Nothing easy about All Star performance
All Star performance is easy to describe – all you have to do is keep the shelves stocked the shelves with in-demand products at competitive prices and back it all up with quality customer service. And at the same time, continue to adapt to the changing habits of modern customers while serving the community above and beyond the norm.
The trick is in the execution.
The 2016 HBSDealer All Star project, like many before it, has been designed to recognize this type of retail excellence and execution.
After a months-in-the-making review of nominations from vendors, distributors, manufacturers and retailers themselves, the class of 2016 has been identified. (See the digital issue here.)
The 50 hardware stores, lumberyards and farm-and-ranch dealers selected for the honor have achieved recognition in 50 different ways – but a common thread is great customer service. Highlighted here are three all-stars
Florida: Celebration Hardware Company
Celebration, Florida
The A+ website merits an award of its own, but this quickly growing retailer (it opened in 2012) is garnering a large presence in Orlando – a place with many diverse needs -- despite its less than 2,000 sq. ft. of retail space. “We reside in a community that was built by the Walt Disney Company, and our community is made up of a diverse and growing group of people from all over the world. Our commercial clientele ranges from local realtors and property managers to large hotels and resorts,” said VP Marc DaCorta. “In sum, our store is special because of the ‘people’ we depend on.”
Georgia: Vickery Do it Best Hardware
Smyrna, Georgia
Though owner Susan Harlan has been in the home improvement trenches since she was a child, she lends her visual arts education to the operation of her hardware business, which has displayed the work of local artists during an after-hours gallery. Its community involvement has also brought in handmade soaps from a local artisan, local honey, handmade wooden bowls and handmade wallets by an 11-year-old entrepreneur. Plus, there’s a free community library attached to the store. “Our goal is to provide the best customer service, in a neighborly, comfortable atmosphere,” she said. “We want to be a place you want to visit.”
Hawaii: Haiku Hardware & Garden
Haiku, Hawaii
As the only independent hardware store on the island of Maui, Haiku Hardware is there to cover the bases for local residents, and with prices that are more competitive than the big boxes. “We’re out in the sticks, so we’re the only game out here,” said owner Judy Baerg. “It helps the community, because it’s kind of a bit of a drive to get to anyone else.” Given its agricultural surroundings, jokes Baerg, sometimes the store is referred to as a “garden center with some hardware.”