The festivities of Christmas and New Year are complete. The decorations are boxed up for another year, and the cold, brisk winter weather looms ahead. Will we have snow to look forward to this month???
The answer is yes! Snow on January 10th, 2025!
January can be a bit of “let down” after the holidays. So how do we celebrate one of the all time coldest months of the year? January is like eating an elephant… you can’t tackle it at once, but you can manage it one bite at a time, as the old saying goes.. January, take it ONE day at a time!
Here’s to celebrating the long, cold, brisk, windy January days, one day at a time, breaking it down into manageable chunks, offering a bit of sunshine on an icy, bitter cold January Day. Have fun this January with a few trips and stops inside Wilkes County Hardware this January, warming by the old-fashioned wood stove. You never know what you might find that you need!
January Days
1st- New Year’s Day– a feast of cornbread, black-eyed peas, greens, and pork, and New Year’s Resolutions. Stop by Wilkes County Hardware to grab a new cast iron skillet this month!!
5th- National Bird Day– Winter is the perfect time to watch and enjoy the birds feeding in your yard. Stop by to pick up a new bird feeder, suet, or bird food
Stop by Wilkes County Hardware to pick up your winter suet, feeders, feed and more!
6th- Epiphany (3 Kings Day)– Celebrating the arrival of the Wise Men, many observe this as the official end of the Christmas season
9th- Static Electricity Day… no one likes this problem during the winter! Bring more humidity into your home, add lotion to hands to help fight it. Carry a coin with you or even a bolt 🔩, pocket knife…. You get the gist to reduce the risk.
These lotions are selling fast during the winter months at Wilkes County Hardware
10th- Houseplant Appreciation Day. Winter is the perfect time to enjoy those green plants!
11th- International Thank You Day- send a note of thanks to someone today!
12th- National Sunday Supper Day– Gather around the table and enjoy family time. Make it a weekly tradition in 2025.
Handcrafted by Keegan… a beautiful piece to add as a centerpiece of your Sunday Supper celebrations… Supper vs. Dinner
13th- Clean Off Your Desk Day– Time to tackle your desk, or any other surface areas that need to be cleaned! Stop by Wilkes County Hardware for some cleaning essentials.
Did you know that Wilkes County Hardware has a great selection of cleaning products???
15th- Hat Day– it’s definitely time for a new Wilkes County Hardware Hat today!
17th- Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day… Don’t give up! It takes time to create a habit (like a few months of consistent practice ) remember the phrase, eating an elephant one bite at a time…
19th- National Popcorn 🍿 Day- Go watch a movie today at our nearby Liberty Theater and eat the famous popcorn!
20th- Blue Monday/Take Walk Outdoors Day- it’s time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine! Check out the blog post for more ideas on how to beat the winter blues
Statistics show that a resurgence of baking takes place between Thanksgiving and New Year’s holidays. Over 73% of folks get excited about getting into the kitchen to either prepare meals for their family holiday meals or BAKE the holidays away. Speaking from personal experience, I do have a relative who begins baking cookies right after the Thanksgiving holiday concludes and he bakes cookies the entire month of December! He generously shares with his mailman, delivery drivers, friends, family, etc.
An “old school tradition”, homemade holidays.. sharing with neighbors and even the postal carrier
A trip into the grocery store will confirm these earlier facts… finding stacks of baking supplies which are definitely impulse purchases waiting for those who experience the urge for a making a sweet treat during Christmas.
Yes, there are a few holiday traditional foods that I always enjoy making each year. As you read this you are probably making a mental checklist as well, maybe even your finalizing the grocery shopping list to get started with your homemade holiday. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into a homemade holiday season. Happy Homemade Holidays!!!
Baking for the holidays for gift giving purposes is an “old school” tradition of Christmas. In our Agricultural rooted traditions, folks harvested their abundance, and at Christmas offering a time to share in holiday joy by sharing a homemade treats with friends and neighbors.
Cakes are often shared around the table over Christmas, if you haven’t read this previous blog: Pound Cake, A Southern Staple
Even in 2024, I must admit, nothing is better than homemade for the holidays. I feel very honored to receive the homemade gifts that we have been given. These are homemade gifts took a considerable amount of time and effort for the gift to be completed prior to giving. That can’t be purchased online either!
