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To download a PDF of this story, click here. Then, click here to read letters from a former NRHA publisher and three other NRHA staffers who also took some time to look back and reflect on their time spent working …

You’ve heard the stories. A store owner is ready to retire or gets ill and can no longer manage his or her business, and no family member or employee is next in line to take over. Sometimes, the future of …

In the August issue of Hardware Retailing, we asked three retailers in different phases of their careers and one retiree to reflect on their time spent working in the independent hardware and home improvement industry. Each retailer wrote a letter to …

Every customer who walks into your store is an impulse sales opportunity, according to a study conducted by TimeTrade Systems, Inc., which found that 82 percent of consumers purchase more than they originally planned once they’re in a store. In …

When John L. Clark opened Clark’s Farm Supplies in 1845, he likely had no inkling that his family would continue to supply the Ellicott City, Maryland, community with quality products and project advice nearly two centuries later. Now known as Clarks Ace …

The mural on the side of Maxbauer Ace Hardware depicts Traverse City, Michigan—but when “Pokemon Go” players go to the store, they see a digital cartoon character on the wall. And that’s OK with the staff at Maxbauer Ace. When …

Consumers are dedicating time and money to home improvement projects this summer, and June was a hot month for spending in the building materials category. Forbes reported that sales in building materials were up 3.9 percent in June, and overall …

This year, nearly 85 precent of all independent home improvement retailers say they plan on adding new products to their stores and a full 66 percent say they plan to add or expand entire categories as ways to grow topline sales and …