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Photography by Carmen Troesser
Branneky's True Value Hardware
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Photography by Carmen Troesser
Branneky's True Value Hardware
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Photography by Carmen Troesser
Liberty Do It Best Hardware
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Photography by Carmen Troesser
Liberty Do It Best Hardware
Tim Branneky’s great-grandfather opened for business in 1857 to outfit customers headed west on the Oregon Trail. Today, shoppers may need different supplies, but Branneky’s True Value Hardware retains its role as an essential retailer, supplying everything from sanitizer to potting soil.
“We’ve gone through close to 600 cases of toilet paper and 200 cases of gloves,” says Branneky, who co-owns the Bridgeton store with his brother, Jeff. “Then, if people come and get that, they’ll get other stuff.”
Typically the store might sell a couple of cases of toilet paper a month, but these are unusual times. Supply updates for such in-demand items as masks and disinfectant wipes are posted daily to the shop’s Facebook page. Landscaping supplies and materials for indoor projects are also popular. Branneky says sales are on pace to match a strong spring with good weather.
“A lot of people want to get outside, so they’re doing their gardens and having their best yard ever,” he says.
Sales are also strong at Southside Hardware, on Hampton Avenue. Homeowners are stocking up on sand, soil, paint, and other items for DIY projects, putting Southside on track to set sales records for March and April, says Allison Jennings. She and her father, Steve Ripper, along with her three brothers, operate the store, which her grandfather bought in the 1960s.
“We’ve seen a decrease in day laborers and commercial account purchasing, but that is a small percent of our business,” she says. “Homeowners are our customers.”
The family is accustomed to providing hands-on service, taking orders over the phone and helping customers carry items to their cars. That’s all changed as they’ve cut back hours to make more time for ordering, stocking of shelves, and cleaning at the same time sales have increased.
“Keeping our distance is awkward, especially when people are used to handing me the guts of their toilet and asking, ‘What’s wrong with this picture?’” says Jennings.
Southside specializes in tool and equipment maintenance, which means the family is at work long after the doors close, doing everything from sharpening shears to fix-ing mowers.
“Tool repair is greatest at this time of year, and we feel a responsibility to homeowners and lawn service providers to get their tools back quickly,” she says.
So far, industry advocates have been successful in lobbying to keep independent hardware stores classified as essential, which is important in areas that might be miles from the nearest Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Walmart, says Dan Tratensek, executive vice president of the North American Retail Hardware Association.
“In the rural areas, the hardware store is people’s only access to those kinds of materials, so they are essential,” he says.
In the St. Louis area, long lines and crowds at larger stores have prompted some shoppers to explore independent options. Liberty Do It Best Hardware, on South Broadway, typically caters to contractors and maintenance workers buying plumbing and electrical supplies—a niche business that has taken a hit in sales as a result of the pandemic. Steve Taylor, who has co-owned the store with his wife for more than 40 years, says he’s been seeing more home-owners looking to avoid the swarm of customers at big-box stores.
“I’m hoping to gain business from it. Saturdays used to be our slowest days, but our business has picked up,” he says. “I’m seeing a lot of people I’ve never seen before. Hopefully we’ll treat them right and they’ll remember that.”
