When I was 22, I started working with local hardware stores. What began as a job became a career that lasted more than twenty-five years.
I spent twenty years at True Value, from national sports marketing and helping launch True Value Rewards to a field role out west running grand openings and local events. I had a great job. I really did.
But it was not until after I lost that job that I understood why I had stayed in the hardware industry all those years. It was the people.
Hardware store people are the best. Local hardware stores are not regular businesses. They are heart-centered businesses and part of their communities. They are who you call when you have a leaky faucet, when you need the odd fitting, or when you are picking just the right paint for a baby’s first nursery.
Independent hardware stores don’t need gimmicks. They need to show up when customers need what they sell.
I wrote The Hardware Store Marketing Blueprint because plenty of marketing books existed, but almost none were written for the way a hardware store actually runs. Store owners kept asking, “Where do I start?” The book and this site give them a practical answer.
Hardware Store Growth is where I put the useful basics. Take what you need, use what helps, and come back when you are ready for the next step.