“The best therapist has four paws and fur.” Sometimes after the long, hard days all I need is the endless love of my sweet pups.
I believe in our entire married life, Richard & I have always had at least one dog. Most of them rescues.
The first house we purchased in North Wilkesboro, literally came with a dog! That was totally an unexpected surprise when we went to closing and the previous owners asked us to care for the neighbors dog that virtually lived at our new “soon to be home”. The seller was crushed that the neighbors were unwilling to sell the dog to him, hence the request to us. We could tell that the seller was very attached to the dog, so we agreed to care for the dog and keep him updated on the dog, which we all called Sugar Bear…our very first rescue pup. Sugar Bear quickly became a cherished pup. We all loved her dearly and she was a fantastic guard dog.
Sugar Bear loved to be inside as well as outside. A pic of our first kitchen… Sugar Bear was terrified of thunder storms. She would try to crawl inside my bottom kitchen cabinets or bathroom cabinets during a bad storm
Today is National Rescue Pup Day. Over the years, we have had the opportunity to bring a few special rescue pups home. The joy & memories of these furry friends still linger. Here’s a glimpse back into time to our “fur babies” that we loved dearly and a small portion of their rescue stories.
Elvis & Gigi were adopted at the same time. They were definitely a dynamic duo. Elvis never missed the opportunity for a good costume change. He had a great personality and loved his people. Elvis loved a good napElvis loved to spend time with us at the hardware store sniffing out all the good things Gigi was our little diva dog. Gigi had a severe burn that was healing on her back when we brought her home. Gigi loved photo time Annabelle “Bella” came to us after losing an eye. Eventually she lost her other one too. Blind Basset Hound was a first for our family. Bella navigated our home effortlessly. She was amazing Bella would smile when she was happy. Naps and love… Bella was always ready for both .
Our current rescue pups…
Joy is a fireball of energy. She loves to play all day long. Joy was rescued with her brothers and sisters… nine total. It’s all about bones & finding a good blanket Joy is definitely a mom’s girl… Cookie came to our house to live with us this January. She was found abandoned at a car wash in town. So hard to believe how much she has grown since this original photoThus sweet pup loves to be close to us, scouting the neighborhood for any movement of cats, or people, and definitely playing with Joy. Cookie loves snacks too & mom.
Our lives are definitely rich with love with memories of our former rescue pups and they are dearly missed. Cookie and Joy keep us active and busy now.
Each rescue pup came to us with a definite need, love & healing. All of these sweet babies found love and new home. Their story should not end. Their stories should be told so more rescues can find homes.
We are truly blessed and thankful for the Humane Society of Wilkes. The volunteers, & foster pet parents work tirelessly to keep local animals safe and happy. Consider supporting your local rescue organizations if you can.
It would be easy to say that the way we work has changed significantly since Covid-19’s impact. Many people never stopped working during the shutdown, some temporarily worked for home, and others transitioned to full time work at home. Those in the skilled trades were considered essential workers, and their business boomed.
During Covid, it is my belief that the importance of Skilled Trade careers became appreciated, and valued by a larger population. Some might even say that these Skilled Trade careers are going to be “recession” proof… These careers will always be needed.
Elevator technician, Plumbers, Electricians, Welders… and many more career opportunities
But really… aren’t all careers important??? I never have understood why some people place more “value” on some careers than others. We all have value and worth in what we do. No stigma should ever be attached to any job or career path we choose.
Handcrafted woodworking
Today, May 4th is National Skilled Trades Day. This is observed annually on the first Wednesday in May. National Skilled Trades Day was established in 2019 by City Machine Technologies in Youngstown, Ohio. The purpose of the holiday was to raise awareness about the importance of skilled trades workforce in the United States, honor skilled trade workers, and also to create awareness about the skilled trades deficit in the United States.
Skilled trades are the individuals we call to repair our cars, complete complex electrical tasks, do plumbing repairs, build our homes, collect our blood, and ensure the health of our pets.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US will need close to 4 million skilled laborers to replace the nearly 8 million lost from the labor force during the pandemic. The pandemic created a significant labor shortage, and many Baby Boomers who left the skilled work force industries have chosen not to return. Some opted for early retirement rather than returning into the skilled workforce. Boomers are ready & waiting for a new generation to step into the skilled trades workforce.
For those highly skilled workers in trades such as welders, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and others, the rate of pay is actually higher on average than college graduates. This rate of pay could grow as the demand for these trade careers increase.
So how do we move to filling the gap in trade based careers ??? The answer is simple in my opinion. We need to talk about it and find solutions. Educators, parents, grandparents, and community leaders, this is a discussion about educating our younger generations about ALL options they have available for career paths.
Beautiful handcrafted items are definitely part of our cultural heritage and legacy of trade based skills
Trade based careers offer a more specialized approach to learning in a specific field, ie plumbing or electrical. The overall cost of a trade based education is significantly less. The time involved in the training can be completed in one to two years versus college, 4 years or more depending on the educational path that is chosen.
