Neighborhood hardware store grows up

Although Westlake has grown tremendously in its 101 years, the corporation still maintains the goal of providing hardware stores with neighborhood character.

Springfield’s Westlake Hardware opened Nov. 24, 1985.

“It was a very exciting grand opening; it was very busy and successful,” said Linda Smith, manager of Westlake’s corporate communications. “At that point in time, it was our 32nd store, so we have grown significantly since then.”

Westlake’s Springfield location was the fourth store of five the company opened in 1985. Westlake does not disclose revenues for individual stores; however, in 2005 the parent company’s revenues were $250.5 million.

Westlake stores are mostly in Missouri and Kansas, but others are in New Mexico, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The company’s variety of markets encourages a degree of individuality for each store. “Westlake’s goal is to be the neighborhood hardware store, so what we do is adapt to each neighborhood,” Smith said.

Westlake has considerable competition in the Springfield market, from both big-box and independent stores. Springfield store manager Jody Chambers said that the key to competing is a matter of finding a place in the market.

‘Real hardware, real close’

“We have our niche, just like everybody else,” said Chambers. “Nixa Hardware carries feed and seed; Edge Supply specializes in plumbing supply; we are a hardware store – that’s our niche. We call ourselves ‘real hardware, real close,’ because you can park right out front, find what you need and be out of the store in just a few minutes.”

In its early days, Westlake served primarily miners and farmers. The store now serves mostly do-it-yourself clientele. The offerings are varied, from lawn and garden, seasonal living and barbecue products, to paint, electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling supplies.

“People come to us for hard-to-find items that the big boxes don’t see any reason to carry,” Chambers said. “For instance, our plumbing department is more complete – you can buy stems so that rather than replacing an entire faucet, you can just replace the stems.”

Through the years, Springfield Westlake’s business has grown and changed.

“We are always very heavy into lawn and garden in the spring, and we do quite a bit of Christmas business,” Chambers said. “Our demographic is ever-changing. The do-it-yourselfers used to be primarily men from 30 to 50-plus, but that’s changing. Women are doing more and more projects these days, so they are becoming more and more of our clientele.”

He added that the store draws customers from all over Springfield, but that the residents within a two-to-three-mile radius of the store compose the largest portion of their clientele.

Largest Ace dealer

In 1959, the Westlake chain partnered with Ace Hardware, a dealer-owned cooperative that provides national purchasing power.

Westlake is now Ace’s largest dealer, according to Ace.

Smith said that success is partly due to the company’s prioritization of customer service.

“We have an in-house training department; we also get training from Ace; and we have a training library,” she said.

The store managers believe strongly in the company’s customer-service focus. “You need to keep those values in place and be as customer friendly as possible – because people have a choice of where to spend their money in Springfield,” Chambers said. “So we take a personalized approach.

“We load people’s item up front, carry things out for them (and) have a special order service.”

Westlake will be adding multiple stores in several markets over the next few years; however, whether the Springfield market will see another Westlake is uncertain.

“I would love to see growth in the Springfield market,” Chambers said. “We have been looking at putting multiple locations in for several years. I think it would be warranted to have maybe a store on the north side of town and a store further south, closer to the Nixa, Republic area. It’s really a matter of finding the right location, which hasn’t happened yet.”

Westlake Ace Hardware

Owner: Westlake

Hardware Inc.

Founded: 1905

Address: 2350 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield, MO 65807

Phone: (417) 887-8926

Fax: (417) 887-3218

Web site: www.westlakehardware.com

E-mail: wlake32@westlakehardware.com

Services/Products: Hardware store

Revenues: $250.5M (all stores)

Employees: 20 (Springfield store)

Where it All Began

W.I. Westlake purchased interests in Bagby & Doyle Hardware Co., in small-town Huntsville. The store was renamed Westlake & Doyle Hardware Co., and the first ad ran May 5, 1905. In January 1908, Westlake bought the Doyle interest, and the store became W.I. Westlake’s Hardware Store and later Westlake Hardware.

An early ad read, “Do you love your wife? She wants a refrigerator.”[[In-content Ad]]