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Hardware Store Life

Working together

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Working with your spouse… could you do it everyday??? 🙃😉

5 years ago we just started… Richard and I launched ourselves into hardware store ownership.

I continued to work full time as a teacher until 2019. Then the transition of working together 24-7 began.

At times, this new venture into business ownership was uncertain, scary, and exciting all wrapped up into the same 5 gallon bucket of emotions.

We both have different and unique roles in what we do at Wilkes County Hardware. And… we are continuing to develop our best skills and talents that we can offer to YOU. We share responsibilities, & work through the difficult decisions together. Together… yes, we do work closely together, and we have survived & thrived.

Our goals are shared & our commitment is strong to serve our local community. I’m so glad y’all have been a great big part of our journey. If you are a new follower, Welcome!!!!

 As I look back, reflecting upon our WHY… In other words, WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO at Wilkes County Hardware???

The answer is simply YOU!!! Our customers are our driving force. We are so blessed to have formed many new friendships and made connections with our customers to help meet their needs. I’m also blessed to work with my spouse each and every day.

We always look forward to your visits into Wilkes County Hardware. Y’all have become our hardware family 💕and welcome new folks regularly into our midst.

The WCH shopping experience is unique in comparison to other hardware stores. We do our best to give one-on-one service to our customers so y’all can get what is needed in a timely fashion.

WCH is not the big box… just wander around to see the difference. Our historic exterior/interior will let you know immediately that you are stepping into a different shopping experience.

Thank you for being our WHY each and everyday. We are so glad to be there to help you with your hardware store needs. I bet you will find both us there… working together to serve our local community.

Hardware Store Life

Seasons Change

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Good Sunday morning!!!



Sharing my “best of” summer morning sunrise photos from 2020. Did y’all know the first day of Fall is officially on the way this week… Tuesday September 22nd???



This morning our temperature was around 40… definitely beginning to feel more like fall mornings around here. Who is happy to see Fall coming??? 🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁

FYI: Most of these photos are taken right outside my in my backyard…



I’ll leave these words with y’all today as we prepare for the next season… I’m finding it maybe good wisdom for life in 2020…



“Every season is not a growing season, & every season will not bring a harvest. There are seasons of planting, watering, weeding & fertilizing the ground. All seasons are crucial & important. Have Faith in waiting through each season.”

challenges, Hardware Store Life, Life in 2020, memories, Shop Local

Keys

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We have an old key 🗝 jar at our house. I think the origins of this container began from all the extra keys 🔑 we found while we were cleaning out Richard’s mom’s house several years ago. The consensus was that we shouldn’t throw them out yet because all the keys were not labeled, would we need them later???

Several years later, those keys are still there…and no, we never had to go dig out a 🔑 key of the jar😂.

So this jar is where all of our old keys 🗝 go to “live”. This weekend I dumped more keys in the jar.. keys that I no longer use from my current key ring. I think this jar, located in our home office, serves as a sweet reminder of what we do now.

You may not have a jar of old keys lying around, but I hope the motivational message on the key 🔑 jar today helps you stay steadfast in your new week. 2020 has proved to be a formidable challenge for many people…. but remember, we still have the 🔑 keys!!! The “key” is preservation to the end.

It is always awesome to hear from our customers when they come in for new keys🔑, “y’all make keys that work” 😉.
I’ll take that compliment all day long!!! 😊

Hardware Store Life

Letter to Graduating Seniors

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I was asked by a local publication to share my best wishes & advice for the current graduating class of 2020. This was my first narrative after my grandmother’s passing in May. I am so thankful that Brian Carlton asked me to do this because I lacked the motivation to write anything after her death.

I’m grateful to a few friends who were willing to share their thoughts & ideas with me as I went through this writing process. Thanks for being my tribe 💕. I hope y’all enjoy the letter to graduating seniors.

Senior Class of 2020,

Congratulations! What an amazing achievement you have just reached in life! I am so very happy for each and everyone of you! As a retired teacher, and now a local business owner, I know how hard each of you has worked in order to get to this day! Your greater community is so very proud of you.

So what happens next in your educational and life journey? The world today gives us a perception that times are too uncertain. Please know that your decisions are all within your circle of control. You have the ability to control your words, thoughts, actions, choices, behaviors, & efforts. I do realize these historic and unprecedented times are not how you envisioned your graduation. But, now is the time to celebrate your achievements, cherish your school memories, and look ahead to the future. Dig deep within yourself and find that inner strength to focus on potential opportunities for your future.

Speaking of new opportunities, some of you might be thinking of heading off to a university, community college, or possibly even in the “world of work”. No matter what path you take in the next few years, you will continue to evolve, change and grow as a young adult. Learning will be a constant in life.

