Stihl Hardware All Stars: Ind., Kan., and Mass.

HBSDealer editors like to say: It takes a little more to be a Stihl Hardware All Star. The 2017 list of 50 hardware stores from 50 states supports that maxim with a tremendous variety of stores.

Case in point: The three profiles below range from single-store Santa Claus Hardware to 32-location Rocky’s Ace Hardware. 

Since 2011, HBSDealer has reached out to suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, vendors, retailers and homeowners in search of high-performing, service-oriented, community-minded hardware stores, lumberyards or farm and ranch dealers worthy of All Star status.

It’s a tribute to this industry that each year brings a surplus of high-quality nominations. The companies profiled have earned their place on the list of 50 — and they join an elite fraternity of honorees. Here’s to the class of 2017.

Indiana

Santa Claus Hardware

Beyond the novelty of the name, which has garnered its share of publicity and curiosity seekers, Santa Claus Hardware aims to be the one-stop-shop for its customers year round. It receives two shipments per week from its warehouse and boasts it can place any item in its online catalog on the next delivery truck. Santa Claus Hardware does great business during Christmas season, led by its awe-inspiring array of decorative lighting.



Kansas

Flatlanders Farm & Home

This farm and ranch retailer in Hugoton, Kansas, encourages customers to “Harvest the Good Life.” Serving the needs of Southwest Kansas with everyday items for work and home, as well as “gotta haves.” Apparel and accessories sell well, as do guns and ammo.

Massachusetts

Rocky’s Ace Hardware

One of the nation’s largest Ace dealers with 32 stores in New England and Florida, Springfield, Mass.-based Rocky’s  is on the move. Last year it expanded into Maine, with the acquisition of tradition-rich Rogers Ace Hardware in Bath. And the “Re-Discover Rocky’s” concept is guiding grand Re-Openings across the chain, promising hardware, home improvement and beyond. Renowned for its operational excellence, Rocky’s also has a passion for philanthropy. For instance, it organizes an annual holiday season food drive for homeless pets – now in its sixth year, and growing every year. 

See the full class — presented by Stihl — in the May issue of HBSDealer.