Hardware stores still plenty busy despite pandemic

MEREDITH — Maybe it’s because people are spending a lot more time in their homes, maybe it’s because they want to save money by doing it themselves, or maybe it’s because they are intentionally limiting the number of people who will enter their homes. Whatever the reasons, local hardware stores are reporting that concerns over coronavirus haven’t hurt their bottom line.

“Business does not seem to have dropped off since the virus has hit us at all,” said Randy Hancock, general manager of the Lavalley Middleton Building Supply store in Meredith. He said it’s hard to say what their business would be like if not for the virus, because 2020 had started off ahead of previous years, and has kept up that head of steam.

Even so, Hancock said that his employees tell him they’re seeing new faces come into the store since the governor issued his stay-at-home order in the middle of March, and customers have continued to stop in for the tools and supplies they need for their home improvement projects.

“It certainly hasn’t hurt us, we feel fortunate that we’re one of the businesses that hasn’t been impacted,” Hancock said.

By sales volume, Lavalley Middleton caters more to contractors than homeowners. He said he’s heard from a few contractors who have had jobs delayed because their clients wanted to wait until the virus was no longer a concern. He also heard of new home starts that have been put off due to concerns about the housing market. Judging by his books, though, Hancock said, “it doesn’t seem like it’s been a significant amount.”

The virus has had an effect on the store, though. The business now offers curbside pickup of pre-ordered items. However, said Hancock, most customers still prefer to come into the store. Hardware is a tactile business, he said. Before they buy, people want a better look at the products than they can get from a website. And since products are changing every year, there are probably new choices to consider.

The company has installed plexiglass barriers between the cashiers and customers to limit exposure, Hancock said. The store also closed one of its entrances to better manage foot traffic and help enable social distancing. Though his store doesn’t require it, he said a majority of the customers come in wearing a mask or some kind of face covering.

At Cyr Lumber in Tilton, inside sales clerk Steve Tolken said similar precautions have been taken: plexiglass barriers, tape on the floor to indicate a safe distance between people waiting in line. “A lot of the people now, they’re wearing their masks all the time,” when they come in the store, Tolken said. He said he falls into the “high risk” category as far as the virus is concerned, so he appreciates the clientele’s mask wearing, “very much so.”

Tolken said customers have “been pretty good” when it comes to respecting social distancing requests, and, like Hancock, he said there’s been no negative impact to business.

“We’re seeing a lot more home projects, a lot of paint, small hardware items, people are getting deck quotes a lot earlier,” he said.

Don’t bother coming in to look for hand sanitizer or face masks – they’re out of stock, Tolken said – but the staff is still topped up with advice.

“Come in and talk with us, we’ve definitely been there, done that. We can give tips and helping points, what to do and what not to do,” Tolken said.

It might be a time of pandemic, but that doesn’t mean that the faucet has to leak or that the windows can’t be painted.

“We’re just like everybody else, you have that unknown of where is it going to go, and how long is it going to go,” said Hancock. “It does seem like, for both my employees and customers, this is now settled in, this is normal.”