The gift of homemade can be found inside Wilkes County Hardware!
I know that I don’t necessarily fit neatly into that category of homemade gift giving, but there are other ways we can observe the “old school” tradition of homemade holidays.
Gathering together around the table to “break bread” and celebrate the season with those traditional homemade holiday foods that we all know and love can make our time together memorable. All pitching in…sharing the load of preparing the family favorite foods, what could be better!!!
And yes, I’ll say we had the best biscuits on the holiday table when we gathered at Granny’s house on Christmas Eve. Those little buttery, golden treats, literally melting in my mouth and warming my full stomach into a blissful holiday slumber as we awaited Santa’s arrival made for some delicious homemade memories of Christmas that I still recall fondly.
Granny used an old, vintage metal dishpan smaller than this one to make her homemade biscuits. I used to sit and watch her make them. She would create a “well” in the middle for the milk after she worked the shortening into the flour. Granny did this effortlessly every single time. I’m thankful that she taught me how to recreate them. I don’t think mine are quite as tasty as Granny’s were. Wilkes County Hardware offers these dishpans for sale year round.Apple Butter and a biscuit… homemade goodness! Or honey and a pat of butter???
The homemade holiday… Offering all, a time to reconnect, laugh, share the joy of the holiday. Traditional homemade holiday meals AND desserts bring a sense of nostalgia, comfort and belonging to those gathered together, a sense of HOME.
Gingerbread buttercream! Oh my!!! (See recipe below)
Looking back, the first time I ever gathered with Richard’s family at Christmas, their homemade holiday looked slightly different from what I experienced growing up. His grandmother made fresh coconut cake every single year as well as Ambrosia. Let’s just say, she loved coconut and fresh oranges for the homemade holidays.
Fresh oranges 🍊 an “old school” homemade holiday tradition. Oranges were a staple treat found inside Christmas stockings for many years. Fresh orange slices were always on the Christmas breakfast table at home. I always looked forward to Christmas breakfast with my family, featuring…fresh biscuits, country ham, and fresh orange slices
Besides the love of oranges, one other shared homemade food that Richard and I both enjoyed each Christmas, Sausage Balls. I still make them every year around the holidays to honor our combined family homemade holiday traditions.
Christmas mornings are made for these yummy treats! Benjamin now helps me make these each time as a tradition that we started many years ago when he was younger.
And let’s not forget about those great snacking foods and warm cozy drinks! Chex Party Mix takes me back to the Christmas memories of my parents making the mix in the kitchen, while my sister and I were busy eating the Chex Mix at the table as they finished it up. I also love the white chocolate version with M&M’s.
Whatever you may call this version of heavenly Chex Mix… Reindeer Food, Christmas Chex… it’s a definite keeper for Christmas (recipe below)Sipping on a hot mug of mulling spices, Russian Tea, or a cup of hot cocoa overflowing with melting marshmallows, all the while munching on a homemade holiday cookie, Christmas homemade holidays are definitely underway.
New memories can made each year around all these shared homemade meals or treats. Homemade holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas are the perfect opportunity to get back into the kitchen and celebrate the holiday with a bit of homemade goodness. And the opportunity for Christmas nostalgia reigns supreme as we reconnect with these special homemade holidays memories. Happy Homemade Holidays!
Essential ingredient for Gingerbread Buttercream (see below)
Gingerbread Buttercream
Recipe Ingredients (perfect for 13×9 cake pan) Please double recipe for a layer cake.
1/2 unsalted butter (softened)
2 1/2 c confectioners sugar
1/4 t ground ginger
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground cloves
1 t vanilla
1 T molasses
3 T maple syrup
2 T Heavy cream
Step by Step Process for success:
Place softened butter and sugar into mixer and beat until blended.
Add all other ingredients and beat on high for 3 minutes, stopping to scrape sides, blend until smooth, light, fluffy buttercream texture forms.
Icing cake after cooling down completely and enjoy!
