(“Old Fashioned” Store Keeps Pace with the Times)

As a reporter for the Mayefield Messenger, Thomas Carroll captured the soul of his hometown by writing about “real people,” not just those considered newsworthy.  His feature stories were well regarded and occasionally came to the attention of the metropolitan daily, the Beacon Light, which published Thomas’ stories under the heading “Dispatch from Mayefield.”  The following is one of these Dispatches, published in 1974.

An “Old Fashioned” Hardware Store Keeps Pace with the Times

By Thomas Carroll

 Mayefield Messenger

It’s hard not to call Cole’s Mayefield Hardware Store an “old fashioned” store.

The building is unassuming. Its brick façade and small overhanging sign have weathered many storms.  Signs of age are evident.

Like an elderly man, the exterior is slightly wrinkled from the passage of the years, but the old fellow can still do what he does as well as ever.

Entering Cole’s is a trip back in time.  Wood floors creak a bit under the weight of the years.  The lighting is dim, creating a cooling effect even on the warmest days.  Merchandise is piled high on tables throughout the store.  No signs designate the location of stock – order is implied rather than stated.

It’s a librarian’s nightmare, a browser’s dream…

Cole’s Hardware has been on Main Street for nearly 40 years.  Carlisle Cole opened a tiny shop in 1938 in the 300 block of Main Street.  According to his son, Bob, who assumed full control of the business a few years ago when his father retired, the elder Mr. Cole initially bought $150 worth of merchandise from a Baltimore warehouse, which he had to restock every day as he sold it.

The business grew, and a few years later, relocated at 508 Main Street where it has been ever since.

It is with pride that Bob Cole calls his store “old fashioned.”  To him, that term has nothing to do with age, but refers to the relationship he and his staff share with their customers.

“We give service,” Cole says.  “That’s what makes us old fashioned.  Most hardware stores now are self service.  Our customers receive service; they don’t have to service themselves.”

Cole feels the service aspect of his business is most important.  “That’s why people keep coming back.  The average customer comes to a hardware store and he has a problem.  He only has a vague idea what he needs for a particular job.

“Our clerks can sell him exactly what he needs and can often tell him how to use it.”

Cole says much of his success is based on “trust,” that people can come to Mayefield Hardware with confidence they will find what they need.

That trust sometimes transcends the sale of hardware.  Cole tells the story of a man who came in from out of town to purchase some merchandise.  “While he was here, he asked me to recommend a good carpenter, which I did.  Later he called back, said his wife was very ill and asked if I could recommend a good internist here in Mayefield.

“When a customer asks his hardware salesman to recommend a doctor for his wife, that’s trust.”

For long-time Mayefield residents, Cole’s hold the familiarity of an old friend.  It is a bulwark against changing times that threaten to dissipate “small town” Mayefield.  Regular customers know they will always find a familiar face at Cole’s, whether it be Bob Cole himself working behind the counter, or long-time employees Gene Woodson (30 years) or John Karl (ten years).

For newcomers or out of town residents, Cole’s is almost a curiosity shop.  Besides a full line of hardware, the store offers stock that is nearly impossible to find elsewhere.  Bob Cole calls it his “low overhead” that allows him to stock items that will sell only infrequently, that may sit on the shelf for years waiting for the right customer to come along.

Some of Cole’s stock is representative of a time when people did more on their own, depending less on modern conveniences or ready-made items.  For example, you can still get a cherry pitter at Cole’s, or a cider and wine press, or even an apple corer.

Bob Cole’s belief in the “old fashioned” way of doing business extends to the future of Main Street itself, which he feels has “tremendous” potential.

“Merchants have to give Main Street a chance and put some money back into their businesses,” he says.  “When the shopping center was built 20 years ago, people said it would be the end of Main Street.

“We’re still thriving and there’s no reason why we can’t continue to do so.  We have some good businesses here, and with two banks and the post office, people will always come to Main Street.”

Standing still and depending on past successes won’t keep you going in the future, Cole says.  “A business keeps young by doing new things by attracting new customers.”

Cole’s began selling International Harvester tractors and lawn movers in recent years, and last year opened an attractive plant center, which Cole says is “doing pretty well.”  An extremely popular attraction a few months ago was a Sunday warehouse sale, which brought out a large crowd to see what goodies Cole’s had tucked away.

But you can go too far in trying new things as far as some customers are concerned.  When Cole contemplated replacing the old wood floor recently, a woman customer was appalled.  “Please don’t do it,” she begged.  “I like this old floor, the store just won’t be the same without it.”

The old floor stayed, and the customer was happy.  That, Bob Cole says, is what doing business is all about.

(Robert J. Marton)