REMEMBERING A VALUABLE CHAPTER OF WORKING LIFE
A question that stayed with me.
I worked for Bill Harvey at Harvey’s Hardware for a few years. He was in his late eighties then, usually wore a sweater, and was set in his ways. I learned a lot from Mr. Harvey, especially about selling fasteners.
There was one question he put to customers that stayed with me:
“Tell me what you want.”
It was straightforward, and it worked. But what stayed with me was more than the question itself. I observed how a man of his age had refined the way he filtered what a customer told him, getting to what they actually needed quickly and efficiently. That made an impact on my life, and it is the inspiration for the Hardware Counter here at Gardiner Hardware.
Bill got it done
Even when he was accused of being blunt or grumpy, Bill got it done. He had his ways, and I learned a great deal from watching how efficiently he reached a customer’s needs.
Lessons carried forward
Later, I went on to open my own hardware store of sorts. I took what I had learned from Mr. Harvey into that work, and I carry it forward into Gardiner Hardware today.
Looking back, those years at Harvey’s Hardware were a valuable part of my working life. I learned about selling fasteners from a man whose way of doing things left a lasting impression on me.
Why our counterman is named Bill
Bill is the name of our illustrated hardware-store mascot in honor of Bill Harvey and what I learned while working for him. Through the mascot, I am relating a likeness and my memory of Bill, not claiming an exact portrait. It is my tribute to a man who impacted my life, and to the practical skill I observed at his counter.
At this online counter, the idea is simple: tell us what you need, begin with the details you know, and work toward the right drawer. You do not need to know every name or measurement before you begin.
— Jeremy Abram
Step up to the counter.
Looking for a screw, nut or washer? Tell us what you know and leave the uncertain details blank.
Tell me what you want