Home » Kate Klein

Kate Klein

Kate is profiles editor for Hardware Retailing magazine. She reports on news and industry events and writes about retailers' unique contributions to the independent home improvement sector. She graduated from Cedarville University in her home state of Ohio, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English and minored in creative writing. She loves being an aunt, teaching writing to kids, running, reading, farm living and, as Walt Whitman says, traveling the open road, “healthy, free, the world before me.”

Community Investments Protect Local Amenities

Randy Rich at Rusty Nail Hardware

Randy Rich didn’t aspire to become a hardware retailer, run for mayor or buy a grocery store. But just like his 23-year-long service with the local volunteer fire department, he saw needs and volunteered to help. Rich is the owner …

Read More »

Coffee Is a Winning Ingredient at Paint Perfection

Paint Perfection Coffee Shop

Luckily for hungry customers who are shopping at Paint Perfection in El Campo, Texas, they can grab a bite to eat and a coffee while they’re in the store. Owner Molli Bodungen wanted to creatively use her paint store’s space …

Read More »

Employees Honor the Company’s Heritage Through Photos

Checkouts - Burney Hardware

The staff at Burney True Value Hardware recently reimagined the first six decades of the store’s history through elaborately staged photographs of different time periods and events. The team has been celebrating the store’s 100th anniversary throughout the year, and …

Read More »

Store Serves Hardware, Food and Music

Joelton Hardware

If you stop by Joelton Hardware, Feed & Farmacy in Joelton, Tennessee, you might find the owner ordering plumbing parts for a customer, setting out fresh tomatoes to sell or singing on stage with a country music band. Kris McCarthy …

Read More »

Eagle Hardware Farm & Ranch Expands Its Community Impact

Eagle Hardware Farm & Ranch

Pastors don’t buy hardware stores very often, but Shawn Risinger’s vocations have always involved helping people, so the career switch from preacher to purveyor was a more natural fit than it sounds. “It’s always about helping people. When the customers …

Read More »

Gift Card Program Leads to New Customers

Wallauer Paint Hardware Design Gift Card

Wallauer Paint Hardware Design in New York has started a new initiative to court homebuyers as new customers and offer support to local real estate agents. Staffers at the 15 Wallauer stores are creating gift boxes, each containing a gift …

Read More »