All posts by hardwarelifewife

Retired Educator& Co-owner of Wilkes County Hardware
challenges, Hardware Store Life, seashells, Transitions in Life

The Oyster Shell 🐚

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I love walking on the beach. Picking up seashells is one of the most relaxing tasks that I could simply do all day. Richard will always say, “don’t you have enough shells 🐚 already at home”? I always give an explanation of what I plan to do with another new batch of seashells and he relents.

One of my favorite shells to collect is an oyster shell. I’m not really sure how my fascination with this specific shell began, but I seem to have many of these in my shell collections.

So why am I sharing this information with you today? Life’s journey is very much like the seashell. Sometimes we get battered by the sand, wind, storms, waves crashing over the shells with fierce power. It doesn’t seem like an end is in sight….

We all have those stormy times in our lives where nothing appears to be going well and it seems that the storms will never end. Once the “weather” begins to clear, you can see/feel smooth places on the 🐚 shell… all better from the “wear” of the stormy weather. Of course you might find some rough edges along the seashell from the storm. Upon continued inspection, if the oyster shell is intact, the grit from the sand has helped to create a beautiful pearl…. alas the struggle of the storm, creating a lasting goodness & beauty.

As business owners, the “stormy struggles” can be quite real. For example, some months are much slower in the hardware business than others. We must be ready to “ride the waves” through to the other side. “No grit, no pearl” as they say….

In the past few weeks, a major retailer with a huge local impact in our hometown, has just announced another round of shifting/job changes, & layoffs. The “stormy season”for many local folks is just beginning to unfold.

My hope is that a goal of our local leadership will be able to minimize the impact of these job losses and strive for greater economic diversity within our community, bringing more businesses to our area, and created “a pearl”.

As local business owners, we have been given a unique opportunity to reach out to our local community and connect with them in new ways. Those who were accustomed to going to the “box retailer” may begin to shift ideology and visit our stores. Are we ready to connect with these new folks??? It is time for us to remember this age old phrase, ” the world is your oyster, you are the pearl”…

Our mission at Wilkes County Hardware, treating our customers like pearls 😊, a rare & precious find .

Hardware Store Life

S’agapo

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These are the Greek words for “I love you”- S’agapo…

💝February might be the season of love, but to those people who model & live this way each and every day, it is beautiful to witness.

Richard and I were honored with the presence of one such person, Harry Galifanakis. He exemplified these words… S’agapo.

Harry loved life, each and every day. Harry was a dear husband to his sweet wife, a great family man, and cared deeply for his surrounding community. We all miss his love.

Harry spent a lot of time with us at Wilkes County Hardware. He was our resident advisor, & he greeted all of our customers with a smile. Harry would sit and talk with those who would take time to sit down with him while he rocked in his chair. He loved conversations, people, and in general terms, living a simple life.

Harry gave us love each and every day. I know in my heart in the first year of ownership of Wilkes County Hardware, he gave Richard confidence to keep going, pressing on to do what needed to be done, changing the layout of the store, & adjusting to running a small business. Harry was one of our biggest supporters and we are eternally grateful for his love and friendship.

In the second and third years of ownership, he became an honorary family member. He was never far from our minds or hearts. Richard & I worried if he was sick, wished him safe travels while off visiting family, and couldn’t wait to hear his stories upon his joyous return. Harry always called us if we were on a trip, away from the store to just to say “hello”& to make sure we were happy, eating well and of course, having fun! 😎

Throughout the last few years, Harry shared many stories about his Greek heritage, & the rich love he had his family… it just exuded from him. He loved his family, nothing made him more happy than his family. Harry always loved to throw out Greek phrases as he spoke about his family.

Over time, Harry began to even teach Richard some of those phrases… the first one he taught him was S’agapo. Harry said to him, “this is what you tell your wife everyday”. Harry loved to see Richard try his new Greek speaking skills out on me as I entered the store. It was sweet and precious on many levels.

We all spent many days laughing with Harry and please know that your loving kindness and friendship will always be central in our hearts.

S’agapo Harry❤️❤️❤️❤️

Hardware Store Life

Snow Days⛄️

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Last week brought to us in Wilkes, the anticipation of snow. What we did not realize at that time was the impact of the coming winter storm. When in conversation with my brother in law, who works for the National Weather Service, he used the words “Epic Snow Storm” , and “this will a Storm people would talk about for years to come… ” I began to let the impact of this storm to settle into my mind. Preparation would be key. Richard & I began to evaluate our current winter weather supplies & those items that were blowing off the shelves early in the week.

Customers flooded into Wilkes County Hardware beginning about Tuesday of last week in preparation of the upcoming winter storm, daily sales had increased.