College education is great, but every student may not be in the right mindset for university level learning or ready for the debt that it could bring into their future. It sure could save a lot of time, money, and heartbreak by exploring all career options if your teen is not ready for college.
Did you know that student loan debt is the second largest consumer debt factor for many Americans? Mortgage debt ranks first in the consumer debt category.
Student loan debt is estimated at $1.75 trillion with the US federal government holding 92 percent of the debt in student loans.
Approximately 43.4 million people in US have student loan debt(this equates to 1 in 8 Americans). This to me is a heavy dose of information… 😳asking a lot of a young person to tackle… finding a career, paying the student debt, management of family bills and more! Wow!!!
Ultimately, all a parent wishes for their children to have in their chosen career path is happiness, success, financial freedom & security. Right??? Laying out all possibilities in future potential careers today seems to me to be the responsibility of parents, educational staff & other stakeholders in the lives of children.
In closing, isn’t the key to success in a career this… finding what you are passionate about and not treat it as just a job you go to everyday???? Just a thought.
My first memory of a Woman in business had to be my Granny. She owned a fabric shop in West End. It was a fun adventure to visit the fabric shop as a kid. I was old enough to rummage in the loose button barrels and play hide and seek with my cousin in between the fabric bolts. We always had a blast when we were there with her inside the fabric shop.
Upon a bit more reflection, I realized that my work ethic was strongly influenced by my parents. They both modeled an excellent work ethic… Hard work disguised as opportunities.
As I am writing this blog post today, it is International Women’s Day. A day to recognize the achievements of Women everywhere. March is a month where we acknowledge & honor the accomplishments of Women. So I thought why not focus on the Entrepreneurial Women of North Wilkesboro???
I began to really give this some serious attention a few weeks ago when I was driving in the downtown corridor of North Wilkesboro. An epiphany occurred to me…just within the North Wilkesboro downtown area, I realized that many business owners are women OR they “co-own” a business with their spouse. Meaning they are actively involved in the day to day activities of running a successful business!!!!
Don’t forget that Carolina Treasures, Copper Barrel & Key City Antiques are considered part of Main Street!! These businesses attract out of town folks all the time
I began to reflect on each of these businesses and the faces behind them… These ladies who are business owners, are definitely not afraid of hard work or working 6-7 days a week!!!
Each of these individual businesses have unique stories and services to offer to our greater community. We are truly blessed to have each and everyone of these businesses in downtown North Wilkesboro.
A view of the Downtown area from the Greenway
Please know that you are appreciated and I applaud your dedication to our community during the last few years. Doing business during Covid has brought us all unique challenges AND new opportunities for success. Thank you for handling it with grace & style.
The following is a short & working list of retail businesses in our North Wilkesboro Downtown corridor that reflect the designation of Women owned/managed according to my definition above in my blog post. Please feel free to tag any other local businesses that would fit into this description in our downtown area.
Carolina Treasures
Key City Antiques
6th & Main
The Block
Fruit of the Vine
Annatiques
Talia
Ivy Ridge Traditions
Baby Celebration
Hallmark
Wash House on Main
Vintage Home Studio
Gloria Sews
Gracefully Yours
Christina Younger Art
Lauren Waterhouse Photography
Cassie Stone Photography
Bliss
Wilkes County Hardware
Dom’s Bakery
Midtown Market
Our Oasis Nutrition
Cooks
Something Special Boutique
Southern Threads
Other noteworthy businesses which are not necessarily retail based but would be considered women owned businesses in our downtown area
Copper Barrel
David’s Car Care
Blair Properties
Our locally sourced products inside Wilkes County Hardware operating under the management of Women or husband/wife teams … we appreciate your support of local artisans!!!
It’s hard to believe that 2022 is on the horizon!!! Here’s a glimpse of some of the new products & ideas we have brought into our hometown hardware store inside Wilkes County Hardware in 2021.