As you transition into the next phase of life, here are a few reflective life learning experiences that I have found to be helpful in my journey. I hope you can use these 7 tips as insight & encouragement for your future endeavors.

1. Treasure those in your life. Love your “tribe of family & friends” fiercely. Nothing is guaranteed or promised in this world. So that being said, stay connected, call home! Visit home as much as you possibly can do it. Your family is a very important part of your journey & they will be your biggest advocate.

2. Keep life simple. Experiences & memories in life are the things you will always have, possessions will not last.

3. Dream BIG! Set goals for yourself. Life is not a sprint, it is a journey to be enjoyed & cherished. When you set a goal, understand it may take years to fully achieve, & be patient with yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

4. Show kindness to yourself & others. Let this one sink in for a minute. Life is not a perfect process. We all learn from success and failure. Be gracious & extend kindness in all things you do. Remember to say “thank you”, “yes ma’am”,& “no sir”. A kind heart goes a long way in our world.

5. Connections in life are important. The people you meet & encounter in life will sometimes circle back into your life via work, church, friends, or even into family circles. Use compassion, grace & understanding in difficult situations.

6. Find and develop your skills & talents. What are you passionate about? As you grow and change, your interests and inspiration can create new opportunities. Be flexible. Be willing to adapt to new ideas and change.

7. Last, but not least, keep your body strong … mentally and physically. Let’s elaborate. Reading as an adult helps your mental capabilities, increases vocabulary skill set, & can improve memory. Reading for information is a powerful tool. Become an independent thinker, read and form your own opinions about news, politics and the world around us. And remember, it is ok to disconnect from your devices and unwind at the end of the day. Reflection is an excellent way to disconnect from the daily grind and evaluate what is next. In those quiet moments (in the car, spiritual time,journaling, etc) allows you to evaluate your goals, make decisions about goals…is this the path I still wish to take? do I need to adapt my goals, what did I learn along the way? In essence, you can learn from your success & mistakes.

And finally, be physically active…get outside when you can, enjoy the natural world around you, it is good for your overall health.

My final parting wish to you today, “may you be richly blessed in your journey ahead”. Your greater community is excited to see how your success will continue to add to our future growth in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Angela Searcy

Co-owner of Wilkes County Hardware

challenges, Hardware Store Life, Transitions in Life

Routines

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Monday has arrived again. Some of you maybe sad to be getting back into the “work routine” again after a few days off from the July 4th holiday.

We are excited to begin our 5th year in service to our customers & local community. So, I’m living & loving the logo I posted out there for y’all today on this blog post.

Even though Covid might have altered your daily routines, don’t forget to set your mindset for success this week. Keep your routines going.

Are routines important??? Yes!!! If you plan your day, you can become more efficient in what you do/need to do, which in turn could save valuable time!!! And let’s face it, those of us who love to procrastinate🙄, if you have a plan, it is much harder to put things off!

Routines provide framework for our lives & how we wish to live. Routines can instill good habits or bad habits. Do your habits help you accomplish your future goals??? If not, reevaluate your mindset. Once your priorities are set, your momentum will continue to roll in the positive direction.

My daily normal routines definitely have been out of sink lately. My grandmother’s sickness, her subsequent death, & caring for my grandfather, plus Covid life all rolled into the mix. One could say that routines have definitely been altered quite dramatically.

A very kind employee who has gone through a similar situation with a family member, continues to tell me, just prioritize, make a list when you feel overwhelmed, and do one thing at a time.

This has been very helpful advice for me. I have found out that everything does not usually get done in a day, but it is amazing to see the items crossed off the list at the end of the day!!! I can start fresh again the next day and prioritize my next steps.

My new “routine” is to review planner to do list everyday. This is now becoming an established habit. Ultimately what do I need to accomplish??? My planner has become my “new best buddy” these last few months.

Routines help give us a sense of normalcy in not so normal times. Honestly, I just need a little bit of normalcy now in my life.

Just a few minutes ago, I was working in the kitchen, and my son came up the steps and said, “oh, do I smell spaghetti sauce cooking”?

Yes, slow cooked spaghetti sauce is cooking up, a routine event for us on Monday nights. I don’t always do this every Monday, but a good consistent meal on a crazy hardware store Monday – unloading truck, payroll, helping customers, etc, the day rolls into early evening quite quickly without much thought or time to think about dinner prep 😳!!!

So I’m gonna keep making my slow cooked spaghetti sauce on Monday nights. It gives me a sense of comfort to make meals that my family enjoys and loves. Routines… 😊