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blogging, family, Hardware Store Life, holiday cooking, Home, Hometown Holidays, memories, old school hardware store, Shop Local, Southern food, southern living, Thanksgiving

Home for the Holidays… Gathering Around the Table: Hometown Holidays Series #1

November 22, 2024 hardwarelifewife 1 Comment

All I want for the holidays is FOOD!!! It’s all gravy, keep your holiday balanced, a cookie in each hand… all of these cute and funny food quotes stir up my appetite for a delicious holiday meal.

As they say, “All roads lead to home during the holidays” I must say, your Hometown. Wherever that might be. Yes, usually, most of us find the time and commit ourselves to winding our way back to our hometown during the winter holidays. According to AAA, close to 80 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more over the Thanksgiving holiday week in 2024.

Are you traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend???

Traveling back to your hometown and gathering with family over the holiday dinner table, allows time to reconnect with those we love… and hopefully time to enjoy and explore the beautiful landscape of nature that makes your hometown uniquely special. Offering the opportunity to “feed” your soul, not the just the body literally.

Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays are the two biggest holidays for the cook in the family. Special meals are often served over the family table and shared with extended family members who return home from all over the globe.

This beautiful table is featured inside Wilkes County Hardware, made by Keegan Watson.

Many hours of thought, shopping, prep, and cooking occur before the holiday meal is complete. Once these steps are finished, the entire family can gather together, ready to partake in the celebration of the “hometown holiday dinner”.

Whether the family is large or small, it is a process to gather together and share a meal over the holiday. Let’s include the time and journey to return home. The melding of unique personalities, coming together as one complete family. All, simply gathering around the table to “ break bread”, sharing memories of times past, and the enveloping sense of belonging, Home.

Let’s return to the process of preparation for the Hometown Holiday Gathering. The holidays are fast approaching! The clock is ticking away, it’s officially ONE week away now until Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest food holidays of the year. Thanksgiving ranks as THE top food consumption holiday. Surprisingly, Super Bowl Sunday follows close behind.

Let’s just get it out there, we all have been there… do any of these holiday scenarios sound familiar to you???? Forgetting to prepare certain dishes, broken dishes, stressing over the lack of oven space, unexpected guests, slightly overcooked /burned foods, maybe the turkey did not thaw out in time for roasting… these ALL can happen and have happened during the holidays.

My hope is that IF you plan to cook over the holidays this year, success will reign supreme! Set yourself up for success before you begin cooking for the holidays. Have a definite meal plan and execute it accordingly and adjust as needed. Things will happen even to the most experienced cooks in the kitchen.

Cooking is art form. The artful cook can use ingredients masterfully, creating dishes that are delicious, and delightful in appearance. These artful hometown cooks have conquered these kitchen skills, will effortlessly make the most of the family gathering. A masterful cook can make and prepare a hometown homemade holiday gathering … a feast for the eyes. All the while, the aromatic goodness wafting through the kitchen welcoming you into the heart and soul of the kitchen, feeding your spirit. HOME.

**A hot dessert baking in the oven! What a way to be welcomed back home!!!! Dessert, a central ingredient for holiday dinners!**

Whether you find yourself in the master cook category or even if you consider yourself a cook still honing skills in the kitchen, having a plan for a successful Hometown Holiday Gathering can be accomplished with a few simple steps.

The perfect execution of the “roadmap of success” for a fantastic hometown holiday meal gathering can be achieved with the combination of assistance from family who might linger in the kitchen either to “sample the good stuff”. OR those in your family who wish to truly help in the effort to make the day fruitful and wholeheartedly worth the extra time and energy spent on making the hometown holiday meal a reality. Team in place, you can work together to create the ultimate holiday celebration for your entire crew.

Once the meal has arrived on the table, beautifully presented, the literal feast for your body can begin. Bringing balance and a bit of zen or comfort to your hometown holiday experience, and maybe even a good nap…. after all that turkey 😂😂. I couldn’t resist that one!

