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blogging, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Memories, December, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, Home, Hometown Holidays, Life In Wilkes, old hardware stores, old school hardware store, Shop Local, southern living, The Gift of handmade

Hometown Hardware Holiday- Handmade Holiday Blog Post 3

December 13, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

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 Canaan

Shop along the featured ladder wall to find Little Corner pottery and Handcrafted by Keegan Watson.

Handmade towels by The Vintage Home 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!

Autumn, blogging, Fall, Hardware Store Life, Home, seaonal change, service oriented hardware store, Shop Local, southern living, Time change

“Fall Back” Maintenance

November 1, 2024 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

Acorns are in abundance this year, according to experts were having a Mast year.

Daylight Saving Time has come to a close for the year. Our clocks turned back one hour this weekend. With this shift in time, we gain an extra hour of sleep, and gradually see those beautiful evening sunsets around 6pm. Darkness will find us earlier and the shift is often hard if you’re not prepared for it.

The “Fall Back” sunsets at Wilkes County Hardware are often spectacular!

That being said, It’s time to think about a few things that should be done around the time change of “Falling Back”, making the shift much more manageable. Sharing a few maintenance tips on the blog today for the “Fall Back” time change.

Around the House (Interior Maintenance)

Check and Change all of your batteries in your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detectors. Time changes are the best time to check these devices to make sure they are functioning properly.

It’s also good to Note: Smoke Detectors should be replaced EVERY 10 years!!!

2. Review your house and car key inventory. Make sure you have extra keys for yourself and those who need them. This is a simple one BUT, no one ever wants to be locked out of the house on a cold and wet wintry day. 😬

All types of keys are made daily inside Wilkes County Hardware… house, car, motorcycle, boat, RV, ATV keys and more!

3. Evaluate all of your light fixtures and replace any light bulbs that need replacing (indoor and outdoor) Nightfall comes much more quickly with the Fall time shift.

These are a wonderful addition to your emergency prep list!!!

**Add** **timers** to your lamps for extra safety if you arrive home after darkness has settled in for the day

4. Find your flashlights and replace batteries as needed. Prep your winter emergency kit.

Great selection of flashlights and emergency lighting at WCH

5. Replace furnace filter. Ask us to help you find your size.

An abundant supply of furnace filter sizes are available at Wilkes County Hardware.

6. Do a quick maintenance walk around your windows. Look for visual signs that windows have gaps or cracks that could impact your heating system this winter. Use caulk, gap/crack filler as a barrier to prevent cold air from penetrating into your home. Replace any broken windows or screens.

Brr!!! No one wants to be caught in the cold! 🥶

7. Fall is a good time to tackle the dryer venting system. A clean out is in order! If you haven’t cleaned out your dryer vent system in a while, now is the time to do it!

8. As cooler weather approaches, don’t forget to reverse the direction of your ceiling fans and replace batteries in your fan remote if needed. Clean fan blades.

Need a new pull chain for your ceiling fan??? We have those too!!

9. As the holidays will be approaching soon, your stove and refrigerator will appreciate a good cleaning. A total clean out of your refrigerator BEFORE the holiday season begins, the easiest way to begin the holiday cooking season! Check water filter systems on your refrigerator and replace if necessary.

Large variety of cleaning products in stock at Wilkes County Hardware

Only $3.99 for the pack!!! Great for cleaning 🧽

Works great as a stove cleaner…without heating up your oven

10. Check the function of every toilet in your home. Do you need to replace a handle, flapper or do a complete overhaul of the “guts” of the toilet???? Now is the perfect time to replace these ahead the holidays… no one wants to be plunging into that messy job with company in house.

Our plumbing area is always busy at WCH!

11. Do a quick assessment on your heating system. Do you need a supplemental heating unit? What maintenance is necessary??? Many of our customers use this time of year to prepare for cooler temperatures. Kerosene heaters are brought in for repairs/new wicks. Replace aging stove pipe, and more!

Cold weather essentials available year round at WCH

Now’s let get outside the home and enjoy the beautiful Fall weather and check out a few other things around the exterior of the property of your home.

Hope y’all can find time to unwind and relax and enjoy the beautiful Fall season!!

Around the House (Exterior Maintenance)

Add a faucet cover to your outdoor faucets. Water hoses should be stored for the winter.

A necessity before the freeze 🥶 sits in!!!

Throw away old leaky water hoses. Plan ahead… Replace them at WCH and be ready for the next season!

2. Clean Gutters of all leaves and debris

3. Complete any remaining Fall Lawn Maintenance tasks… clear leaves, other debris, etc.

4. Put away and clean lawn hand tools for the winter months.

WD-40 works great after **HAND** tools are cleaned and dirt/grime removed , spray WD-40 onto surface, let sit for a few seconds, wipe again to clean. If you need to remove rust, let it sit for a while, and then use steel wool to clean surface. It is not recommended to use this cleaning method for power tools.

