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Honoring outstanding dealers and opening up opportunities for dealers to discover new products and engage in exclusive buying opportunities, 2026 Home Hardware Homecoming took place over three days at Toronto’s Enercare Centre.
The event facilitated connections between suppliers, dealers, store staff and Home Hardware Stores Limited team members, with social events at the Hockey Hall of Fame and Toronto Blue Jays baseball game and carved out time on the show floor to network.
Dealers walked the show flow, which included 130 new suppliers, 100 show-only specials and a focus on six priority growth categories to protect margin and meet customers’ needs. Ryan Buck, dealer-owner of Buck’s Home Building Centre in Nova Scotia, says Homecoming helps set his operation up for success going into the next year.
“We use the show as a chance to reset and look at slow movers, seasonal and promotional products,” Buck says. “We take the chance to look at what worked last year and where we want to go in the coming year.”
Amanda Fancy, dealer-owner of Gow’s Home Hardware in Nova Scotia, appreciates the connections—existing and new—her and her team make at Homecoming.
“Homecoming allows us to meet with vendors in person, have those important conversations with corporate Home Hardware staff and connect with other dealers to share ideas, wins and challenges,” Fancy says.
Recognizing Excellence
During Homecoming, Home Hardware Stores Limited hosted its annual Proud of My Home Achievement Awards. The highest honor of the evening, the Walter J. Hachborn Store of the Year Award, was presented to Churchill’s Home Hardware Building Centre in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Store of the Year Award recognizes the Home store that best upholds the principles on which Home Hardware was co-founded 60 years ago by Walter J. Hachborn: value, service and dependability. The Churchill team was also recognized as Best Home Hardware Building Centre—Eastern Region. To accept the award on behalf of the store was dealer-owner David Churchill.
“Churchill’s Home Hardware Building Centre has proudly served Bay Roberts and surrounding communities for generations, and every day we work to build on the legacy that was passed down to us,” Churchill says. “While we’ve grown significantly over the years and continued to invest in our store, our focus has never changed. We want every customer to feel welcomed, supported and confident they’re receiving the best service possible. None of that would be possible without our incredible team, many of whom have been with us for decades and know our customers by name.”
The Churchill family’s roots in local business date back to the early 1900s through a schooner business, cooperage and general store. Since becoming sole owner in 2011, Churchill has overseen significant growth, including the relocation to a larger Bay Roberts location in 2016 and the addition of a new 10,000-square-foot warehouse in 2025 to better serve both homeowners and contractors.
Alongside his wife, Donna, his son, Jordan, and his daughter, Helena, Chestnut has built a thriving operation rooted in exceptional customer service, continuous investment and a deep commitment to the local community.
“The Churchill family exemplifies what it means to be part of the Home Hardware community,” says John Pierce, chief retail operations officer, Home Hardware Stores Limited. “Their leadership, dedication to their team and commitment to their community represent the very best of our brand. We are thrilled to recognize them with this year’s Store of the Year Award.”
Home Hardware also recognized stores across Canada for their retailing excellence and outstanding contributions to their communities. The Paul Straus Public Relations Award went to Meadow Lake Home Hardware Building Centre in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan.
Best Home Hardware winners included: Bracebridge Home Hardware, Gow’s Home Hardware, Morinville Home Hardware and Quincaillerie Home Hardware Ville-Marie.
Best Home Building Centre winners included: Schell Lumber Home Building Centre Sutton, Abbott’s Home Building Centre, Mcleod Home Building Centre and F. J. Brideau Centre de Renovation Home.
Best Home Hardware Building Centre included: Orillia Home Hardware Building Centre, Churchill’s Home Hardware Building Centre, Woodland Home Hardware Building Centre and Perth Home Hardware Building Centre.
Several young dealers were also recognized with Best Young Retailer honors, including Rebecca Pike from Pike’s Home Hardware Building Centre, Marc and François Beausoleil from Materiaux de Construction Beausoleil Ltee and Joel Pletch from Walkerton Home Hardware.
In 2024, Pletch was recognized as a North American Hardware and Paint Association Young Retailer of the Year.
“NHPA was the first to recognize me so they’ll always hold a special memory with me. Winning the award again is a huge honor. Being young and in the industry, I always say ‘I have a lot of runway left,’” Pletch says. “It means the world to be recognized for the hard work put in by my team and myself. I don’t receive an award like this without having a stellar team behind me to allow myself to do more executing and other work.”