Another view of this gorgeous family table made by Keegan Watson.

It is also worth a mention that THE BIG Food holidays can leave you a bit frazzled, stressed, and worn out even if you fall into the “expert cook” category when it comes to food preparation. Everyone wants a “true zen experience” for their hometown holiday meal. So… What can you do prior to gathering that ensures a masterful experience this Thanksgiving or any other holiday for that matter?

This is where your hometown hardware store can assist you, believe it or not!

The time is come to prepare for the Thanksgiving Day Meal.

Wilkes County Hardware, Helping You Find Hometown Holiday Success:

If you are having overnight guests for the Thanksgiving holiday, get your home in order, cleaned and prepare for your guests arrival. Don’t forget to make sure that you are stocked up on toilet paper, paper towels, dish washer tablets, Clorox wipes, etc! You don’t want to run to store during the holiday weekend and fight the crowds or find yourself running low on essentials with guests in house!

When you shop small businesses, you can beat the chaos of the box store, during the holidays AND find a friendly greeting as you enter the store. *WCH Tip: Your Guests appreciate the extra touches, like the great smelling soap in the bathroom. Wilkes County Hardware has a fantastic selection of Meyers products*

Always have extra paper products on hand with guests over the busy holiday weekends. ***When you shop small businesses, $68 out of every $100 will stay in your local community.***

2. Set your menu and grocery shop. As you are planning your menu for Thanksgiving or the holiday meal, think about how each dish should be prepared. Will you have enough oven space and time??? How could these dishes be altered or prepared differently, if the answer was No… A masterful cook will explore other techniques for food preparation, like using the grill or smoker to prepare your meats, using a crockpot, toaster oven to warm up pre-made casseroles, preparing dishes ahead of time, asking others to pitch and bringing food to the gathering… the list is long! Lastly, as a masterful cook, explore our selection of sauces and rubs to enhance your holiday meal.

*Traeger Grills are a great resource for holiday food preparation! Stop by to learn more or pick up your flavorful pellets before next Thursday!*

3. Inventory your kitchen utensils and other equipment. Make sure you have the necessary tools for your biggest kitchen day of the year! Nothing is worse than a dull knife on Thanksgiving Day to complicate the task of carving the turkey. Wilkes County Hardware sharpens knives as a continuing service to our customers. Wilkes County Hardware has a good selection of basic kitchen equipment that can help make your holiday meal plan come together.

4. Lastly, think about the gathering itself. Gathering around the table, what will it look like??? A formal affair??? Mom’s finest china, silver, and crystal??? If so, a good cleaning might be required. Stop by Wilkes County Hardware to pick up silver polish, or Brasso, or any other cleaning products to keep your beautiful heirlooms looking great on the family table this holiday season.

A more casual family hometown holiday dinner??? Stop by to find some classic handmade items to complement your decor.

It’s amazing how ONE new anchor piece can spark great dinner conversation, especially when it’s locally made!

Ultimately, Gathering around the hometown holiday table, enjoying each other’s company creates the atmosphere where people linger around the table, stories are told, and memories made. Glimpses and Snapshots of joy, and laughter, radiating across the table. Life simply couldn’t be better. The holiday meal has moved from pure sustenance to an amiable experience and soulfully satisfying. Nothing could be better💕! The essence of Hometown for the Holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!

blogging, community, customer service, entrepreneurship, hardware store, Hardware Store Hours, Hardware Store Life, keys, Life In Wilkes, nuts and bolts, old hardware stores, old school hardware store, service oriented hardware store, Shop Local, southern living

Service Oriented Hardware Store

October 16, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

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!

A new journey begins, August, blogging, Covid Life, customer service, entrepreneurship, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, historical building, memories, old hardware stores, old school hardware store, Shop Local, Works in Progress

A Blast from the Past

August 28, 2024 hardwarelifewife 6 Comments

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.

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 store

2024… 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 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 merchandise

2024: 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!

