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Irvin's Hardware
Irvin's
Hardware was born December
1, 1975, when Jerry Irvin
and his father Herb,
purchased the former Gambles
Store on Main Street.
Originally, the plan was for
Jerry (a college student at
the time) to operate the
hardware end of the business
while Herb ran a heating and
cooling service out of the
store. Herb had a
change of plans and went to
work for the state instead,
leaving Jerry to run the
hardware store. Herb
did work a few hours at the
store in the early years,
allowing Jerry time off to
spend with his family.
In those
early years, Irvin's
operated just out of the
West building and half of
the middle building. A
repair facility was located
in the back of the middle
building. In 1979, the
concrete addition in back of
the West building was added
that now houses the repair
shop. The business was
expanded into the East
building in 1984, allowing
Irvin's an indoor showroom
for its lawn and garden
section.
In 1986,
the company went into the
auto parts business and the
business became known as
Irvin's Hardware and Auto.
The most recent addition was
a 36 x 80 foot warehouse
located across the alley
from the back of the
business.
Irvin's
averages seven employees at
any given time, and
approximately 100 people
have been employed by the
company in its 30 years of
business.
The
biggest change Jerry has
seen over the years has been
the transformation from a
paper and pencil operation
to computers.
Irvin's
Hardware has been the
recipient of numerous sales
performance awards through
the years, and Jerry has
faithfully supported various
community organizations and
projects during the past 30
years.
His
advice to any new, young
business owner is simple:
there's no secret to
success. It's just
plain hard work. You
have to be there every day.
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