store gift card and a free night at a local bed and breakfast.

Hartville Hardware in Hartville, Ohio, attracts an estimated 10,000 people from ﬁve states for its semiannual, two-day tool sale. Tool sales are huge for the Do it Best member, but more importantly, customers walk away with the lasting impression that Hartville Hardware is a destination for tools and accessories.

Bladenboro Hardware in North Carolina operates a seasonal ice cream shop.

Carr Hardware and Rental in Pittsﬁeld, Mass., puts on a free carnival for kids that showcases everything that can be rented from the retailer such as a bounce house, inﬂatable obstacle course and popcorn machine. It’s fun for the whole family, but especially those with small kids. “We do what our competition can’t, or won’t, do,” says President Bart Raser.

Simpson Ace Hardware & Sports in Sumter, S.C., conducts a Men’s Night Out event in December with live music in the aisles, giveaways, and free food and drinks. Men, women and children are invited, but only men can win the door prizes.

4. DO SOMETHING UNIQUE.

If you sell the same products as all the other hardware stores in town and don’t offer anything unique, then customers don’t have a compelling reason to visit your store.

Hartville Hardware has taken Ikea’s vignette approach to the extreme. Hartville’s 305,000-square-foot store features an 1,800-square foot Idea House built right on the sales ﬂoor. It is a way

Lower: The pet shop at Pick & Shovel in Vermont is popular with kids.

to showcase the latest interior and exterior design ideas with a modern farmhouse style, and all products are either in stock or available via special order.

Harry’s Hardware in Cabot, Vt., features a full-service bar called The Den. It offers seven beers and a hard cider on tap, all craft beers made in Vermont. “My partners and I were thinking about how to make the store better and more of a gathering place. We thought a bar might be something good to attract customers,” explains co-owner Bobby Seales. Also in the back of the store is a full deli serving breakfast and lunch.

5. CARRY UNUSUAL NICHES.

Jeff Powers is a licensed and trained veterinarian. His vet clinic came before

Upper: Cole Hardware in San Francisco gives out food samples during a grilling demo.

Sully’s Grill at Sullivan Hardware & Garden in Indianapolis is used for cooking classes, special events and private parties, with food, beer and wine available.

his hardware store was added in Beaver Island, Mich., which has only 400 year-round residents and can only be reached by ferry.

Business picks up considerably during the summer, when Powers offers the only place on the island to buy hardware products or get your pet checked out.

Powers provides vet services on an as-needed basis—he has even treated a dog on a yacht —but his real opportunity comes from selling pet food, pet toys, vet medicine and ﬂea products. Actually, Powers isn’t the only hardware retailer to offer vet services. So does Faulkton Hardware Hank in Faulkton, S.D., in addition to selling RV supplies, tack supplies, animal health

FEATURE

products and offering computer and bike repair.

Bill’s Ace Hardware in Martinez, Calif., operates a standalone store called Ace Truckbox Center that sells job-site and truck boxes, truck accessories, hitches, liquid transfer tanks and truck racks.

6. GET STAFF INVOLVED.

Any major store initiative always requires buy-in from staff to be successful. Niche categories will not thrive unless you have employees who are knowledgeable about the niche and can explain the specialty products to customers.

Not everyone views working at a hardware store as a fun job, but some people would love to spend the day making fudge, working in a pet shop or repairing power equipment. Discover what employees’ passions are, and see if there is a way to incorporate those passions into your store’s operations.

Ladies Night events are not only fun for customers, they can be loads of fun for employees. Get staff involved in planning and setting up the event.

Let employees get dressed up in costumes for Halloween, offering prizes for the most creative costumes. Find other occasions for theme days that let them wear something wacky. When employees come to work in a jovial mood, it rubs off on customers in a positive way.

SUCCESSION PLANNING

Avoiding Generational Clashes in Succession Planning

Transferring business ownership within a family is a delicate process fraught with difﬁculties. In fact, a University of North Carolina at Asheville study shows that about 70 percent of all family businesses fail to transition successfully from one generation to the next. Passing down a family-owned retail business is a common practice. However, as this current generation of business owners nears retirement and is ready to transfer businesses to the next generation, they are discovering sharp differences in business and life philosophies.

