Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Settling back into a regular market schedule, House-Hasson hosted its 2023 Winter Market last week in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort.
“Nashville is obviously a huge draw, it’s a great destination spot,” says House-Hasson vice president of sales Pat McCutcheon. “We’ve been hosting our winter market here for several decades, and the dealers love it because they know they are going to get a comfortable atmosphere and really enjoy spending time here.”
McCutcheon says this market featured over 50 new vendors, sharing new products and trends to keep retailers on the cusp of what’s new and what their customers want and need.
“We have been able to bring many new vendors, including numerous vendors that haven’t participated in the last several years,” he says. “This year’s vendor participation was outstanding, and we’re really excited to welcome back vendors who haven’t been able to participate in the last couple of years.”
The event included four seminar sessions with vendors, including Valspar, 1-800-REPAIRS, Voya and New Retail Media. McCutcheon says this year’s mix of seminar vendors offered something different to attendees.
“Voya offers a new program that allows dealers to set up retirement programs for their employees, which is huge because normally smaller businesses don’t have access to those types of programs,” McCutcheon says. “1-800-REPAIRS is a new company with an innovative concept, and New Retail Media offers cutting-edge website development. So having those organizations here gives our attendees a little something extra.”
Attendees appreciated those unique opportunities for product discovery. As a new retailer with House-Hasson, Andy Black of Custom Service Company in Guntown, Mississippi, says he was looking mostly for plumbing products. His company deals mainly in plumbing and specifically, septic systems, and as he works to open a storefront this year, is partnering with House-Hasson to try to make that happen.
“Right now, all of our customers who need products have to pick them up in our warehouse. It would be great to have a physical storefront to better serve our customers,” Black says. “As my first market, I’m interested in figuring out the logistics of having a storefront.”
Cathy Crowley and Rose Wilson were attending the market, looking for products for their store Crescent Springs Hardware in Crescent Springs, Kentucky. They normally make the market trip extra fun by dressing up for each one and this year, opted for Cincinnati Bengals gear to cheer on their favorite team.
“We always love product discovery at the market,” Crowley says. “We’re a well-established store in northern Kentucky and are always on the lookout for those products and booths that can freshen up our store.”
Gary Stout from Stout Lumber in Litchfield, Ohio, was also on the hunt for new products for his long-standing family-run company.
“My main goal at this market is to find deals and products that will be a good fit for our store,” Stout says.
House-Hasson retailers won’t have to wait long for additional product discovery. The House-Hasson 2023 Summer Market will take place June 15-17 at the Sevierville Convention Center in Sevierville, Tennessee.
