Sisters at the Helm
The couples who own Sawgrass Hardware have shared decades of friendship and family ties. A pivotal moment came during a road trip to Orgill’s 2023 Spring Dealer Market in New Orleans. Front row, from left: Laura Ward, Erika Brown; back row, from left: David Ward, Frank Brown.
At Sawgrass Hardware in Woodbine, Ga., sisters Erika Brown and Laura Ward—along with their husbands, Frank and David—turned a local need into a thriving, family-run hardware destination.
For sisters Erika Brown and Laura Ward, opening Sawgrass Hardware in Woodbine, Ga., wasn’t just a business decision. It was a deeply personal leap of faith that transformed a lifelong family bond into a brick-and-mortar retail hardware reality. The idea sparked in 2021 while Erika and her husband, Frank, were renovating an 1882 home in Woodbine, in southeast Georgia near the Florida line. With Frank’s contractor background and Erika’s 26 years as a realtor, they realized the town lacked a local hardware store.
“We were constantly driving in and out of town for even the simplest hardware items,” Erika recalls. “There used to be a NAPA Auto Parts store here that carried some hardware, but it was long gone.”
Initially, Erika and Frank bought the old NAPA building with no clear plan. Jokingly, Erika suggested her sister and brother-in-law, Laura and David Ward, relocate from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to help open a hardware store. It was a family daydream that turned real: By April 2023, the Wards had packed up and moved to Woodbine. Just four months later, on September 5, Sawgrass Hardware opened its doors.
In just four months, Laura and Erika transformed a former NAPA store into Sawgrass Hardware, enduring the sweltering Georgia summer as they did. Their paint-splattered clothes and tired smiles reflect the hands-on effort they made to infuse the store with their unique personalities.
“We say we jumped off the cliff and grew wings on the way down,” says Erika, who closed her final real estate deal in Atlanta the weekend before store setup began.
The summer was brutal. The family gutted and rebuilt the former NAPA store themselves, armed with little more than elbow grease and dozens of cans of brown spray paint.
“We painted everything out in the parking lot in the South Georgia heat,” Laura says. “By the end of it, I was so good with a spray can, I could’ve painted a car.”
They refurbished every fixture they could get their hands on, including shelving from a closed Kroger store and a checkout counter built from an old workbench that NAPA left behind.
Listening to customer requests, Sawgrass Hardware has expanded its selection to include hunting and fishing gear—everything from ammo and turkey calls to well pumps and tackle essentials.
As they renovated the former NAPA building, Laura and Erika were intentional about creating a space that felt welcoming, personal and rooted in the local lifestyle. They wanted customers to walk in and immediately sense the store’s character—one that reflects both the community and their family’s story. Frank’s family’s midcentury china cabinet anchors a display of hunting and fishing memorabilia, including their great-grandfather’s antique rod and reel, lures and creel. At the front of the store, customers see Laura’s touch: endcaps filled with coastal-themed housewares, Georgia Bulldogs gear, farm-style décor and thoughtfully chosen children’s gifts. Even the hand-painted ornaments—crafted by Erika’s sister-in-law—add a personal, local flair. The goal wasn’t just to stock shelves, but to create a place where personality, heritage and community pride come through in every aisle.
Getting ready for the grand opening was a four-month grind—but one that forged the team’s resilience before a single customer walked in.
Laura and Erika transformed an old NAPA store into Sawgrass Hardware with a hands-on approach, refurbishing Kroger shelving and crafting a checkout counter from a repurposed workbench. Their resourcefulness and personal touch are evident throughout the store.
Fuel from a Distributor—and a Dream
While still in the planning phase, the family visited Orgill’s Dealer Market in New Orleans in 2023—an eight-hour road trip that proved pivotal.
“None of us had hardware experience, but Orgill made it feel doable,” Laura says. “Danny Aldridge, our Orgill rep, calls on us every week. That made the decision easy.”
Orgill’s support went beyond weekly check-ins. The distributor helped plan store layouts, offered planograms and set up the entire store. Orgill also made sure the store was stocked even before the grand opening—because the community needed it. When Hurricane Idalia passed through during setup week, the store wasn’t even officially open yet—but people came in to buy tarps and supplies. “We were making sales before we even had signs up,” Erika remembers.
Orgill’s FanBuilder program also played a surprising role for Sawgrass Hardware. “It helped us learn customer names so much faster,” she adds. “There’s real value in those little touches.”
