Couple Balances Family, Yoga and Hardware

Armando and Ita Reyes are a great example of an entrepreneurial-minded, hardworking couple with a strong family bond. The couple owns and operates Carpenter Bros. Hardware & Rental in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which they bought in 2008.

Beyond hardware, the Reyes family flexed their small business muscles when Ita had the opportunity to open her own yoga studio across from the hardware store.

Today, the power couple work hard to keep both businesses running smoothly, while they keep their family unit strong and act as models of hard work for their two sons.

Honing Business Skills

Carpenter Bros. Hardware has been a staple in the Ann Arbor community since 1972. Originally, the business was owned and operated by the Carpenter brothers before they sold it to Sam Hamilton in the 1980s.

In the 1990s, Hamilton was searching for a mechanic, and Armando Reyes was the one who got the job. He started working at the store during high school. After graduating, he continued working at the store during the summer.

“In 2005, I graduated from Eastern Michigan University and started managing the store in 2006 with an option to buy it,” Armando says. “I ran the business for two years, and then in 2008, my wife and I purchased the store from Sam.”

When making the decision to purchase the business, Armando says he and Ita considered the improvements they had made to the business in the two years they had managed it and decided ownership was the right path.

“We decided if we could take the roughness of the situation and learn from it and do better moving forward, it was worth it,” he says. “I saw the potential of the store, even in bad times.”

Armando says that they kept all of their employees, which made the transition simpler in the long run as well. He says the store employs 11 people, some who have been in the business longer than Armando, like their mechanic who has been with the business nearly 30 years.

In addition to fostering a strong relationship with the employees, Carpenter Bros. Hardware is active in providing donations throughout the community when possible, whether providing materials for the public schools or projects taking place through the local park district.

“We also work with a school program that teaches high school students how to build homes and work in the trade,” Armando says. “They’ll learn to build homes, which then are sold in the neighborhood. I’ve hired some of my best employees out of that program.”

While Armando is well versed in the hardware industry and assists on the home improvement side of the business, Ita joined the family business once they purchased it to manage the human resources aspects. She handles hiring, firing, payroll, accounting and much more.

A New Opportunity Worth Pursuing

Ita was on maternity leave from her position as a veterinarian technician, and she started looking for a new career opportunity. She had become more involved in practicing yoga, so she decided to pursue a yoga teaching certification.

“I really enjoy yoga and the peace it brings me,” Ita says. “When I returned to work, I was working 40 hours a week as a vet technician and then driving around to go to different yoga studios to teach at least four hours a week.”

When the couple bought the store, Ita’s role may have changed, however, she says she was still working long hours and trying to fit in teaching yoga, but it was challenging to do it all.

At that time, the recession was in full effect, and many businesses in the strip mall where the store was located were going out of business.

“Across from the hardware store there was a workout studio that closed,” she says. “I taught classes that were as big as 35 people, and Armando thought it would be a good idea to make that business with a studio of our own.”

They talked to the landlord to see about the vacant space and nothing was going in the mall, so they began renting the space and she started teaching all of her classes right across from the hardware store.

“Six classes a week turned into 29 classes a week with eight employees seven years later,” Ita says. “Armando gave me the push, and it was worth it.”

Family Learns to Juggle It All

When a customer walks into the hardware store or a yogi enters Ita Yoga, one or both of their sons are likely to be there, ringing up a customer or joining a class, Ita says.

“Our oldest son, who is also named Armando, has always known us to have the businesses,” she says. “He was two when we bought the store and four when the yoga studio opened. He and his brother spend their time here, so when he gets out of school, he walks to the store and can be in the back office or helping his dad on the salesfloor.”

In the evenings, Armando and the kids are at the store while Ita finishes teaching her evening classes. Since the kids get to spend time outside of school with their parents at the store and the yoga studio, they get to learn firsthand the value of hard work, Ita says.

“Our son Armando enjoys spending time with his dad and getting to help in the store,” she says. “He is learning work ethic, that things don’t come easy and you have to work for what you want in life. I’m always so impressed, since I work in the office someone might ask where something is. I might not know, but Armando does.”

Although Ita says running two businesses and keeping the family balanced can be tough, it means more since the businesses are their own. In order to successfully run a second business, Armando says it’s important to go for your passion.

“In my opinion, you shouldn’t back down from something you want to do because it’s hard,” Armando says. “No matter what, there will be hard days. But you have to be able to adjust, and if you have a desire and a passion, then the risk is worth it.”