2024: Key Desk area at back door entrance

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 through

2015: Key Desk was tucked away in the back of store… near the stairs leading to the second level

2024: 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.

2024: Doors are open on the warm, summer days to add extra air flow into the hardware store

2024: Lawn and Garden has been moved up to the front of the store

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.

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.

August, blogging, community, Discovering Roots, entrepreneurship, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, historical building, legacy, Life In Wilkes, memories, old hardware stores, old school hardware store, Shop Local, southern living, wood stove

Piecing Together The Legacy Of 324 10th Street…

August 20, 2024 hardwarelifewife 2 Comments

If these walls could talk… the stories they could tell! Our hardware store is located at 324 10th Street. The outside brick exterior of the building looks well-worn… a few signs of old age are visible, as it should have, this building is approaching the age of 120 years old!

As you enter, you will probably find the front door open most days, weather permitting. The interior is full of beautiful treasures of the past, a fully functional freight elevator, wood stove, rolling ladder wall, and old wooden cabinetry lining the entire back wall. That venture into 324th 10th Street, through the hardware store reveals some of the days from long ago… the legacy and memories of times when hardware stores were simply different.

Yes, I believe that our hardware store is definitely a unique shopping experience that is worth exploring, even in 2024, as the days of ordering online has become a staple for many people. You can’t find some of these unique items online… Only inside these vintage walls. There’s no connecting or having a longing to go back to an online shopping cart versus wandering throughout your hometown old school hardware store. The experience is distinct and rare in today’s modern retail world. The two can’t be compared.

I definitely feel that a stroll back into time to get a visual sense of the origins of this old building is definitely blog worthy. So here’s a more detailed look at some of these iconic, vintage pieces found inside 324 10th Street revealing what we know as the true history of 324 10th Street.

The Freight Elevator

One of the unique features of our “Old School Hardware Store” is the freight elevator. Secret being told, the remaining oral history that we have been given is a bit disjointed. So we have in earnest, started trying to track down some information about this elevator from the direct source… the company that built it, Park Elevator.

Park Elevator is one of the oldest, independent elevator companies in the Southeast, dating back to 1898.

I continue to be absolutely fascinated by the fact that such a massive machine as this one was made in Charlotte, NC!

How very fitting that the former owners at 324 10th Street sourced materials locally and from our state. Richard and I are honored to carry on that tradition still in 2024.

Locally made items are available year round inside Wilkes County Hardware

Our old freight elevator has to be inspected by the state each year. The state elevator inspector requested a full load test in 2023. To be honest, we were very worried about that requirement to continue to have it in use. We debated for several months… what to do… is this a safe thing to do for such an oldie Goldie??? A full load test is a tough thing for an “old school elevator” to handle. Uncertainty loomed in our minds.

We decided to make a few phone calls. The elevator experts were very helpful. We actually have a few elevator technicians who frequent our hardware store and they often speak about how special and unique this old elevator is! They love it! So drawing from their experience and expertise, the phone call was made.

After speaking to the elevator experts about the situation concerning the full load test, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that the needed test was NOT a full load test but instead, a NO load test. Our old freight elevator has wooden side rails, therefore a full load test is impossible to do!! A full load test could literally shred the wooden side rails 😳. We had a path to keep the elevator moving!

State inspection done ✅ . Still waiting on the No Load Test.

The Wood Stove

Likewise, the wood stove was manufactured in Greensboro, NC. The wood stove has been quite a showcase for many of our visitors and regular customers. Check out the blog post that includes details of the information we know about this old classic wood stove below.

The Warmth & Sweetness of the Winter Chill

Researching and Learning More About 324 10th Street

Ask and ye shall find! So, here’s the thing, we need your stories about this old freight elevator, and we need more history about our building. I actually had started doing my own research around the time the Smithey building burned down… but I haven’t had an opportunity to get back into it since then.

