Niches

From ice chippers to salsa, sauces to cat toys, Chocolay Ace Hardware in Marquette, Michigan, stocks a wide variety of locally made products. The store owners know that buying local is more than just a passing trend or feel-good move …

Each category you add to your home improvement business can help expand your customer base, boost your sales and grow your local reputation. Automotive parts are no different. From headlights to tail lights and everything in between, the category boasts …

Although spring is just beginning, you finished plans for tulip caretaking and birdhouse building months ago. In retail, it’s crucial to plan seasons ahead, which is why holiday decor is a large segment of many wholesaler markets in the spring.  …

There are often multiple factors that drive consumers to make a purchase. Sometimes price points, durability and convenience are the main motivation. Then again, sometimes pure brand recognition can secure a sale and let them show off to their friends. …

Gourmet foods, local gifts, unique home goods, custom cabinets, firearms, live bait, microbrew beer, even frozen pizzas— there’s no shortage of variety alongside the core hardware categories at Solon Springs Mercantile. Owners Meg and Ken Thoreson have built up a …

Niche categories can add excitement to your business, and most retailers are always on the lookout for a new category to try. In the 2019 May issue of Hardware Retailing, three retailers offered their insights into how they’ve created successful …

As cold temperatures set in, it can be a real emergency to be stuck outside hoping for rescue or unable to dig your vehicle out of a bad scrape. Hardware retailers are particularly suited to offer vehicle safety products that …

Click the picture to download a PDF of this story. By Chad Husted, chusted@nrha.org A New Cook in the Kitchen Gadgets are a fundamental piece of the hardware industry. Adults can get the same sense of wonderment as children with a new toy …