The boys, Anthony on left, and older brother Vincent, at Woodstock Hardware have grown up in the business; and show the poise and confidence to be future leaders.
Vincent and Anthony
When Covid hit and staffing became an issue, said the owner, he turned to his boys. “The only way we were going to be able to stay open seven days a week, on Sunday, was for them to work the day with me. And they sure stepped up.”
Anthony mastered running two point of sale stations, while his older brother Vincent exceled at running the floor and making paint. And they have been doing that every Sunday for the past two years.
The father said: “Has there been any push back by the customers about being helped by such young, apparently inexperienced, staff?”
A bit, he said, but it is usually only for a short time.
“After a customer is taken right to what they need, or their change is counted back to them ‘old school,’ they warm up to the boys quickly,” said Christofora.
So much so that if they happen to need time off on Sunday, said the owner, the customers are asking: Where are the boys?
“I do jump in to help the ‘non-believers’ but politely offer that if it was not for the boys we would not be open today and we would not be having this conversation,” said Christofora.
One thing that helps is the boys are experienced beyond their years.
The owner said his sons have sat through and participated in Do it Best’s plumbing and electrical courses and have successfully completed building projects.
“At home and as community volunteers they have been painting floors and doing exterior projects for years, as well as fixing a wide range of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC projects,” he said.
Plus, they have been going to Do it Best Markets for years, said the owner, and “they love wandering the Market floor looking for new items and placing small orders.”
Christofora said: “When it is time, we back track, and they show me what they have found and why they think it would be a good addition to the Store. The vendors treat them well and each time they usually find a few SKUs to add to the inventory.
“Are they experts? Not yet,” he said. “But they know what they know – and know enough to ask for help if they don’t.”
Sounding like a dad now, Christofora said, “since they are brothers there is an almost ‘I can top that’ flair.”
With everything being a competition, aside from Sunday, he tries to schedule them separately. So, each son works a different day of their twice-a-week Do it Best delivery.
“It is common for them to ask me which delivery was bigger each week and without an answer there is the occasional bickering of who received and stocked more merchandise,” said dad.
“One unexpected advantage of having the boys in the business is that we have a pipeline for finding those few and far between eager teenagers that want a job. So, I guess the boys also serve as staff recruiters,” he said.