The narrative about the Smithey Fire https://hardwarelifewife.com/2022/09/04/a-story-in-pictures/

Life sometimes gets busy and projects get pushed away for a space of time. But here’s a quick rundown of the main essentials on what we know via oral history and research…

1. Building dates back to 1905.

2. EE Eller Wholesale was located at 324 10th Street until 1941 when he moved his business to Forester Street (advertisement in Journal Patriot – 1941) the space was used by ______________________ after Mr. Eller left???? we are unsure of what type of business existed after that…

Learn more about Mr. Eller’s Legacy: Mr. EE Eller, Chickens and Turkeys… Nothing but Clucking, Gobbling, and Plucking out the Truth

This photograph was sent to us by Mr. Eller’s Family and will be hung in its rightful place on the owners wall soon! The original photo hanging on the wall that had been identified to us as Mr. Eller was not really him! To read more about this click the link above about Mr. Eller. Look for this beautifully restored photograph the next time you come by Wilkes County Hardware.

3. Yates Wilkes Hardware began 1940’s???? No definitive date has been discovered.

Legendary Stories: We have been told that Mr. Yates began a hardware store for supplying his “moonshine friends” with needed equipment/supplies… as they say, nothing ruins a good story like the truth. I bet the truth lies somewhere between the two, the legend and the facts.

4. Glascock wood stove- Giant 24N style stove went into production 1930’s-1940’s in Greensboro, NC and unsure of date when installed in building (Nollie Neill, Glascock Stove Historian) Linked in blog today is a detailed overview of what we know about the wood stove.

5. Freight Elevator made by Park, based in Charlotte, NC. Research ongoing.

6. Rolling ladder Wall made by Putnam Rolling Ladder Company

Piecing Together The Puzzle of 324

A while back ago, I asked our social media followers to share their thoughts about painting our front doors at the hardware store. It was fascinating to find out everyone’s thoughts when we were curious about changing the paint on the front doors. Some people said don’t touch those doors, others wanted to make color suggestions.

I enjoyed the story one customer told us about the doors being a beautiful dark green color when she first came to the hardware store when she was younger which helped us connect the past to the present day.

These bits of information and history are the small pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that we are trying to “piece together” of our building and the objects inside. The timing of these stories helps us to “piece the puzzle together” and connect the jigsaw puzzle into a whole. So we deem everything as important as we are gathering information and adding to our knowledge base of our building and its historical contents.

All of your stories are inspiring to us. Gathering these memories and stories helps keep this building alive long after we all are long gone, in hopes of creating a lasting legacy. Our building boasts the beginnings of the poultry industry in Wilkes, the legend of moonshine, and the hardware industry rooted right here in Wilkes.

Legendary stories, which maybe more fictional than fact, let’s face it, those stories are always fun to tell and listen to. But,ultimately, may not help us with our mission of fact finding concerning 324 10th Street and the ultimate dissemination of the lasting legacy at 324 10th Street. Truth be told, honestly, I believe we need a bit of both types of memories and stories for balance. I realize that we may not ever fully discover everything there is to know about this timeworn, treasure of a building, but it’s definitely worth the discovery in my minds eye.

Yes, in case your curiosity has gotten the best of you and are wondering… we ARE still planning to paint the front doors, BUT we know it will be a HUGE project. The doors will have to come down and be prepared for a full makeover. This old hardware store building is like an onion, and we slowly peel a layer away at a time and tackle what we can as we get time to do so.

As I have mentioned before, in an earlier written blog posts, Stories help keep our past history alive, & keep us linked together.

I feel that it is extremely important to undertake the quest of learning about a building that is close to 120 years old. Not many buildings in Wilkes can boast such a history! Sharing the legacy of a great old historic building in the center of Downtown North Wilkesboro for future generations yet to come should be a central part of who we are and why we are still relevant today.

Thank you for continuing to support us by shopping with us as we head into year NINE of business! We appreciate your willingness to help create the bridge between our past experiences to our present day by sharing memories and stories of a treasured building at 324 10th Street. After all, that is the heart of legacy.

The Hardware Life – A wife's journey into the hardware business