Premixed paint arrived on our shelves in January of 2021!!! People just can’t enough of these!!! These appeared in early spring months and sold out quickly Amazing new BBQ sauces… made in NC We opened our new pop up shop at Carolina Treasures on Main in 2021!!! Expanding our line of Zep Cleaning products. Great stuff y’all Added Black Wonder into our gardening line in 2021. Made locally in NC. In 2021, we added a few new products to keep your furniture looking great. Located at the front counter… just in case Keegan’s cutting boards have been a huge hit in 2021!!! Thanks again for supporting local 💕New shirt in 2021 in remembrance of Harry & our iconic wood stove Beautiful handmade baskets inside our store all year long!!! These sell out quickly y’all! Keys… a staple item of what we do well each & every day 😊Beautiful hanging baskets, locally grown sold out quickly for Mother’s Day This stuff y’all!!! Another great locally sourced item added into our store lineup in 2021. Amazing!!! Local pottery pieces now available in 2021!!! Unique finds & treasures As always, y’all continue to shop local with us to find your favorite Meyers Clean Day scents The Big Easy Rocker has been a great selling item in 2021 Thankful that so many of our customers use the flag drop off box in 2021. These products are fantastic!!! North Carolina based company and repelling animals in a safe way!!! Y’all needed these and we had them!!! Great sellers in the summer of 2021 Y’all asked for more organic/earth friendly products in our lawn & garden line and we added several in 2021 Keep odor off your hands in the kitchen with this locally made soap Kuduz jelly & sauces have been flying off the shelves!!! A must try!! Keegan added pens 🖊 into his woodwork line Fall y’all.. thus was a huge hit New in 2021! Now in stock!!! Added new food products from NC based company as the holidays grew closer Happy Frog candles… y’all couldn’t get enough of these during the holidays season… more to come in 2022! Good for any meal!!! Good for all metal cleaning… we got y’all covered Local honey… with comb & without!!! Local granola & more!!!
Did you know that we are on Instagram, Facebook & now Tik Tok ??? Live music!!! I hope y’all didn’t miss it during the holidays season… Stove pipe, wood stove products & gloves are essential as the cooler weather sets in New in December of 2021!!! You are the nuts & bolts of what we do each & every day. Thank you for your support in 2021 & moving into 2022. Happy New Year!!! Happy New Year from our family to yours !
The smell is distinctive… burning hardwood, and the aroma lingers inside our walls. That “smoky” odor of winter. Some people long for it each winter. The wood stove is an iconic part of our legacy and our history.
Our old classic wood stove has definitely kept that “Old School Hardware” feeling in place for our customers and also for us as business owners. This is one great thing about our store that I love… it is deeply rooted in local history.
Our wood stove is definitely one of the most recognizable features within the hardware store that people initially see once as they walk into the front entrance.
No matter what time of year it is, those who have never visited our hardware store, always ask about the wood stove. Hands automatically seem to go up in order to signify the sensation of warming by the stove, even in the heat of a summer day.
That sensation of warmth often brings back a burst of wonderful “old school hardware “ memories… and then you see the smile emerge on the faces of those who visit with us. The love of our “old school hardware store” grows💕.
Our hardware wood stove history dates back to circa 1930’s-1940’s. Nollie Neill, a Glascock stove historian, has been a wonderful source of information for me. What we know for sure is that our “old school” wood stove is a Giant 24N model made by Glascock. This model was not put into production until the mid 1930’s. Glascock Stove was located in Greensboro, NC.
24N signifies the model number
A bottom piece of our stove needed replacement in the 70’s. The stove maker, Glascock, was no longer in production mode. The last 24N rolled out of the Greensboro foundry in 1966.
Harvey, the hardware store owner at the time, headed down there anyway to the “graveyard” of old replacement parts and found the exact piece he needed to get the stove back into service.
Customers are usually curious about our Giant 24N wood stove. A few typical customer questions range from “Does it still work?” to “How old is it?” And most folks are surprised to find out the wood stove is WCH’s main source of heat in the winter!
Our hardware store Giant 24N wood stove cranks out a great deal of heat for the store. These models were designed to heat stores, schools, homes, garages, larger spaces that needed a good source of heat. Glascock met the demand all across NC.
Before the cold temperatures hit each year, the wood stove is regularly cleaned, polished, and maintained in order to keep it in the best possible condition for daily use in the cooler weather.
Cleaning & prepping for use each winter
We do keep a nice woodpile out behind the store so we can keep the “store fires” burning and our customers comfortable while they shop for essentials.
Wood stacking, wood carrying, all part of the job
All of our wood is bought from local sources. Richard & I like to purchase products from our neighbors in our community.
Our hardware store wood stove has become a gathering place for those in our community. People use it as a central meeting place to discuss news, and local events. Often our regular customers will come sit around the stove and just rock for a little bit before heading back out into the cold weather.
Harry loved to sit in this chair, both of these iconic symbols of WCH are featured on a logo t-shirt
Even during local downtown events in the winter our customers know they can drop by to warm by the fire before a horse carriage ride, stop in during Lightup Downtown, or just to wait and warm before for the Christmas parade is to begin.
To me, nothing is better on a cold, and snowy day to be warming around the wood stove. Locals seek to visit with us on these days, roaring fire always going & snow supplies in hand. Honestly, these are my favorite days.. the snow days around the wood stove at Wilkes County Hardware.
We even have had a few local media broadcast/advertising folks to showcase our store via the hardware store wood stove as a centerpiece. I guess it is just that “Old School” way of gathering around and slowing down in the busy world we live in today.
I’ll take “Old School” any day, going back to our roots/heritage— community building, & living at a slower pace. It has become an essential element of #thehardwarelife.
Living the "hardwarelife", join us in our journey of hardware store ownership
The Hardware Life - A wife's journey into the hardware business 