Reindeer Food
Key ingredients: (add what you love, this what I put into my Reindeer Food)
Rice or corn Chex (one box)
Cheerios (half box)
Pretzels (half bag)
M&M’s (one bag or more of Christmas colors)
Confectioners Sugar
White Chocolate Chips (2 bags- melted)
Mix all ingredients together (excluding M&M’s) in a very large bowl while white chocolate chips are melting. Pour the mixture onto sheet pans covered with parchment paper (prevent sticking) and adding M&M’s into mixture. Pour melted white chocolate evenly over the cereal mixture, allow to cool. I melted my white chocolate chips in microwave in glass bowl and added a small amount of vegetable oil and stir well until melted. Sprinkle confectioners sugar over top of Reindeer Food.
Christmas is a fantastic time to watch an old movie…. Start a new homemade tradition with this recipe: Hearty Slumgullion Stew: From a recipe adapted from the Classic Christmas movie, It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
2024 Hometown Holiday Season is underway! Light Up Downtown was a great way to begin the celebration
It’s time to unpack the Christmas tree decorations, if you haven’t done it already, and turn on your favorite Christmas music. The holiday season is here and it’s time to enjoy an evening of Christmas tree decorating. I must say, it’s a full on family affair and tradition that we all pitch in and help decorate the Christmas tree at our house.
It’s a joint effort with the tree being set up, lights strung onto the tree, and then the masterpiece of design begins. The Christmas tree decorations are put into place, we all place them onto the tree branches delicately, slowly filling in the gaps. The final end result, a heart full of love and joy of Christmas boasting within our home, a Christmas tree like no one else has or will have. The family Christmas tree. You can’t simply replicate that. It can’t be bought in a store… Christmas tree decorations are as unique as the owners themselves, handmade, customized to each individual family, and personalized. No Christmas tree is the same. What a wonderful thing!
I always enjoy the unpacking of ornaments. Our collection is definitely varied and unique. As the storage containers of ornaments makes it out of the closet, a peak inside reveals our stash of treasures of handmade ornaments. The collected ones, and those that represent fond memories of travels. I also love the ornaments that have been passed down through the generations through both of our families.
I must admit, it’s True Confession time: My very favorites are the handmade ornaments. My heart literally melts every time I take an ornament out that Benjamin made in preschool, or that he crafted with me. These special ones always seem to make it onto the Christmas tree every year no matter the size of our Christmas tree, big or small.
Each of these individual ornaments holds a special place in our hearts and minds. These special ornaments are crafting a unique handmade look to our family tree every year. Each ornament holding a special story or memory attached to it… one of the reasons what makes the Christmas season so special for all of us in the Searcy household. The handmade family Christmas tree.
Wilkes County Hardware is featuring its own handmade holiday Christmas tree this year! These beautiful ornaments are handmade and ready to add to your collection or would make a fantastic holiday present for someone special on your gift list this year. Thanks to Little Corner Pottery for these beautiful handmade ornaments. These are selling quickly!
As you begin to enjoy your Hometown Homemade Holidays in 2024, Ultimately, you might need to venture into the hardware store to pick up a new strand or two of lights, maybe even find an electric timer so your beautifully decorated Christmas tree turns on automatically, grab a new extension cord, or maybe even a power strip to connect all the lights and cords.
Stop by Wilkes County Hardware to pick up a Santa 🔑 Key. The Magic Santa Key only works ONE night a year, Christmas Eve. Leave this key out for Santa 🎅🏻.
But, have you ever thought about crafting your own Christmas magic? Handmade ornaments can be made with materials right inside your favorite hometown hardware store. Yes, we have the usual materials like green string, glue, tape, dowel rods, nuts, bolts, and washers… my question to you today…what unique materials could you use to craft a memorable ornament for your tree this year???
Maybe crafting isn’t your forte. That’s ok. We have your Santa gift list ready to go! Wilkes County Hardware features some of the finest local artisans from our local area. Nothing is better than the gift of handmade for the holidays. The gift of handmade is a special gift will be remembered year after year and can’t be found inside a big box store.
Handcrafted by Keegan Watson has been a local featured artisan inside Wilkes County Hardware for several years now. His award winning work has been featured in Our State Magazine.Often times customers ask, how do I use this piece??? Larger bowls make wonderful ways to display collections(see photo above), use in daily food prep, or anyway you need it!Local soap, shampoo and conditioner bars by Land of CanaanPottery pieces by Little Corner Pottery Shop along the featured ladder wall to find Little Corner pottery and Handcrafted by Keegan Watson. Handmade towels by The Vintage Home Studio Pottery by Blue Door Studio New artisan: Redeemed Rust, Christmas ornaments and magnets are flying out the door this year! These handmade dishcloths are routinely sold out! 2 for $5 We feature a local artist each season with our updated window art work each season! Thank you to Andrea Baldwin for keeping us festive all year long!!!A Handmade Holiday, A Christmas to REMEMBER!