The business ideals and values of Traditionalists and Baby Boomers are radically different from those of Generation X and Millennials. Traditionalists generally identify themselves through their strong work ethic and values. Their children, the Baby Boomer generation, carry on their strong work ethic. They identify themselves through their careers, are loyal to their jobs and rarely switch careers.

Generation X and the Millennials tend to be more rebellious in their approach to work and have rejected the traditional workplace. These younger generations believe in leveraging technology to work smarter, instead of harder.

DEALER

By Chris Jensen

Rob Walker and his parents Dale and Sandy are proud of what New Palestine Hardware has to offer the community.

How to Grow

RBy Chris Jensen

New Location

ob Walker discovered it was difficult to grow your business when your sales floor is only 4,500 square feet and you lease the space. So he bought a building with nearly three times as much space and has watched sales and profits take off.

The grand opening on Labor Day Weekend attracted a big crowd.

Rob is the owner of New Palestine Hardware in New Palestine, Ind. He started working in the store unofficially at 13 and officially at 16, then continued working when he could during college. As his mother, Sandy, tells it, “Rob would come home from college for the weekend, but he’d always stop in at the store first.”

The business dates back to the 1800s. A man came from Germany and paid for a ticket to cross the Atlantic and come to New Palestine to be a blacksmith. He used his ﬁrst paycheck to buy a keg of nails and that was the beginning of the hardware store. In 1955 they stopped selling Massey Ferguson tractors and went solely hardware.

While in college Rob discovered he had a knack for computers. His career path started in Kentucky, where he and a friend built the largest IT consulting company in the state. Then a series of events occurred that turned Rob into a hardware store owner.

The long-time owner of New Palestine Hardware, Dene Chandler, told Rob that he was dying and that he would be the perfect person to take over. Around the same time, Rob’s wife, Shannon, got transferred back

Bottom right: Owner Rob Walker helps a customer ﬁnd what they need for their project.

to Indiana, so it seemed like fate. “I owned the business for two months before my parents knew,” Rob admits.

He purchased the business on February 28, 2013. Dene’s brother, Jack, still work there six days a week and a picture of Dene hangs over the front door next to the store sign. “Our family goes back to the founding of the town on my mom’s side, so this felt like something I needed to do,” Rob explains.

Upper right: Rob Walker and his parents Dale and Sandy stand beside the 1950 Studebaker truck that was refurbished with nuts and bolts from the store.

The store had been in the same location on Main Street for 35 years, but space limitations were a hindrance to further growth. A fortuitous event happened last year when the other independent hardware store in town announced that it would be closing its doors.

Rob purchased the building, which was nearly three times the size of his old store. “This building was 15 years old and beat up. We had to scrub the floors, rip out the carpet and fix walls, which took two weeks,” he says. They changed every fixture and installed LED lighting. His parents, Sandy and Dale, pitched in on everything.

They started moving on July 10 and moved the entire store in six weeks.

“We kept everything going during the move. We closed on a Friday and opened in the new building on Sunday. We even started selling before the computers were up,” Rob says. Switching suppliers to House-Hasson Hardware was another key decision that has paid off. “House-Hasson came up with an assortment plan that helped

Sales of tools are way up in the new store.

us maximize all the extra space. They came in and bin-tagged the store and helped me switch from paper and pen to computer,” Rob says. “They have helped me grow and be successful.”

MEETING A COMMUNITY NEED

The community’s response to the new store has been overwhelmingly positive. “We had customers volunteer to help us move and put up product. We used some of them but paid them,” Rob says. “There’s more excitement now with the business. We used to get 200 to 300 people show up for our two cookouts a year and now we get 500. The community is excited to have a store like this available to them and we’re seeing a lot more foot trafﬁc every day,” he adds.

Rob has added a lot of new merchandise, bringing in live plants and tripling the nuts and bolts assortment. “We’re selling a lot more hand tools, power tools, dog food and PVC ﬁttings,” he says.