5. Clean the Grill- As the grilling season begins to come to an end, for some, Fall is a great time to get your hands dirty and get that grill clean before your store it away for the winter if you don’t grill much in the colder months.

6. Be mindful of Pests! As the cooler months begin, rodents, spiders, stink bugs, and a host of others will look for ways to make way indoors. Keep debris away from house, seal gaps and cracks and be ready with pest control options if you see or hear them.

Bugs will look for places to come inside as the weather turns cold!

Car Maintenance

Tire pressure sensors often go off during the cooler months. Be ready, for those mornings to check your tire pressure with a new tire pressure gauge.

2. Be prepared and go ahead and do a Fluids check… oil, windshield wiper fluid, antifreeze, etc

3. Frosty mornings will be here to stay! Check your car for a ice/snow scraper

4. Do you have a battery charger or charger cables in your vehicle? No one wants to be out in the cold with a nonfunctional car. 😬

Air compressor and battery charger in one!!!

5. Check and replace old windshield wiper blades!

I hope that you find these tips useful as the next phase of time change occurs. What other things do you do to prepare for yourself for the time shift???

Please stop by Wilkes County Hardware for all of your hardware needs or questions. We will be glad to assist.

**Wilkes County Hardware Store Hours 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday 9am to 3pm Saturday**

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!

blogging, Blue Ridge Mountains, community, Fall, Fall photography, Hardware Store Life, memories, Natural World, NC Mountains, photography favorites, Resilence, southern living, Western North Carolina

September: A Mountain Montage

October 3, 2024 hardwarelifewife 6 Comments

I had no idea when I began in early September with the idea of focusing my monthly photography blog post from one specific location in mind, that by the end of the month that it would become bittersweet, touching, and memorable. Friday September 27, 2024 was a game changer day in Western North Carolina.

The Western North Carolina landscape has been critically altered due to the forces of nature. The beautiful Blue Ridge has been changed by the devastating path of Hurricane Helene. Towns have been erased by this path of destruction.

My heart hurts for so many families and mountain communities as they begin to try to recover and rebuild. Numb might actually be a better word. Mountain Communities are now isolated from the outside world grasping for all avenues of assistance and support, losing everything they own while helping others all at the same time.

My family, like many of you, experienced several days without power and full internet connection. In our many years of married life, this was the longest stent of power failure that we have ever experienced. I now have two completely clean refrigerators/freezers… all food was not salvageable. But, it’s ok. We are literally several minutes away from a path of destruction and very lucky that our storm damage wasn’t more severe.

During the stent of no power… We had time with family, time to laugh while playing board games, and dinners with friends who had power at their home.

I’m also thankful for the many people who stopped by the hardware store to check to make sure we weathered the storm well , or sent us messages. We simply live in a great, giving community. Thank you!

The news of the storm’s fury was front and center in my social media feed when I had the opportunity for a moment to visualize the aftermath of Helene during the power outage and still almost a week later, it dominates our news cycle. It has been hard to imagine this type of devastation in my mind. Towns and communities are literally gone.

We as business owners, do fully understand the power of water and the force behind it. Flooding is not an experience that we wish share with anyone else, a tremendous amount of empathy lies within.

Last Saturday morning, we began to witness the influx of customers who are traveling down from their mountain homes to find needed supplies. This trek still is continuing into this week. Supplies are selling out quickly and we are trying to reorder as fast as we can to accommodate our customers needs.

Western North Carolina communities need our support wherever you can give it. Do what you can to assist Western North Carolina Relief Efforts. Donate time, resources, or money to those charities that are well vetted where the most money can benefit those in need.

Mountain Communities are requesting that only relief workers be allowed into the area so the clean up can continue and allow for the arrival of much needed materials.

My hope is that this September montage will bring solace to your Blue Ridge Mountain wandering soul and lift your spirits in the coming days. A simple pictorial offering… a remembrance to our beloved Blue Ridge Mountains prior to the devastation we witnessed last week. I present to you, The Blue Ridge Mountains are calling and I must GO! My photographic Blog Journal from September 2024.

An Afternoon Wandering at Doughton Park

Blue Ridge Parkway Sunsets are simply stunning

Price Lake Never Disappoints

Saturday Evening Sunset Drive

In closing I’m sharing one of my all time favorite benedictions and prayers: The Franciscan Benediction, as we all continue our work to restore and rebuild in Western North Carolina.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU with discomfort,
at easy answers, half-truths,
and superficial relationships
so that you may live
deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression,
and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for
justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears,
to shed for those who suffer pain,
rejection, hunger, and war,
so that you may reach out your hand
to comfort them and
to turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you
with enough foolishness
to believe that you can
make a difference in the world,
so that you can do
what others claim cannot be done,
to bring justice and kindness
to all our children and the poor.

AMEN

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.

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