(\u201cOld Fashioned\u201d Store Keeps Pace with the Times)<\/b><\/p>\n
As a reporter for the Mayefield Messenger, Thomas Carroll captured the soul of his hometown by writing about \u201creal people,\u201d not just those considered newsworthy.\u00a0 His feature stories were well regarded and occasionally came to the attention of the metropolitan daily, the Beacon Light, which published Thomas\u2019 stories under the heading \u201cDispatch from Mayefield.\u201d\u00a0 The following is one of these Dispatches, published in 1974.<\/i><\/p>\n
An \u201cOld Fashioned\u201d Hardware Store Keeps Pace with the Times<\/b><\/p>\n
By Thomas Carroll<\/b><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b>Mayefield Messenger<\/b><\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard not to call Cole\u2019s Mayefield Hardware Store an \u201cold fashioned\u201d store.<\/p>\n
The building is unassuming. Its brick fa\u00e7ade and small overhanging sign have weathered many storms.\u00a0 Signs of age are evident.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Entering Cole\u2019s is a trip back in time.\u00a0 Wood floors creak a bit under the weight of the years.\u00a0 The lighting is dim, creating a cooling effect even on the warmest days.\u00a0 Merchandise is piled high on tables throughout the store.\u00a0 No signs designate the location of stock \u2013 order is implied rather than stated.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a librarian\u2019s nightmare, a browser\u2019s dream\u2026<\/p>\n
Cole\u2019s Hardware has been on Main Street for nearly 40 years.\u00a0 Carlisle Cole opened a tiny shop in 1938 in the 300 block of Main Street.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
The business grew, and a few years later, relocated at 508 Main Street where it has been ever since.<\/p>\n
It is with pride that Bob Cole calls his store \u201cold fashioned.\u201d\u00a0 To him, that term has nothing to do with age, but refers to the relationship he and his staff share with their customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe give service,\u201d Cole says.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what makes us old fashioned.\u00a0 Most hardware stores now are self service.\u00a0 Our customers receive service; they don\u2019t have to service themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cole feels the service aspect of his business is most important.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s why people keep coming back.\u00a0 The average customer comes to a hardware store and he has a problem.\u00a0 He only has a vague idea what he needs for a particular job.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur clerks can sell him exactly what he needs and can often tell him how to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cole says much of his success is based on \u201ctrust,\u201d that people can come to Mayefield Hardware with confidence they will find what they need.<\/p>\n
That trust sometimes transcends the sale of hardware.\u00a0 Cole tells the story of a man who came in from out of town to purchase some merchandise.\u00a0 \u201cWhile he was here, he asked me to recommend a good carpenter, which I did.\u00a0 Later he called back, said his wife was very ill and asked if I could recommend a good internist here in Mayefield.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a customer asks his hardware salesman to recommend a doctor for his wife, that\u2019s trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
For long-time Mayefield residents, Cole\u2019s hold the familiarity of an old friend.\u00a0 It is a bulwark against changing times that threaten to dissipate \u201csmall town\u201d Mayefield.\u00a0 Regular customers know they will always find a familiar face at Cole\u2019s, whether it be Bob Cole himself working behind the counter, or long-time employees Gene Woodson (30 years) or John Karl (ten years).<\/p>\n
For newcomers or out of town residents, Cole\u2019s is almost a curiosity shop.\u00a0 Besides a full line of hardware, the store offers stock that is nearly impossible to find elsewhere.\u00a0 Bob Cole calls it his \u201clow overhead\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Some of Cole\u2019s stock is representative of a time when people did more on their own, depending less on modern conveniences or ready-made items.\u00a0 For example, you can still get a cherry pitter at Cole\u2019s, or a cider and wine press, or even an apple corer.<\/p>\n
Bob Cole\u2019s belief in the \u201cold fashioned\u201d way of doing business extends to the future of Main Street itself, which he feels has \u201ctremendous\u201d potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cMerchants have to give Main Street a chance and put some money back into their businesses,\u201d he says.\u00a0 \u201cWhen the shopping center was built 20 years ago, people said it would be the end of Main Street.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still thriving and there\u2019s no reason why we can\u2019t continue to do so.\u00a0 We have some good businesses here, and with two banks and the post office, people will always come to Main Street.\u201d<\/p>\n
Standing still and depending on past successes won\u2019t keep you going in the future, Cole says.\u00a0 \u201cA business keeps young by doing new things by attracting new customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cole\u2019s began selling International Harvester tractors and lawn movers in recent years, and last year opened an attractive plant center, which Cole says is \u201cdoing pretty well.\u201d\u00a0 An extremely popular attraction a few months ago was a Sunday warehouse sale, which brought out a large crowd to see what goodies Cole\u2019s had tucked away.<\/p>\n
But you can go too far in trying new things as far as some customers are concerned.\u00a0 When Cole contemplated replacing the old wood floor recently, a woman customer was appalled.\u00a0 \u201cPlease don\u2019t do it,\u201d she begged.\u00a0 \u201cI like this old floor, the store just won\u2019t be the same without it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The old floor stayed, and the customer was happy.\u00a0 That, Bob Cole says, is what doing business is all about.<\/p>\n
(Robert J. Marton)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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