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hardware store, Hardware Store Life, nuts and bolts, old hardware stores, Shop Local, work

Nuts and Bolts

January 11, 2023 hardwarelifewife 2 Comments

Work… the mechanical manifestation of energy, according to science. Work it could be said, is the “nuts and bolts “ of what we do each and every day. After all, nuts and bolts are not the whole of a project, they are only a portion of a project.

The successful concept of work today creates within the soul a feeling of pride, satisfaction of a job well done, and contribution back into your greater community in some type of capacity. Today I’m offering y’all an inside look at our hardware work… the “nuts and bolts” view of what we do each day.

Walking inside Wilkes County Hardware may take you back into a time of nostalgia… viewing our old building, wood stove, historic elevator, or even remembering a time when hardware stores used to be full service for the customer. We still do that each and every day. Our customers always come first! Customers are the essential element in our business, and that is why we are customer service oriented in what we do! Wilkes County Hardware is definitely more than a place to go pick up a few nuts and bolts.

**They just don’t build them like this anymore, check out the size of those beams y’all!**

**Wood stove heat keeps us moving and going in the winter months.**

Yes, we have several folks who stop by to shop our extensive selection of nuts 🔩 and bolts… whether you are looking to purchase one or two or even multiple boxes. But did you know that we do the following things as well??

1. Key duplication

**Wayne is a popular guy in our key area! We duplicate keys, rekey locks, can make chip keys … ask us if we can help you out with your key needs**

2. Kerosene wick replacement

**Wick repair is ongoing, unsure which wick you need? We can find that for you too!**

**A work area for repairs like kerosene wick repair, tool repair, lamp repair**

3. Threading and pipe cutting

**Galvanized and black pipe threaded… if you have never done this, it is a labor intensive job and takes time to do it well. Kudos to Richard who does most of this laborious task.**

4. Glass cutting up to 36 inches

**This custom piece was recently done for a customer and it is ready to go!**

5. Chain cut to exact length

**Our display showcases the chain we have in stock** **and ready to go home with you! Measure twice, cut once… cut chain CAN NOT be returned please know how much you need before we cut it for you.**

**Folks often ask about what we use our upstairs space for… we measure and cut chain, tubing, rope, do window screen repair, window glass cut, and pipe threading is all done upstairs**.

6. Basic lamp repair

**Have a lamp that is acting all weird.. we can fix it for you or you can do it yourself with these simple pieces**

**Light bulbs, extension cords, fuses, and basic electrical supplies we will help you find what you’re looking for in order to get your to do list completed**

7. Tool handle replacement

**Our lawn and garden section is usually a busy spot year round. Ask us if you have questions about a project, or product.**

8. Pool water testing for free!

**Pool water testing is always a good idea when you’re a pool owner**

**Wilkes County Hardware keeps a variety of pool chemicals in stock for sale**

9. Roll pipe cut to length (most hardware retailers sell the entire roll) and copper pipe

**Copper cut to length or sold by roll**

**Need to do a small plumbing repair? We can cut these to length as well This display is found on the plumbing aisle.**

10. Gas and plumbing fittings … including a good selection of Pex and Shark Bite

**Compression fittings and flared fittings of all sizes**

**Our plumbing aisle is a bustling place on most days**

11. Vast selection of furnace filters

**Ask us and we will gladly help you find your size of furnace filter**

12. Window screen repair

**This is a basic list of our service offerings.**

13. Knife and scissor sharpening

**Working on a knife** 🔪 **for sharpening**

As y’all can see we work hard to be a full service hardware store for our customers. Our goal is to keep our customers coming back to us for all of the things that they need for any project. Thank you for being a great part of what we do each and every day whether it is a purchase of nuts and bolts, a key or even a bag of bird seed. We couldn’t be here without you!

**Coles bird seed has become a very popular item for our regular customers**

**You need to clean it or scrub it, we can probably help you!!**

**And we have locally sourced items too!!!**

**Locally made soaps, candles, pottery, & woodworking**

**Stop by and find some “Great Stuff” that you didn’t know existed inside our historic walls. Sorry for the pun y’all.**

So there it is… the “nuts and bolts” of the hardware life daily work. Stop by and see us soon. We appreciate your support of our small business. YOU are the part that holds all of our work together in our nuts and bolts analogy. Thank you for joining us in our journey of the hardware life for the last seven years.

entrepreneurship, Hardware Store Life, keys, Shop Local, southern living

Unlocking the Mystery… Keys

August 10, 2022 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

All keys are not created equal.

The variety of keys could boggle the mind if y’all really stopped to think about it (house keys of all shapes & sizes, master lock , mailbox, car, boat, RV, & ATV keys)the list goes on and on!

Sometimes it takes a few minutes to survey all the different key blanks in order to find the right one before placing into the key machine. Our selection is vast.. and we continue to try to grow this portion of our hardware business

At Wilkes County Hardware we are known for making keys that work. We stand behind our keys. If ever a key doesn’t work, we will gladly replace it with one that will!

The key desk is usually one of the busiest places inside our store

I would guess that not many places are left in our town locally where you can go inside and get a key made accurately in a matter of a few minutes. And I’m not talking about putting money/key into a machine… taking a chance on the luck of getting it absolutely perfect… we are talking about getting your key duplicated by an individual using a key cutting machine. Keys are what we do well. Below are a few examples of what we do everyday for our customers.

