Throwback Thursday: Damariscotta Double Take

The Jan. 23, 2006, issue of Home Channel News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, included an advertisement depicting a proud hardware store owner — Rob Gardiner, of Damariscotta Hardware Do it Best. 

"The way my store looks has made an impression on my customers and my bottom line," the advertisement reads.

Where is Gardiner now? In 2017, he made the cover of the HBSDealer Stihl Hardware All Star issue. Gardiner and his sister Susan Geyer opened the family's second hardware store, Randolph Hardware, 27 miles from the Damariscotta store in the city of Randolph. The new store was selected as one of the 50 hardware stores from each of the 50 states as a 2017 Stihl Hardware All Star.

One of the keys to the retailer's success: "It was having the right people on hand that know the departments," he told HBSDealer.

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You can check out the 2017 Stihl Hardware Store issue here. And if you have  an All-Star recommendation for 2018, let us know here.