Most folks know to stop by Wilkes County Hardware for a key that works… but did y’all know that we do all of the following things each and every single day as services???
Hundreds of key blanks available for duplication!!!!
Key duplication- need an extra key or lost the extra key to your car. Bring your original key 🔑 into Wilkes County Hardware and get a new one made.
Chip keys are also available and coming soon, Sidewinder keys!!!
2. Rekey door locks- sometimes for safety reasons you need your door lock rekeyed or would like to have your NEWLY purchased door lock keyed to your current key. We rekey in the store with locks in hand. You must call the locksmith for on site services with rekeying door locks. Ask for assistance inside Wilkes County Hardware for this service in store and pricing information.
Deadbolts and door locks can be keyed to the same 🔑 key
3. Padlocks keyed the same- want to use the same key 🔑 for multiple padlocks??? We have options for you to key padlock to your key.
4. Pool Water Testing- Summer splashing fun requires a bit of maintenance… bring a sample of your pool water to Richard for a quick test (for free) to see what needs to be addressed, chemicals added, etc.
5. Chain ⛓️💥 Cutting- chain cut to exact length, by the foot. Please note: once the chain is cut and purchased it is not returnable!
6. Pipe threading- Galvanized and black pipe cut to size. Threading is also available if needed.
Wilkes County Hardware has a good selection of Galvanized and Black Iron pipe that are available for cutting and threading. Fittings also available in store.
7. Window screen repair – old screen doors or window screens looking a little bit worn out? Bring them by for a quick update.
8. Roll pipe cut to length – this stuff is a bulky beast to cut and many other hardware stores now will NOT cut it to length. Instead, you are forced to buy the huge roll 😳. But at Wilkes County Hardware, we cut it by the foot for our customers. Thanks for supporting local!
9. Glass cutting- Glass cut up to 36 inches long, bring exact dimensions. Glass expert on staff, thankful to have Tim Billings experience and expertise!
10. Tool Handle Replacement- old wooden handle all busted up? Stop by to pick up a replacement tool handle or leave it with us and we will do the work.
This oldie goldie tool is used during tool handle repair… shaving off the excess
11. Kerosene heater repair- Wick replacement available with many popular styles in stock.
12. Knife and scissors sharpening- if those knives seemed to be a little bit dull, drop them off and we can give them a sharpen for you. Scissors need a bit of TLC??? Fabric scissors require more time and effort to sharpen- bring a piece of small fabric with you so we can test them as we work on them to make sure they are perfectly sharpened.
13. Free Assembly- Purchase a large item from Wilkes County Hardware like a Traeger grill, wheelbarrow, etc and we will assemble it for you prior to pick up.
14. Special Orders- We order new or needed products for our customers every week! Sometimes you find the hardware store product in stock but you might need a larger quantity, ask us to order it for you!
Gallons are common in store but we have the capacity to order 5 gallon bucket for a much larger job!
15. Carry Out- We carry out packages, or bulky large items to the vehicle for our customers all the time!
Pool chemicals, large bags of bird seed, and potting soils tend to be bulky and heavy and carry out is standard in store.
Someone shared this thought with us not long ago, it is definitely worth sharing… “We all make choices as a consumer, so choose to support your favorite small businesses so that they can continue be open. If we choose not to support small businesses they cannot thrive and survive. “
Thank you for supporting local businesses in our community!
Looking back at where we started in 2015 to now present day in August 2024 as we roll into year number NINE in the hardware business, I’m just shocked and amazed at the amount of change we have been able to accomplish over time. When you are there everyday, working amongst all this, it’s harder to see the progress sometimes. As the old saying goes, “can’t see the forest, for the trees”.