We make keys the old fashioned way… not simply put into a machine to duplicate, using a key cutting machine like this one, we can cut out an extra groove if necessary.

A house key is probably the easiest to duplicate. Using the original key is the best way to ensure the most accurate duplication.

Most folks would be surprised how many keys we make in a single month.

Getting car keys duplicated can be a more of a dubious task. Many of today’s car keys are more costly to copy due to their anti-theft/electronic features. Car keys come in many varieties…chip keys, sidewinder keys, & fob keys if lost, can be a costly replacement.

Here’s one of the tools we use in order to determine if a customer has a automotive chip key

At Wilkes County Hardware, we can replicate most automotive chip keys. The vehicle should be present for a replacement chip key, or really any car key duplicate. It makes it so much easier!

Wilkes County Hardware has been receiving several calls related to lock shop services… ie, Can you come out to my house to rekey my locks? OR I have locked my keys inside my car, can you come get them out… 😳OR can you make me a new key from the switch???? No, we simply duplicate keys at Wilkes County Hardware.

Each week we receive multiple phone calls at the hardware store requesting information for lock services. We only duplicate keys at Wilkes County Hardware and rekey locks.

For many years Wilkes Hardware & Wilkes Lock Service were synonymous, and owned by one person. That is no longer the case. These two businesses have been separated from each other for over 17 plus years.

The old lock service sign is still on the store front… we hate to remove vintage signage

We are common neighbors on 10th Street with two very different businesses. We gladly refer all lock shop questions to our neighbors next door.

As a simple reminder, Wilkes County Hardware offers basic key cutting services, chip keys, & rekeying locks in our store. We are very blessed with an amazing staff who do a fabulous job of keys!

Wayne has been a master key guy inside Wilkes County Hardware for many years. We are blessed to have him on our staff.

Thank you for supporting our local hardware store business for the last SEVEN years!!! We appreciate your support always!!!

🔑

Wayne taking time to examine the old lock on our front door, he is a man of many talents

entrepreneurship, Hardware Store Life, Shop Local

Women Entrepreneurship in Downtown North Wilkesboro

March 8, 2022 hardwarelifewife 10 Comments

A view overlooking Downtown North Wilkesboro

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!!!

Happy Frog Creations

Little Corner Pottery

Made In McGrady

Gia’s Pottery

Cindy’s Dishcloths

Gypsy Ridge Honey /Soaps

The Land of Canaan Kids Soaps

Old Mule BBQ Sauce

Brushy Mountain Granola

Carolina Kuduz Crazy

Carmik Insect Repellent

Betty Miller Baskets

Hardware Store Life, Shop Local

A look back at 2021…

December 29, 2021 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

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!!!

These appeared in early spring months and sold out quickly

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 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

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 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

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 !

Hardware Store Life

A Flood of Memories

August 20, 2021 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

This past week marks a year of the flooding of our hardware store, August 13, 2020. I just realized that I never shared any pictures or stories on my blog about that day.

The afternoon had proved to be uneventful. We had a sudden downpour of rain. It lasted for several minutes. What we didn’t realize was that the drains in the back parking lot couldn’t keep up with the tremendous amount of rain that was coming down.

Our neighbors at Wilkes Lock Service were gone on a service call, which was not unusual. Their building was locked up. As the water continued to rise, the back door was pushed open by the flowing water.

The water was rising quickly and was knee high inside the lock shop before we were able to get through the heavy metal door that separates our businesses. It was blocked with debris and we were not able to keep the water from flooding into our business.

Water came up to the bottom of the fixtures, any higher and we would have lost significantly more merchandise

Panic set in. Water was everywhere. What could be moved easily and salvage??? In a stroke of luck I grabbed Richard’s computer bag. He had dropped it earlier in the day and left it behind the checkout counter before the water hit hard in that area.

We were extremely lucky that the water didn’t impact our technology, we pushed water away from here first

Our wooden ladder wall took some time to dry out, luckily that the water level wasn’t too high

Our staff was few… Richard had left to run an errand. One quick phone call brought him back instantly. I’m very thankful for Luke… he came in from his day off and began dealing with the lock shop front door to release the rising water.

Check out the water line on the lock shop front door… the white line marks the water line 😬

The next few hours are still a blur. Friends rallied to help us. We all worked late into the night pushing water outside our doors, running a buckets from the empty elevator shaft to the front door. Fans & dehumidifiers were set up strategically in order to efficiently dry our floors and everything else.

We opened our doors to our customers the next day. It wasn’t a normal day, but our customers were kind and gracious.

The storms of this past week brought a lot of anxiety about this past experience. But there are some things we don’t have control over… flooding, tornadoes, etc. It is a hard reality when it is your livelihood & business.

So in closing, I’ll share an update on progress… Usually during every major rain storm, the town street department swings by to check on the drains. Thankfully, we have been very blessed without any breakthrough water issues. And this past May, the town has completed a major project at our back door to help the flow of water.

I’m deeply humbled. Our friends rallied to help us in a dire situation. We receive phone calls from a very kind individual every time it rains for an extended period of time. Our customers drop by to check to see if our store is ok after a hard rain.

The flood of emotions are real… it is still close to our memory… every heavy rain storm we worry still …but the kindness of our community has been an amazing gift.

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