Paint was greatly expanded with seven lines of Valspar and they added two lighting clouds, both moves that have attracted more female shoppers. Space was tight before, but now there’s enough room to display large items so they sell pressure washers every week.

At Sandy’s suggestion they brought in scented candles, soaps, sun hats and cleaning products. They have a dollar aisle.

Convenience lumber was recently added and that has been a big hit with

Upper: Assortments were planned with female shoppers in mind.

Lower: The grand opening in September helped introduce the business to lots of new customers.

customers, because it saves them a 15-mile trip to the nearest big box, according to Rob. He found an old greenhouse in pieces behind the building, so they put it together and have it ready to go for the spring lawn and garden season.

Hiring a social media consultant has paid immediate dividends. The store’s Facebook page is up to 417 followers, helping boost visibility in the community. Another important initiative is installing four 32-inch digital signs in key spots that will serve as rolling commercials. “We worked with our vendors to provide POP material and videos

Upper Left: Pet supplies is getting established as a major niche.

Bottom Left: The nuts and bolts section was tripled to turn the store into a destination for fasteners.

Right: House-Hasson came up with the store layout and design and made suggestions for assortments.

that will talk about spring projects. It’s a very inexpensive way to boost sales,” Rob says.

WEARING MANY HATS

Rob has had his hands full getting a new store up and running, but there are two other main interests that he pursues.

He has a master’s degree in ministry, and he works as a substitute pastor, ﬁlling in for other ministers so they can take a vacation. “I’ve preached at just about every church in the area,” he says.

His IT business, Walker–It, is ﬂourishing back home in Indiana. He had been doing that work out of his garage, but now he is able to run that business out of a back room in the store. “I brought some hospitals and other clients with me when I moved back to Indiana. Everyone here knows me, so we’ve done very well with that,” Rob says.

He has two employees who go out and work on IT jobs, while Rob runs the computer lab in the back and helps on higher-end jobs.

“I have the best employees in the world for the store: Jack, Krista, Dave and Jerry. They all have input, and they free me up to work on strategic decisions,” Rob says. “Moving to the new building was the best decision I’ve ever made—we’ve doubled our numbers.”

Nominations Now Open for Beacon Awards

The Beacon Awards banquet is a ﬁrstclass event to recognize “the best of the best” retailers.

This year’s Hardware Conference, set for September 7-9 at the JW Marriott in Marco Island, Fla., promises to be memorable as the industry’s premier event for independent retailers marks its 30th anniversary. The Hardware Conference will again be highlighted by the Beacon Awards, a recognition program that was introduced ﬁve years ago.

The Beacon Awards, which are co-sponsored by The Hardware Conference and The Hardware Connection, are designed to honor the “best of the best” independent hardware/home improvement retailers while encouraging a new generation of retailers to make their mark in the industry.

Premier Beacon Award Sponsors include Apex Tool Group, Epicor Software Corp., Sunnyside Corporation, RustOleum and Sashco. Additional wholesaler sponsorship support comes from Ace Hardware Corp., Do it Best Corp., Orgill Inc. and True Value Company.

The Beacon Awards honor the Retail Beacon Award winners for each of the

BEACON AWARDS

Co-Sponsors: participating wholesalers, plus the Best New Stores in two categories: under 20,000 square feet and over 20,000 square feet. Whether it’s an existing retailer opening a branch store or a newcomer opening a ground-up business, these new stores represent the future of the industry.

Here are last year’s Beacon Award honorees:

Retail Beacon Award: Phillip Helms, Town & Country Hardware, Raleigh, N.C.

Retail Beacon Award: John Zettler, Zettler Do it Best Hardware & Garden, Columbus, Ohio

Retail Beacon Award:

Don Hoff Jr., Harleysville

Ace Hardware, Harleysville, Pa.

Retail Beacon Award: Willis Qualheim, Qualheim True Value, Shawano, Wis.

The honorees and sponsors of the 2017 Beacon Awards.