A small stack of old pictures were gifted to us by our friend, Steve Foster, who is our Orgill Hardware representative. Orgill, is our main hardware supplier. When we purchased the store in 2015, a new layout was in order. Initially, Steve took some photos to share with the Orgill layout team who helped us to reconfigure the best use of the available space. Did we follow the design they planned out??? Well, no. We modified a few things to suit what we wanted and needed our business to be after reviewing the blueprints with them. But those pictures are a good reminder of what the hardware store was, A Blast From the Past.
The original blueprint developed for us after we purchased Wilkes Hardware.
Those photo memories stirred a bit of excitement in me to create a pictorial version of that journey. Here’s an insider blog post reflecting upon some of the changes that have been made over time since our beginnings in 2015. The series of photos that follows in this blog will be featuring the 2015 photo then 2024 pictures will follow highlighting certain aspects of the hardware store.
2015 outside view 2025 outside view, exterior holding area for bagged goods which was not available in store prior to 2015. 2015 front door view… one thing I noticed was the lack of light 💡 interior of the hardware store2024… LED lights installed, and artist inspired designs on the front doors. Seasonal Flowers blooming at the front doors.
Initially, we were encouraged to paint the interior ceiling white. I pushed back hard. I wanted to keep it as “vintage, old hardware store” as I could. The ceiling and posts are still intact with original wood.
Summer of 2015: view around wood stove Summer of 2024: New work areas for staff has been created over time and in 2024 a new point of sale was added. We moved from the era of simply using a cash register to a full scale point of sale system in the first few years of business. 2015: Sink area used by employees but surrounded by merchandise2024: Now mostly a true work area for our staff, same area in view but this area is less customer friendly due to the proximity to the key desk work area and pool water testing computer work area. I noticed the amount of light is much more visible in this recent photo!2015: Back door entrance, note that the key 🔑 desk is not here!!!2024: Back door entrance. Key desk area present AND more light! 2015: Work area at back door entrance 2024: Key Desk area at back door entrance Behind the scenes of the key area Rekey area Pool computer, chip keys and more! 2015: Front Entrance View, it was a bit of a maze to find what you needed 2024: Front entrance view, we have tried to created a more open flow for customers to walk through2024: Front Door View2015: Key Desk was tucked away in the back of store… near the stairs leading to the second level2024: This area is currently being updated… it’s a work area for chain cutting, kerosene heater repair, stove pipe replacement parts, etc 2015: The back front windows of the hardware store were covered with pegboard, which was used to display long handle tools. 2017: These doors were uncovered and the pegboard removed! Wayne worked on the old lock mechanism so the doors were moving and mobile to unlock. Look at that beautiful door handle!!! 2024: Doors are open on the warm, summer days to add extra air flow into the hardware store 2024: Same view as the 2015 picture 2024: Lawn and Garden has been moved up to the front of the store 2015: Lock shop entrance door opened 2020: Covid AND the flooding of our hardware store with the water originating from the lock shop created the need to close the connecting door permanently. Due to the nature of the lock shop business, they are often gone on call. The security of the lock shop is more secure with the hardware store door closed.2020: Water entered from the back door of the lock shop, pushing the doors open. Water entered into our building as a result from the massive amount of water coming into flooded lock shop. The water was knee deep inside the lock shop! 2020: Water, water everywhere!!! It took several hours, lots of friends helping us to push the water out, and days of drying out. We were extremely lucky that the water level never reached higher than it did! 2024: Threaded rod, wooden dowels are right at home in front of the old lock shop door. Believe it or not, we still have folks who still try to go through this door to get to the lock shop. They are shocked to find it closed when they come in and find that they must use the main front entrance. 2015: View from back of store
Richard told me the other day the staff used to keep and carry a small flashlight (in pocket) with them as they worked inside the hardware store when he first started in the summer of 2015 due to the lack of light coming into the space. I had no idea that was how they were working. Adding light was a key factor initially as we began to analyze what should be done. Slowly, the light has been expanding and more work is yet to come!
These pictures are a treasure to me. Steve thank you! One of my biggest regrets is not taking enough pictures to photograph our beginnings accurately as we have grown and evolved.
2024: This area is currently being reset now!
Thanks for being part of our hardware journey. Stay tuned in for more updates! We appreciate your continued support.
Living the "hardwarelife", join us in our journey of hardware store ownership
The Hardware Life - A wife's journey into the hardware business 