Milestones

Melissa Brett and her husband John have owned Welden Hardware for 15 years, but the business has been in operation in Simsbury, Connecticut, for 130 years. Late last year, the Bretts and their store manager started brainstorming ways to celebrate …

When August Trilling, a first-generation German immigrant, opened a general store in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1850, he had no idea what the future would hold for his business, later named Trilling Hardware. Since its founding, the 167-year-old company has been …

The store is located on a busy street downtown in New Braunfels, Texas, and it’s unmistakably from another era. If you walk through Henne Hardware’s door, you will see that you can buy the essential hardware products you’d expect of …

Click the picture to download a PDF of this story. By Todd Taber ttaber@nrha.org, Kate Klein kklein@nrha.org, and Renee Changnon rchangnon@nrha.org. Independent home improvement retailers have, literally and figuratively, helped build America, and at least one existing operation predates the …

Taking a leap of faith can be a big risk, but when you’re chasing your dreams, it’s worth it, say Joe and Leah Van Walbeek. The couple reopened Akron Lumber Co. in Akron, Iowa, this past May. Over the weekend, …

When Peter Loveland heads to work, he knows he’s walking in the footsteps of family members who came before him. Loveland is the fifth generation to manage his family’s home improvement business, Maze Lumber. Founded in Peru, Illinois, in 1848 …

Imagine having the ability to travel more than a century back in time. While there, you’re able to walk the streets of the city you call home and explore what it was like at the end of the 19th century. …

In the mid-19th century, many Americans took off on the Oregon Trail in search of new lands and opportunities. Its main departure points were in Missouri, and the route stretched 2,000 miles to California. More than 400,000 pioneers traveled the …