Rossland’s hardware store is in for some big changes in the near future. These changes will see it become much more competitive with outside hardware stores, says owner John Greene.
“There have been some major changes in hardware distribution in Canada and we’ve been fortunate to get in on the ground floor,” Greene says.
“We’ll be one of the first 30 stores in Canada to do it.”
While Greene wouldn’t state fully what that big change was, he did say that in the next few weeks people will start to notice that the store isn’t the same as it used to be.
“One thing that people may have noticed is that our advertisements aren’t Pro Hardware anymore, they’re Rossland Hardware,” he says.
“We’re not going to be Pro Hardware anymore, we’re just going to be Rossland Hardware, because we can buy from so many more places.”
Pro Hardware is a banner, like Home Hardware or Canadian Tire.
“It’s a chain. We’re getting away from that. We’ve always been an independent hardware store, but we’ll be Rossland’s own hardware store.
John and Cate Greene opened their first hardware store in Rossland in 1997.
They expanded once at the old location.
“We were on Washington for four years. We doubled the size over there and then one year later move to our new location.”
In the present locaton, they expanded and doubled the size again.
“It’s time for another big change, so we’re doing a big change,” Greene says, addign that change is about revitalizing the store.
“You have to do a major change every year. So it’s revitalizing the store, plus new opportunities in suppliers. It’s an opportunity to bring in better and wider range of hardware and tools.”
He adds that the change came across the whole hardware world in Canada in the past year and they are just fortunate to get in at the start.