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FROM 'GASOLINE ALLEY' HARDWARE STORE TO BOLT KING
by
Anonymous
A shift in home improvement is taking place. Almost half of the independent hardware stores that were doing business in 1985 are gone. Hardest hit have been small-town stores. Contrary to popular belief, Home Depot and Lowe’s did not arrive on the scene with a mission to kill the downtown hardware store. Retailers of all kinds have grown in size to offset the increasing cost of doing business. For the many small stores, being debt-free is still not enough. What they need is a niche in the market, a way to distinguish themselves.
The story of BoltDepot.com starts with Cazeault Ace Hardware and provides a classic example. Cazeaults has been doing business at the same N. Weymouth Ma. location since 1949. Starting out as a family-owned, family-operated store in a working class neighborhood, the small store always managed to provide a good living for its owners. In those days, the store carried a little bit of everything. There were even rifles and shotguns displayed within easy reach, with ammunition sitting on the shelf below. And this was suburban Boston, not rural Vermont.
With almost a dozen repair garages, the road through town was known to locals as ‘Gasoline alley’. The area was also home to a large commercial fishing fleet. Soon the combination produced a bee-hive of fix and repair activity. Over time, increased competition and consumer mobility, led first to the demise of the toy business, followed by housewares. These changes, along with the owner’s interest in nuts and bolts, naturally led to an increase in the fastener stock, for which the store became well known.
The company discovered an interesting fact. Most customers did not know the names of different fasteners. Even the most mechanically inclined folks often declined help, preferring to keep looking until they finally spotted the bolts or screws they wanted. Through trial and error, a method of questioning was devised to speed the sales process, easing the confusion and mild embarrassment of customers who literally did not know what to ask for. This method, used in the original store, became the model for the navigation on a new direct sales web site.
Using the website’s simple visual selection process, visitors can quickly find the fasteners they need, and purchase by the piece, box, or any combination. There is no minimum order required. Visitors can easily access relevant technical information such as, correct pilot hole size or help determining screw diameter. Any customer wishing to speak to a fastener specialist can call toll-free.
Bolt Depot’s history has allowed it to fill a unique role online. This can be seen in its web site, which preserves the atmosphere of the family-owned business it grew out of. Despite online growth the company is still happy to send orders as small as a single screw and according to second generation owner Jordan Cazeault always will be. The idea he says is to preserve the best parts of the hardware store while using the latest internet technology to do business in the computer age.
For more information on fasteners, including the many head styles and materials available, visit us at www.boltdepot.com
For questions or information relating to the home improvement industry, Jordan Cazeault can be reached at 781-335-4000 cell 781-424-2032 or e-mail jordan@boltdepot.com
This article courtesy of http://www.industrials-supply.com.
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