Best New Store, Under 20,000 square feet: Doug Lacoe, Dalton Do it Center, Dalton, Pa.

Best New Store, Over 20,000 square feet: Bill and Yesenia Pastermack, Ace Handiman North, Titusville, Fla.

Winning the Beacon Award for Best New Store was quite an honor, says Lacoe. “We’ve been very fortunate with our business and it’s not easy to be recognized. We’re very proud of the store we have now, which is better suited now to serve the community,” he adds.

Get your nominations in now for the Best New Store award, as the deadline of May 10 is fast approaching. Any dealer can nominate his store and nominations are also accepted from wholesalers.

Judging will be based on any or all of the following criteria: ﬁnancial performance (sales, proﬁts, margins, etc.); community involvement; store design; merchandising displays; promotion activities; specialized product areas/niches; employee training/recognition programs; and innovative retailing concepts.

BEST NEW STORE QUALIFICATIONS:

Store must have been open at least one year, to a maximum of 4 years.

Should be a new ground-up store or it can be an existing store that has been signiﬁcantly expanded or remodeled.

Can be a store built to replace one destroyed by natural disaster. Store must feature all the core departments: electrical, plumbing, tools, hardware, paint and lawn & garden.

Can be a branch store.

The Beacon Awards Banquet will be held Friday night, September 7, 2018 at the JW Marriott in Marco Island, Fla. Honorees will receive: all-expenses paid trip for two to the 2018 Hardware Conference in Marco Island including conference registration, airfare, hotel and meals; Beacon Award plaque and feature article in The Hardware Connection.

TO COMPLETE NOMINATION

Please include detailed information for each of the judging criteria, attach any relevant pictures, list the date of new store opening and also provide retailer name, store name, square footage, address, phone number and email address. Email nominations by the May 10 deadline to Chris Jensen at chris@thehardwareconnection.com.

By Bill Wilson

Easy-to-Use Tools for Improving Retail Business Results

Is brick-and-mor tar retail nearing its end in the U.S.? Not according to Forbes magazine, which recently reported a renaissance among small businesses learning to adapt and thrive through a combination of personalized, knowledgeable support services, and innovative products customers can sample ﬁrsthand.

Now the hard part. How can local, independent retailers enhance proﬁts in this rapidly evolving environment?

Many have turned to the wisdom offered by familiar Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and their ability to improve sales with practical, day-today tools that analyze GMROI, sales, inventory and other benchmarks using tools that work quickly, easily and without the need to pore over reams of reports or analytics.

ANALYTICAL APPROACH TO ENHANCED SALES

It’s reasonable to assume that the sales performances of similar items will be steady across multiple locations. However, when sales are drastically lower from one store to another, it could mean inventory levels are too low, the product has not been merchandised properly or competition has

increased. Identifying the source of anomalies can help managers boost numbers through the sharing of success information and the better merchandizing of select hot-ticket items.

Owners focus on top- and bottomline numbers, while accountants are commonly concerned with gross profit dollars and margins. However, for the store or department manager it’s always about the sale of the true bread and butter products that continually attract customers and significantly impact the top line. Knowing when and how to sell these top 100 items can positively influence the sale of complementary products through strategic promotions and smart merchandising efforts. This is only the first step in cross selling. One mistake commonly made by many retailers involves the gathering of all on-sale items at an endcap or other prominent locations without the accompaniment of affinity items. For the best results, it is more beneficial to display high-margin complementary products right beside sale items. For example, the placement of drop cloths, tape and buckets with paint brushes marked 20 percent off.

KNOW YOUR INVENTORY

Next up, the importance of properly stocking top performers. Inventory issues are probably the greatest single cause of headache among retailers. KPIs can relieve stress by reducing the revenue lost to insufﬁcient stock

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

levels. Quality analytical tools identify order points set too low, the accelerated sale of speciﬁc items or even the manual mistakes that can lead to the understocking of key products at peak times. They are also ideal for showing every item stocked beyond a six-month supply—almost certainly an unnecessary cash investment.

