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Ten Retailers Join The Hardware Connection Century Club

Ten more hardware and LBM retailers have joined The Hardware Connection Century Club, which recognizes independent hardware and LBM stores that have reached the century mark.

The following retailers were founded in 1922, so are celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2022:

  • Barden Lumber, Boyne City, Mich.
  • Cantelmi Hardware, Bethlehem, Pa.
Placido “Pat” Cantelmi, an Italian immigrant, started Cantelmi’s Hardware on the south side of Bethlehem, Pa., in 1922 after having spent a few years working at nearby paint stores.
  • Hermann Lumber, Hermann, Mo.
  • Interstate + Lakeland Lumber, Greenwich, Conn.
  • Kovarik True Value Hardware, Binghamton, N.Y.
  • Little Hardware, Charlotte, N.C.
  • Moison Ace Hardware, Groton, Mass.—Moison Ace Hardware dates back to 1922, when the business was started by George L. Moison on the corner of Hollis Street and Willowdale Road in Groton, according to the company website. In the 1930s the store was relocated to the corner of Main Street and Station Avenue. In 1978 the store was remodeled with new fixtures to make better use of the space. Rick Sargent, George Maison’s great-grandson, took over the family business in 1986, and in 1988 they joined Ace Hardware Corp. The company bought its present property in 1992 and opened a second store in Bedford, Mass., in 2008 that is managed by Neil Sargent, great-great grandson of the founder.
Fifth-generation family members are now involved in operating Moison Ace Hardware.
  • Rollier’s Hardware, Mt. Lebanon, Pa.—The Rollier brothers, Herman and Emil, opened Rollier Brothers Plumbing in 1922, which offers plumbing, heating, and roofing service and repair. Brother Ralph joined the business in 1928 as they build their new location on Walnut Street at the corner of Bellefonte. This gave the brothers the space they needed to house their growing business, as detailed on their website.

     Herman’s youngest daughter Alice married H. Doyle Satterfield, who began to work for the business in 1939. He suggests that they use the front of the building to open a neighborhood hardware store.

Rollier Brothers expanded to the South Hills in 1953, opening the first self-serve hardware store in the area. Rollier’s “Kwik-Serv” Hardware was also the first area store to prepackage nuts, bolts and nails for convenience. The new store offered its customers a self-service, easy-to-shop format. These concepts of fast, convenient customer service began to draw new customers to Rollier Brothers and the business continued to grow.

     In 1966, the Satterfield sons (Bob, Chuck, and Doug) began to work in the business alongside their father, bringing new ideas to Rollier’s. Shortly after the sons joined the business the stores in Shadyside and Mt. Lebanon were divided. Rollier Brothers Hardware remained in Shadyside and was run by other members of the family. The Mt. Lebanon store was renamed Rollier’s Hardware and was run by the Satterfield family.

The growing market caused Rollier’s to once again change to meet the times. Large hardware retailers were moving into the area and Rollier’s met the challenge in 1994 by designing and building a 52,000-square-foot store on Washington Road. This new space was designed with the same basic ideas that were used when the original store opened in 1953: selection, convenience and customer service. The new store is large (one city block) in order to compete with the selection of merchandise found at the larger retailers. This store is divided into smaller stores within a store to keep the “neighborhood store” feel, making it easier to shop than the other larger stores. Knowledgeable staff in each area helping customers with their projects continues to be what sets Rollier’s apart from the competition. These ideas have helped Rollier’s to continue to grow and compete in the market.

With the retail environment changing due to the internet, the family decided to jump head-first into the world of online retailing in 2008. With this idea to sell unique items one couldn’t find in other retailers, the concept of Rollier’s internet site, called Hard to Find Items, was born.

Schwering’s Hardware as it looked in the 1920s.
  • Schwering’s Hardware, Palmyra, N.J.— H.C. Schwering built and opened a general-goods store called Schwerings Wayside Hardware, which opened Sept. 25, 1922. He sold everything from toys and radio tubes to the newly introduced electric clothes washing machines.
  • Stanton’s, Alvin, Texas

In 2019, The Hardware Connection established the Century Club, which currently totals more than 680 hardware and LBM retailers. A listing of these century-old businesses can be found by clicking here. In addition to a map listing of Century Club retailers by state, the website features links to store history and old store photos, as well as listings of Century Club manufacturers and wholesalers.

If you know of a hardware or LBM store that is over 100 years old and not listed in The Hardware Connection Century Club, contact Editor Chris Jensen at chris@thehardwareconnection.com.

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