Shuman Owens Supply-Ready to Serve

Shuman Owens Hardware Store

House-Hasson’s Team Approach Wins Over Shuman-Owens

Tom Bacon has followed a very simple philosophy that has suited him well since he first entered the hardware business at the age of 16 in Pembroke, Ga.—“It’s all about hard work and taking care of customers,” he says.
That’s why it made perfect sense for Tom to turn to House-Hasson Hardware to help him open a third store in West Columbia, S.C., this past year. In House-Hasson, he found a supplier that followed the same principles of working hard and doing whatever was necessary to take care of their customers.
“House-Hasson takes care of any problem that crops up and our salesman, Bill Barnette, is very good,” Tom says. “He’s on top of everything.”
Tom and his wife, Christine oversee the main store on Shop Road in Columbia, while son Wayne manages a second location in Denmark, S.C. The third store is operated by son Mark and his wife, Stephanie.
With a 60-year track record of success, Tom Bacon has continually risen to the challenge of meeting the demands of his customers as well as the arrival of the big-box stores. “We carry a lot of hard-to-find items that the big boxes don’t have,” he says.
The new store was built from the ground up, and House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware played a key role every step of the way. As Tom was evaluating what would be the best company to partner with in his new location, the choice came down to House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware and another wholesaler. When the dust settled and all the facts were on the table, Tom chose to partner with House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware for five key reasons:
1. Representation—Time and time again, Barnette proved to be a valuable asset to the Bacon family. House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware works from a team approach and Barnette brought in House-Hasson’s marketing team to discuss the best steps for Shuman-Owens to take. Discussing everything from circulars, store design and product assortment to pricing, merchandising and fixturing, they worked as a team.
“Everyone at House- Hasson Hardware helped us to make the opening of our third location the best ever,” Tom says. “The grand opening was unbelievable. House-Hasson helped with free door prizes, manufacturer representation and demonstrations. It was the best we have ever had at Shuman-Owens.”
2. Design concept—From the beginning, House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware proved to be the better choice. They wanted Shuman-Owens to be the story teller as customers arrived. So armed with surveys, discussions and plans, House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware developed a set of blueprints that proved to be the best.
3. Product selection—House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware stated upfront that they wanted to utilize my current inventory in addition to the new inventory they recommended, Tom points out. “Their one-each stocking was a money maker for us and allowed us to restock with A-B items that would turn and minimize our investment,” he adds.
4. Advertising—“House-Hasson’s custom circular is by far the best in the industry. It allows us the flexibility to tell our story with products other than what House-Hasson stocks such as lumber, doors, shingles and countertops,” says Mark, who adds that it has proven to be an attention grabber at the new location. “Matter of fact, it has caused great concern with our competition such as Ace, Lowe’s and Home Depot, who have sent management to shop and take pictures. When they do that I believe they are concerned.”
5. Support—“No doubt about it House-Hasson is one of the best supporting companies we do business with,” Mark says. “Whether it’s promotion, product, delivery, special orders, commodities, buying or customer service, House-Hasson is a great, team-oriented company.”
The new store’s 5,500-square-foot salesfloor is kept sparkling clean with all merchandise fronted and no holes on the shelves. Stephanie says they get a lot of compliments from customers on the look of the store, so they make sure it looks as fresh as the first day they opened.
According to Mark, the family started planning for the new store about a year ago. “We just felt the area needed a hardware store and we found a great location that was near a busy intersection,” he says. House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware researched the demographics, which showed there was good market potential.
The store opened up in May and held a grand opening event on July 4^th weekend that attracted a packed crowd. They have been pleased with traffic so far, and Stephanie says they plan to start experimenting with Facebook to further promote the business.
Customers quickly discover that Shuman-Owens offers product breadth and friendly, knowledgeable service and that they will find solutions to their customers’ problems even if it may be out of the norm. That’s also meant stocking what makes sense for the trade area. “My dad would never dream of selling bird seed, but Bill suggested we add it to the inventory and we’ve sold a lot of it,” Mark points out.
Adopting House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware’s Priced Right Everyday!^® program ensures the store projects an image for having competitive prices. “Most of the time we handle pricing and merchandising, but Bill points things out to us,” says Tom, whose future plans include opening up one more store for another son, Adam.
The Bacon family has established a unique source of revenue. Taking advantage of the fact the main store is located across the street from the University of South Carolina football stadium, they use their store’s parking lot and charge fans for parking. “If it’s game day, you know where to find us,” Tom jokes.
House-Hasson’s next dealer market is scheduled for January 5-7 at the Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tenn.
In its 105th year of operation, House-Hasson Wholesale Hardware serves 17 states, the Caribbean basin, and several other foreign countries. The company is approaching $200 million in annual sales.
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