Quickly ﬁnding these items and freeing up cash, while potentially making space for faster-selling stock can save thousands and boost revenues.

Another important KPI advantage surrounds the development of “danger lists” containing top sellers along with their stock, purchasing and sales velocity information. Unfortunately, any product’s presence on this list usually means the loss of more than one sale. Just like eCommerce, brick-and-mortar retailers suffer abandoned carts when select items are unavailable.

The weekend homeowner preparing to install a small sprinkler system won’t buy supplies from a store missing basic items like pipe elbows or PVC glue. Subsequently, one missing $2 item could cost $100 in overall purchases. Checking danger lists regularly can help stores stock appropriately before sales, meet seasonal purchase needs and make sure the usual complementary items are in place.

ANNUAL SALES INDICATORS

Year-over-year indicators are invaluable for assessing items that have moved signiﬁcantly up or down in

sales volume. When sales increase or decrease over a certain threshold—even if the transition has been slow and only shows up during annual reviews—it’s time to look for answers to questions like: What changed? Did pricing adjustments make a speciﬁc product uncompetitive (sales decrease) or too competitive (an increase at the expense of lost margin)? Did competitors grab market share? Has an external trend affected the overall market? Has the product itself changed somehow?

In addition to not only revealing “hot” products, such ﬁndings can prove extremely useful for cross selling afﬁnity products or even identifying complementary items the store may want to stock or feature in future promotions. Furthermore, it can point to changes in customer buying behaviors and the ability to stay in front of the latest trends and opportunities.

Other value points include helping retailers avoid margin erosion by showing the inventory items that went up or down in price, but have not been priced accordingly on the shelf. For instance, a wholesaler recently reduced the price by half of a caulk gun provided to retailers. Luckily, the KPI alerted personnel to the change before it cost sales. Who would pay a premium price for a basic product and then return once ﬁnding out they grossly overpaid?

Bill Wilson is senior vice president of product development at Epicor Software Corp.

PAINT AND DECORATING TRENDS

Sales of Spray Paint (Independent Hardware Channel) 12 Months % Change vs. Year Ago

Source: Vista Information Services, div. of Epicor Software Corp.

Unit Sales Breakdown for Spray Paint

Source: Vista Information Services, div. of Epicor Software Corp. Seasonality of Sales of Spray Paint (Index=100)

PAINT AND DECORATING BUYING UPDATE

Benjamin Moore announced its Color of the Year for 2018—Caliente AF-290, a vibrant, charismatic shade of red. “Strong, radiant and full of energy, Caliente AF-290 is total conﬁdence. It is pleasing, passionate and makes people feel special, like ‘red carpet treatment’,” said Ellen O’Neill, Benjamin Moore’s director of strategic design intelligence. “Whether used as one note or on four walls, the spirited personality of red turns heads signaling surprise and adventure. The eye can’t help but follow its bold strokes.”

Benjamin Moore also unveiled Color Trends 2018, a curated palette of 23 inﬂuential hues that enliven any room by adding depth and energy. The palette incorporates a full spectrum of reds, from hints of blush to deep oxbloods, while ensuring seamless pairings with a carefully selected range of whites, neutrals and complementary bold hues.

The Benjamin Moore Color Trends 2018 palette includes: Caliente AF-290, Deep Poinsettia 2091-30, Cherry Wine 2080-30, Cranberry Cocktail 2083-20, Texas Rose 209240, Pleasant Pink 2094-60, Saddle Soap 2110-30, Incense Stick 2115-20,

Left: The Color Bar is a new paint initiative from Do it Best Corp. that is designed to provide a new in-store paint experience for consumers.

Right: Ace Handiman North in Titusville, Fla., has adopted The Paint Studio format from Ace.

Smoked Oyster 2109-40, Excalibur Gray 2118-50, Wolf Gray 2127-40, Stone 2112-40, Black Beauty 212810, Silver Marlin 2139-50, Carolina Gull 2138-40, Dreamy Cloud 2117-70, Moonshine 2140-60, Sharkskin 213930, Elk Horn AF-105, Peau de Soie AF-60, Golden Retriever 2165-30, White Opulence OC-69 and Coastal Path AF-380.

