Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom McKeithen.
Hi Tom, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My wife and I moved to Statesboro in 2016 when we found out we were going to be grandparents of triplets. My son was a Statesboro police officer and his wife was in school to become a teacher. After a few months with three babies and a 10 year-old, working night shifts at the PD, and a wife in college, my son decided he needed a career change. We had always talked about being in business together and started looking at opportunities in Bulloch County. After a few months of research we decided that retail hardware and lawn equipment was an unfulfilled niche in Statesboro. There was a Lowe’s store and nothing else – and we felt like a small independent hardware store would be a great fit. We bought land and built our store on Highway 67 in 2018. In October of 2018, we opened the store with the winds of Hurricane Matthew still blowing. We stold out of storm supplies and were off to a great start, holding our grand opening a few weeks later.
Today we are the largest independent hardware store in Bulloch County and a destination for lawn equipment, zer0-turn mowers and Milwaukee power tools. We are recognized for our customer service and have won “Statesboro’s Best Hardware Store” for 6 years running.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While we love the hardware business, it has not been a smooth road. With an MBA and a successful history with another business, I thought retail hardware would be a breeze. You buy at one price, sell at a higher price. What could go wrong? What we have found is that retail overall is extremely challenging and requires great attention to detail. Competition from Amazon and big-box stores keeps margins low. There are constant adjustments to product mix, pricing, marketing and inventory. In our store we have around 25,000 different items. And in a small hardware store – folks expect you to have SOME knowledge about these items and how to use them. So just keeping up to date is important.
As you know, we’re big fans of McKeithen’s Hardware. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
When my son Thomas and I started McKeithen’s Hardware in 2018, we were determined to re-create the experience we had when Thomas was growing up in Fleming Island, FL (south of Jacksonville). Nearly every Saturday there was a household project to work on, and we found a reason to go to one of several small, independently-owned hardware stores in the area. We might just need a few screws or a new saw blade, but we found reason to linger around and often talked with an employee or owner of the business, often on the receiving end of good advice about whatever we were working on. We cherish those memories, and try to do the same for our customers. From the beginning we were determined to carry higher quality products, especially power tools and lawncare equipment. We have been a Stihl brand dealer from the beginning, featuring a full-line of gas and batter-powered equipment. We have a service shop in-house to service everything we sell, including zero-turn mowers. Another strong brand for us is Milwaukee power tools. When we opened we carried several major brands of tools, but everyone kept asking for more Milwaukee. So we have greatly extended our Milwaukee selection while still carrying a basic assortment of DeWalt and other brands.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t really believe in luck. I believe that our faith has helped us to persevere through the ups and downs of owning a small business. In every difficult situation (and there are many), prayer helps us to find and work towards an appropriate solution. And our faith keeps us humble, with a servant attitude. This underlies the customer service for which we strive.
Pricing:
- We are currently clearing prior-year models from our Stihl zer0-turn mowers, offering huge discounts off retail as well as 0% financing to qualified customers.
- Pricing on most common hardware and household items are competitive with Lowe’s and Amazon. We do offer local price matching.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/mckeithentruevalue
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckeithenhardware
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mckeithenhardware
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@mckeithenhardware
