Today’s world of big box stores, internet shopping, 2 day delivery, tightened lending options makes growing a small business a tough act.  Finding capital and people is a challenge in a country that has almost no unemployment and wants to close its borders.  Spending time on social media in addition to traditional marketing tools also consumes a great deal of effort.

That all said, there is great joy and satisfaction that comes from running a business.  Building something for the next generation is a great heritage that I have been blessed with.  So challenges aside, we keep building our little store.

It is with great excitement that we learned of the National Hardware Show’s Reimagine Retail grant opportunity.  They are looking for independent hardware stores to submit ideas on ways to drive more people into their stores.  We have submitted an idea to expand our BBQ department by having a small restaurant cooking food on Traeger’s using the over 60 sauces and rubs we carry.

Wish us luck…