To learn more about the Benjamin Moore Color of the Year and Color Trends 2018 palette, visit www.benjaminmoore.com/colortrends.

A collision of rich blue with jeweltoned green, a color that is both accessible and elusive, Oceanside SW 6496 is Sherwin-Williams’ 2018 Color of the Year. A complex, deep color that offers a sense of the familiar with a hint of the unknown, Oceanside, bridges together a harmonious balance of blues and greens that can be found in what’s old and new.

RENEW™ PAINTBRUSH

Great for painting, hobbies and crafts, Renew™ paintbrush is only 3 inches long for control in tight spaces. Short, plastic, magenta handle made of recycled material and is easy to carry in a pocket. Features a brass-plated steel ferrule. Synthetic blend provides a smooth, even ﬁnish with all paints. The Wooster Brush Company www.woosterbrush.com 800-392-7246

AGED WOOD ACCELERATOR

This product replicates the aging process that happens in nature by reacting with bare or untreated wood to create an on-trend, rustic brown ﬁnish. Simply wipe it on and allow it to sit for 30 minutes to an hour for a natural ﬁnish.

Varathane Aged Wood Accelerator is a water-based, low-odor product.

PAINT & DECORATING PRODUCTS

BETTER FINISH™ WALL REPAIR PATCH KIT

CHILDREN’S EARTH PAINT KIT

Comes with everything you need to make a substantial repair, and it promises to improve the patching process and leave a better-looking ﬁnish once the wall is repainted. Included are two tubes of HYDE Better Finish™ Nail Hole Filler Joint Compound.

Unlike other wall patching products, this nail hole ﬁller is composed of the same material used to ﬁnish the wall originally—joint compound rather than spackle. Comes with a self-adhesive metal patch and the 6” joint knife that any pro would recommend as the right size for repairing a 4” hole. Sandpaper and step-by-step instructions also included.

Hyde Tools Inc.

www.hydetools.com

508-764-4344

Made of organic corn starch, gum arabic and natural earth and mineral pigments. 100% non-toxic Children’s Earth Paint kit creates a creamy, tempera-like paint when mixed with water or add more water to create watercolors. This washable paint is perfect for natural and non-toxic stenciling and murals on home walls. It can also be used on wood, rocks, fabric, paper and glass for crafting or art projects.

Each kit contains 6 colors of natural earth paint: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and brown. Additional colors available individually: white, violet, black and true purple.

Children’s Earth Paint kit contains: 6 packets of hand-crafted, powdered, vegan paint; a set of 6 biodegradable mixing cups and lids; an Earth Art booklet with instructions and nature-based activity ideas.

Natural Earth Paint

www.naturalearthpaint.com 541-846-8278

IN THE NEWS

NEW STORES:

Jason Kempker has purchased Quick’s Hardware and Rentals in Huxley, Iowa, and renamed it Kempker’s True Value.

Tony and Jeanne Deremer are the new owners of Laceyville Hardware in Laceyville, Pa.

Eric and Kim Elhardt are the new owners of Lakeside Lumber and Hardware in Marcell, Minn.

Troy Usnik and Steve Deshong have opened 3rd Street Hardware in Philadelphia.

Chris Hoag, owner of six True Value stores in Oklahoma , has purchased Sallislaw True Value Hardware in Sallislaw, Okla., from Carl Moss and Barry Teague.

Great Lakes Ace Hardware is opening its ﬁrst Ohio store in Fostoria.

Keith Ace Hardware has acquired the Ace Hardware store in Copperas Cove, Texas.

Strosniders Hardware has opened its fourth store in Kensington, Md.

KUDOS TO:

Akard True Value Hardware in Zionsville, Ind., was honored as 2018 Business of the Year by the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce.

ECi Software Solutions announced that two of its products for the residential

home construction industry, MarkSystems™ and LotVue™ software, have earned designations as Top Products by Constructech magazine.