Knowing the storm was going to settle into our area by the weekend, we had already processed the timeline of our regularly scheduled truck shipment… it would not be here until after the storm had passed😳. The real possibility of the truck not showing up on our regular delivery day was looming in our minds as well, if the “Epic winter storm” was as bad as my brother in law had said it could be.

These are the worries of local merchants… planning for unpredictable weather and its impact on how you do business each & everyday. Mother Nature is unpredictable.. you can’t always plan for these types of events, but keeping a close eye on your inventory is key during peak weather months.

Richard was evaluating our store stock/supplies daily and we realized quickly that we needed a “stock boost” to get us through the storm. Richard & I talked back and forth about how much of each item we might need, trying to not overbuy for this event, which would tie up inventory dollars. So we submitted an order to our local supplier and another truck arrived Friday.

Once that shipment showed up, people were buying items off the truck immediately! The news of the winter weather was becoming evident to most people… they were planning for a huge storm.

Wilkes was predicted to be in the heaviest snow zones- at least 12 inches or more!!! Our hardware store was slammed with customers on Friday and Saturday!

Our local news station, WXII, called on Friday morning saying they were planning to stop by our store. Richard gave them a great interview and made it on the local news Friday night. I was so tickled to see him represent our store so beautifully.

The sweetness of my husband showed as he spoke about “our store”. (Even though I am not there everyday, and I hold another full time job as a teacher.)

He made sure to tell the local news crew that he was not the sole owner of Wilkes County Hardware. Sometimes it is the simple things that make you appreciate & love your spouse- after 20 plus years of marriage.

After the store closed Friday evening, we decided to make our winter storm preparations complete by filling up the car with gas, last trip to grocery store, etc. Richard’s phone began to message in from lots of people who saw him on the news.

What we didn’t expect was the range of our local impact would be! He heard from friends across the US who were seeing him on local broadcasts across the nation. Evidently the Weather Channel picked up a segment of his interview. By Saturday morning, our store front was on the Today Show in a brief segment on the upcoming storm!!

This news arrived to me as I was out walking on the Greenway, with my friend, when Richard called me to say we had made it on the Today Show! I was blown away. Here we were just carrying on with our routines, of a normal Saturday … he was already at work & I was to be there to help at the store, after I had finished my morning walk.

As customers came in all day Saturday, the conversation around the warm wood stove was of course the coming snow storm , Christmas shopping, and Richard’s tv appearances.

The guys helped every customer, each with their own unique needs. Demand had been so intense all week, that we were now out of stock in some items. So our staff made recommendations to those customers who needed help finding the items they still needed for winter storm prep.

Saturday was an awesome day, not because it was a great selling day, but the closeness of our community. We saw so many of our loyal customers arrive with flashlights 🔦 that needed batteries or bulbs, & requests of last minute items for storm prep. Our staff worked to make each a every customer happy.

What a great community we live in!!! We had cookies 🍪 delivered to us, and great friends brought in lunch snacks!!! Richard & I are definitely blessed beyond measure.

It was so awesome to see our friends & customers gather at the wood stove for conversation and smiles. This is why I love snow days!! ⛄️❄️

(By the way, we received over 15 inches of snow here Saturday night/Sunday!) Yes, in my book, it was an “Epic Storm” for us in Wilkes County Hardware History.

Hardware Store Life

Thanksgiving Blessings and Memories…

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Most of the leaves are gone off the trees now here in Wilkes. You can still spot a few beautiful trees along your daily path like this lovely one in the photo today. The “season of sticks” is now upon us! Thanksgiving week is coming up next week which brings me to reflect upon the many blessings we have been given. In reflection, I used to hate this time of year after the leaves 🍁 🍁🍁🍁fall because of the barren look of the trees. This year, I’m reframing my vision to call it the “season of sticks”. Who did not love walking in the woods as a kid picking up and finding the best walking stick?

I’m also blessed with many special family and friends who are an essential part of my life. We are truly blessed to be a part of a great community here in Wilkes County and are so happy to be of service to our customers everyday. Thank you for your continued support of our store. Richard & I wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving.

Many great Thanksgiving memories are coming to mind…. Raking leaves 🍁 on Thanksgiving before the big meal, Benjamin’s always used to ask Dad to ride on the golf cart & to go hunt for turkeys before Thanksgiving😂. My Dad always humored him & they rode through the neighborhood, checking the wooded areas carefully for any signs of “native wildlife”. Benjamin is growing up too quickly & that tradition is long gone but the memories are long lasting.

Happy Thanksgiving 🍁 to you & your family from Wilkes County Hardware ! Enjoy making some new Thanksgiving memories this year 😊.

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