The Hardware Man - Retail and Weather

Howdy folks,

I’ve scheduled my life around the weather for years, now it's second nature for me to check the forecast before I do much else in a day. This summer has been tame, especially when compared to last year, when we had two months of very hot and dry weather. My calendar says we have hit the dog days of summer, where we start harvest, canning, and preparing for fall.

I am still learning the shifts of new retail, preparing for the season six months ahead, getting Christmas decorations ready in August, and switching to spring planting in January. In some ways, we are becoming conditioned to the absurdity of Halloween décor displayed beside the 4th of July. At least in Clintonville, our turn is pretty simple. Our demographics don’t demand the latest decorations, just that we have snow shovels when they need them and grass seed before that. We clearanced our garden seeds and some other slow-moving products, and moved canning products to the front. Here’s a shameless plug to check out our clearance section in the back.

Regardless of the season, there is always something to do, but I find the month of August a transition period. We are headed out for a few days of vacation, finishing with a hardware show our buying group puts on. Upon return, we’ll hit the countdown until school starts and begin our fall prep.

A hardware show is always enjoyable to attend. I have been going as a vendor for years, making friends with dealers and vendors alike from around the nation. The location may change, but the inside is still the same. What will the weather be like? 70 degrees with a chance of overhead lighting. I enjoy talking to those I know as well as meeting new friends as we discuss business, how to make our stores better, and what new products and ideas are in play. I’ll be trading t-shirts for my # wear your friends to work campaign and shopping for some new products to bring to the store.

We have a few objectives to accomplish as we attend this market. Thankfully, our business has been growing, and the movement of different departments is noticeable. We are looking at revamping more of our store and expanding a couple of sections to better supply the demand. Meeting with vendors and seeing their displays will help us better utilize what space we have with a product mix that will move. We’ll get samples from some vendors that interest us and try them out when we get home. Don’t worry, you’ll hear all about them.

The other seasonal transition we get to make is into cooler weather. Our summer coal pre-order is in phase 2, but still with significant savings. Stock up for the winter and reserve some quality Lehigh Anthracite, now through August 30.

So, while it is the beginning of August, I’ll be shifting my focus towards buying for winter and even next spring. Should we bring in Christmas lights or porch geese? Decorative flags or grills? What new Milwaukee gizmo does our next customer want? Let me know. This is our community’s store.

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Daniel Karns and his wife own Clintonville Hardware & Rental along with other businesses. Join the discussion by contacting him at info@clintonvillehardware.com.