Frank Padilla of Woodland

Do it Best Building Center in Springerville, Ariz., was honored with the Springerville-Eager Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award.

ON THE MOVE

ECi Software Solutions has hired Sam Miller as chief revenue ofﬁcer.

Carrie Meek-Cuneo was named chairwoman of the board for Meek’s Lumber and Hardware.

Josh RatcliffGary Heft

Do it Best Corp. has hired Josh Ratcliff as lumber sales and operations manager and Gary Heft as lumber/panels specialist.

WHOLESALERS IN THE NEWS:

Do it Best Corp. is hosting two Open Buying Days in 2018 to continue enhancing the selection of potential products it offers to its member-owners from domestic and international vendors. They are scheduled for March 1 and

October 30 and there is no fee for selected vendors to participate.

“Discovering new vendors and innovative products is an important part of helping our members continuously offer a product mix that is uniquely tailored to their customers,” said Steve Markley, Do it Best’s vice president of merchandising.

House-Hasson Hardware has introduced a new advertising program called Digital Deals, which is designed to improve the proﬁtability of dealers. “Dealers have different levels of advertising sophistication and capability,” says Don Hasson, president of House-Hasson. “Our program will enable every dealer to do some form of digital or print advertising effectively at a reasonable price.” With Digital Deals, HouseHasson will help retailers create Facebook and Twitter accounts, post retailers’ ads to their websites and on social media, and provide special pricing and dating for each Digital Deals ad. Dealers will get a free ad monthly, which will come pre-merchandised and ready for placement on a store’s social media platforms.

The Ace Hardware Foundation named brothers Kapono (age nine) and Duke (age ﬁve) Pavao of Lihue, Hawaii, as the organization’s sixthannual Ace Cares for Kids All-Stars.

As Ace’s sixth annual Ace Cares for Kids All-Stars, Kapono and Duke will become national ambassadors

for the Ace Foundation, raising awareness for the excellent work that is done at local Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) hospitals across the country. A $10,000 donation from Duracell will be made to Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children in honor of Kapono and Duke.

OTHER NEWS:

Rust-Oleum has acquired Whink Products, a manufacturer of specialty cleaners based in Eldorado, Iowa. The acquisition complements Rust-Oleum’s line of cleaning products that includes Krud Kutter and Moldex cleaners and removers.

Westlake Ace Hardware has agreed to acquire Seaboard Ace Hardware in Raleigh, N.C., which will give them nine stores in North Carolina.

Orchard Supply Hardware, a subsidiary of Lowe’s Cos., is opening three new stores in Deerﬁeld Beach, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, Fla., giving the California-based chain 11 stores in Florida.

FOR THE FULL STORY:

Aubuchon Hardware embracing digital experience. Click here.

Kapono and Duke Pavao

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY

Florida Hardware Spring Market

February 17-18, Double Tree Hotel & Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.

LBM Advantage Annual Meeting & Trade Show

February 19-21, Gaylord Palms, Kissimmee, Fla.

Monroe Hardware Spring Market

February 9-11, Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Northeastern Retail Lumber Association LBM Expo ’18

February 14-16, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, R.I.

Orgill Spring Market

February 22-24, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.

True Value Spring Reunion

February 10-12, Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.

MARCH

Ace Hardware Corp. Spring Convention

March 15-17, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas

Blish-Mize Spring Market

March 23-24, Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park, Kan.

Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo

March 8-10, Music City Center, Nashville, Tenn.

Home & Housewares Show

March 10-13, McCormick Place. Chicago

International Hardware Fair 2018

March 4-7, Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany

PACOA Spring Market

March 3-4, Queen’s College Fitzgerald Gymnasium, Flushing, N.Y.

APRIL

Home Hardware Spring Market

April 14-17, St. Jacobs, Ontario

Wallace Hardware Spring Market

April 11-13, LeConte Center, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

MAY

Do it Best Corp. Spring Market

May 19-21, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis

National Hardware Show

May 8-10, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev.

