Tag Archives: journey in life

Hardware Store Life

Working together

Leave a comment

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.

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

Strength

2 Comments

What a powerful word!!!! Do you consider yourself to be strong??? Where does “strength “ come from??? Is it internal??? External???

Strength can be defined as being physically strong or the capacity to withstand a great force or pressure.

Gandhi wisdom states that strength does not come out of the physical strength but from indomitable will.

Life in 2020 has tested the powers of strength for many people. Hardships of health, natural disasters, financial, and so many other areas have impacted folks in 2020.

My personal life chapter in 2020 brought unique experiences with loss. In the first 10 months of 2020, I have lost 3 family members, the most notable for me was the loss of my Granny. The family losses were compounded with the loss of 2 sweet pups- GiGi & Elvis. 😢😢😢😢

Granny loved to be outside, strawberry picking was always a special time spent together

Staffing changes has created a void in our lives as well. The loss of long time employees has brought distinctive sadness into our midst. Those personal losses have been extremely difficult to deal with adding in the flooding events from August/early September that made life more interesting.

Then add in financial challenges/supply chain issues of doing business during COVID… Honestly, the list could go on and on…

Store flooded after a significant downpour… the back parking lot drains were unable to direct water correctly and our neighbors beside us flooded. As a result, our store took on water as well from their flooding event😢

Reflecting back on this chapter thus far in 2020, I’m not sure quite how I survived so far. Obstacles have been overcome, & new ones continue to emerge daily… so how do we keep going???

What gives you strength in hard times??? Religion, quiet reflection- reading, nature walks, staying connected to friends & family. Pets??? Laughter??? Hopes & dreams of better days??? Is it a combination of all of these???

Beautiful weather to get outside to keep body strong and always good for my soul

Finding Strength in 2020 has been hard but I’m not giving up. My will is still strong. I draw strength from all of the areas I listed above… prayer, reflection, walks in nature, family support, laughter with friends, music, & dreams. So I guess you could say that I am drawing strength from many different areas.

Another area of strength for me has to be our customers & followers on social media platforms. You have given me strength to push on. Thank you for your kind words on our posts!!! Feedback, comments, likes, shares and those continued interactions on our Facebook & IG pages are much appreciated. The algorithms are powerful today and the more interaction we have on these platforms, the more present we can be on your personal feed to showcase new products, store updates, sales etc.

AND… When you arrive as a customer in our hardware store with familiar smiles😊, it brightens our day!!!! We love to see y’all shopping local. We need to keep the heart of the #wilcostrong movement going. We appreciate your continued support of local businesses in our community. The long term impact of shopping local will definitely be a stronger local economy.

In closing, finding strength& overcoming life’s obstacles in 2020 has been a ongoing challenge. Thank you for giving us strength to keep moving forward. I’ll be dreaming of better days ahead as I know many of y’all are too. So y’all Dream On!!!! 😉

Hardware Store Life

Seasons Change

2 Comments

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

Leave a comment

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!!! 😊

A new journey begins, Anniversary, Hardware Store Life, memories, Shop Local, Transitions in Life

Our WHY…

1 Comment


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

Summer of 2015…



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

Richard was excited about beginning a new career path. One of the nice perks of this new business adventure, he would be home every night… ultimately more family time 😊.

The last 5 years has been a roller coaster of change. I’m so glad y’all have been a great big part of our journey. Thank you for your support!!!

I’ve been trying to reflect back on 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. We always look forward to your visits into Wilkes County Hardware. Y’all have become our hardware family 💕.

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. We offer tips or advice on how to use products, or we can direct customers to another local business if the item is not available in our store, giving a solution to our customers.

Thank you for being our WHY this Wednesday 😉and everyday.