[Hardware] Independently owned hardware store going strong for nearly 60 years in Ann Arbor

[FazzNoth]

 

As an independently owned hardware store in Ann Arbor for nearly 60 years, Stadium Hardware has built a foundation of trust in the community.

The store opened in 1963 at 2177 W. Stadium Blvd., and has expanded over the years into neighboring storefronts for Michigan Chandelier and Campus T.V. Nearly six decades later, the store continues to serve the Ann Arbor community, providing a service and selection not equaled by its big-box competitors, its owners said.

Skip Hackbarth, one of the three current co-owners of the store, said Stadium Hardware deals in customer service and stocks hard-to-find parts.

“There’s a lot of times where we’ll, if we can, drill something out, we’ll clean something up to make it function instead of selling another part,” Hackbarth said. “Some of the little parts and pieces - the bits and bobs - that big stores aren’t moving enough of, they might not want to carry them in stock... For us, because we’re the only place in town that carries it, we sell quite a bit.”

 

The other two owners, Brian Bennink and James Brustad, bought shares from Mike Kruzel and Mark Mayne when the pair retired at the end of 2015. All three are lifetime residents of the area and graduates of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School.

“This aisle alone puts us on the map,” Bennink said, gesturing to a wall of odd-sized plumbing fittings and replacement parts for kitchen and bathroom appliances. Stadium Hardware draws much of its business from contractors, property managers and handymen who keep Ann Arbor’s residences in good repair.

As local plumber Mark Ayers browses nearby, he chimes in: “If you need something, it’s here.”

The other main attraction at Stadium Hardware is Room 2, which hosts wall-to-wall shelves of all manner of nuts, bolts, studs and specialty fasteners that customers would be hard-pressed to find in stock elsewhere.

“We tell the Hillman rep, if you can fit it in here, we want it.” Bennink said. “If we could put stuff on the ceiling, we probably would.”

The store co-ops with True Value and Do It Best, but as an independent shop, can also source stock from other suppliers. Hackbarth said a recent inventory revealed the store stocks about 32,000 different products.

For many of Stadium Hardware’s loyal customers, who Hackbarth estimates flow through at an average of about 50 an hour, the store’s appeal runs even deeper than the stock on shelves.

Dan Weisman said he grew up visiting the hardware store with his grandfather, and he’s gone out of his way to keep patronizing Stadium Hardware.

“I’ll drive here from Pinckney just to come here - I work in the area, but I’ll come here on the weekend as well,” he said. “Practically everyone in here knows my name.”

Fran Hall recently came in to pick up some DIY supplies for refinishing furniture. She said in the three years she’s lived in the area, Stadium Hardware has become her go-to hardware store.

“It’s closer than Home Depot or Lowe’s and I also like the service that I get here. when I walk into a big box store like that I feel a little overwhelmed,” she said. “Everybody who works here is super great, super helpful... I love coming here and I’ll continue coming here over another store.”

“It’s really neat to watch, those relationships of people who’ve been coming in and out of here for 30 years or more,” Hackbarth said. “And they walk in and they see somebody that they’ve talked to and they trust and they know.”

The treatment extended to customers stems from the way the store values its employees.

“The crew, they’re the heart of this place,” Hackbarth said.

Employee Patricia Miller, who joined the store in 2011, said that during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the store was closed to the public, the owners not only kept employees on but provided meals during their shifts.

“It was about four months that we did everything curbside, and they fed us every day - we got breakfast and lunch every day,” Miller said.

The store has changed hands a few times in its six decades, with each generation of owners bought out by trusted employees. Some things don’t need to change, and the mission remains the same, Hackbarth said.

“Create an environment that people want to come to - that’s all it really comes down to,” Hackbarth said.

Hackbarth and Bennink smile and give the same answer when talking bout the store’s future.

“Let’s do 60 more.”

Stadium Hardware, 2177 W. Stadium Blvd., is currently open for winter hours from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Customers can call 734-663-8704 or visit stadiumhardware.net to browse the store’s online catalog.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2022/02/independently-owned-hardware-store-going-strong-for-nearly-60-years-in-ann-arbor.html