JUNE

House-Hasson Hardware Summer Dealer Market

June 14-16, Sevierville Events Center, Sevierville, Tenn.

For a complete listing of calendar dates, click here.

CALIFORNIA STORE SUPPORTS FIRST

RESPONDERS TO WILDFIRES

Wildfires caused more than $10 billion in damage across California last year, making it the costliest year for wildfire damage in U.S. history. To lend a helping hand, Willits Power & Hardware, with stores in Willits and Fort Bragg, Calif., made extensive efforts to support those fighting dangerous wildfires in their region in northern California.

The Do it Best member set up fire camps to support and supply firefighters battling some of the region’s fiercest fires. The store’s team provided first responders with equipment parts and repairs, chain sharpening services for chainsaws, light towers and generators. They also provided generators to local vineyards that were without power.

When a wildﬁre affects the area, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection calls Willits Power & Hardware to support the relief effort. Last year, the store’s team responded to four ﬁres, sending employees and resources to places like Yosemite, Santa Rosa and Sonoma.

Many members of the Willits team were putting in 12-hour days or longer, starting at 6 a.m., to staff the camps, all while keeping the store up and running to supply those in their community in need of crucial supplies.

Upper: To help first responders battling wildfires in northern California, Willits Power & Hardware set up fire camps to offer needed supplies and services like chainsaw sharpening.

Lower: Willits Power and Hardware’s trailer served as a mobile workspace where staff could repair chainsaws and other smallengine equipment used by the ﬁreﬁghters.

“We provided generators and light towers for the camps,” says Tony Mondo, a store employee who spent several weeks at the ﬁre crew’s base camp. “It’s like a small city they set up. There are shower trailers and laundry trailers.”

Owner Mike Garrity says having a dedicated and caring team of associates makes it possible to lend such critical support to a worthy cause.

For more information on Willits Power & Hardware’s ﬁre camps, click here.

TURNING SMALL BUSINESS

SATURDAY INTO A SUCCESS

Samantha Post at T&M Do it Best Hardware & Rental in Bellevue, Pa., helps her community take Small Business Saturday (SBS) to an entirely new level. She chairs the Bellevue Initiative for Growth and Revitalization’s SBS planning committee, and each year they welcome shoppers and visitors to Bellevue’s downtown shopping district with a “welcome station.”

At the station, Post and fellow committee members provide shoppers with tote bags, refreshments and treats, as well as a detailed guide to each of the participating small businesses in the downtown shopping district.

The guide showcased T&M’s selection of old-fashioned sodas, mom & pop popcorn, ﬂavored nuts and soup mixes, as well as special deals on Milwaukee Tool products that were good through December 1.

Local residents were encouraged to shop where you live and love where you shop. Thanks to the efforts and

Left: Small Business Saturday was a big success in Bellevue, Pa., thanks to efforts to promote it locally by T&M Hardware’s Samantha Post and the SBS planning committee.

Right: Local residents were encouraged to support small businesses in the community.

planning of Post and the committee, this past year’s SBS on November 25 was the best one yet for downtown Bellevue and its small businesses.

WORD PUZZLES KEEP CUSTOMERS GUESSING

Neil Schneider, owner of J&M Hardware & Locksmith in New York’s Flatiron District, has come up with an interesting way to keep customers entertained.

He puts together elaborate picture puzzles that illustrate common words and phrases, then puts it up behind the sales counter and challenges customers to ﬁgure out the secret code or theme. Schneider, who has been doing this for years, says the puzzles help his store stand out from the big-box competition. For more information, click here.

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

80%

Percentage of Amazon’s U.S. customers who purchase from the company at least once a month.

43.5%

Percentage of U.S. retail e-commerce that goes to Amazon.

44%

Percentage of web shoppers who go directly to Amazon for product searches.

1.44%

Average shrink rate for U.S. retailers in 2017, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2017 Survey.

36.5%

Percentage of retail shrink that is caused by shoplifting and organized retail crime, according to the National Retail Federation.

$798.48

Average cost per shoplifting incident in 2017, according to the National Retail Federation.