Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
In order to stay connected with retailers like you, the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) makes it a point to get out and visit as many independent hardware stores, home centers and lumberyards in North America as we can. Last week, NRHA staff members embarked on the NRHA New England Road Trip, which allowed us to see how hardworking home improvement innovators are finding new ways to succeed in New England.
My name is Renee Changnon and I’m the retail outreach coordinator with NRHA. In the span of five days, I drove over 1,400 miles, visiting 13 retail operations in New England, with stops in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. I visited a variety of retail operations, from multistore hardware store chains and massive lumberyards to single-store operations that are truly woven into the fabric of the communities they’ve been serving for—in some cases—hundreds of years.
We’ll feature lessons and highlights of this trip in the November issue of Hardware Retailing. Subscribe today to ensure you don’t miss a word! In addition, make sure to subscribe to my podcast “Tell Me More…” and stay tuned for the release of several conversations we had with enterprising retailers we met on the road.
For behind-the-scenes access to the road trip, you can go to NRHA’s Instagram page and view the archived story or flip through some of the top photos from each of the days. We’ll also be sharing photos on NRHA’s Facebook page, so make sure to like and follow there to see even more images from the trip.
If you would like to learn about each individual day of the trip, be sure to read the daily summaries.
Day 1: Dedicated Employees and Trendy Products in Connecticut, Rhode Island
Day 2: Company Culture and Creativity Among Maine Retailers
Day 3: Home Improvement History and Theatrics in Massachusetts
Day 4: Reliable Operations in New Hampshire, Fun Vibes in Vermont
Day 5: Tailoring Inventory and Serving Communities in Vermont, Boston
