HARDWARE STORY.
I remember one morning in high school a teacher came into our classroom and said that we needed to support this small hardware store downtown. She said they were struggling and they would close if their business didn't turn around soon. You see, Richmond had recently got a Walmart...To a fifteen year-old the place looked insane. And the owners were a little suspicious of my being there, but I dutifully went in and bought my soda––small, I realize now, but trying to do my part (never questioning why a hardware store would have soda).A couple months later the store closed. And if that hardware store was anything like Bruton's in Tompkinsville where I went this weekend for building supplies, then Richmond lost an absolute gem.I walked in with a strange list of materials, then met a man named Doc who took me all over their store––a store piled high with everything from garden tools to wood stoves––and proceeded to find every single thing on my list. And not just find them, but in some cases help me make my decisions and give me tips on installing them. He pieced together a kit for a stovepipe; he got all the materials I needed to install our (future) electrical system; he found me insulation, staplers, masks, and everything else I had come for. This went beyond customer service––I had my own professional to guide me.Now this might or might not seem like a big deal to some, but if I had needed these same things in a town with only a Walmart, would I have been able to find them? Also, would someone there have been able to help me? And would Walmart let you borrow a charger for your drill batteries because you forgot yours in Nashville like a dope? Doubtful, but Doc saved the day. I'm a newcomer to this carpentry thing and I'm honestly quite intimidated, but Doc was an enormous help––a priceless one.As a kid, although I bought my soda, it was hard for me to truly value that hardware store in Richmond because I had no real use for it. Now, however, I see their value and how important it is to keep them alive. And although Bruton's was slammed busy and had seemingly nothing to worry about, it felt good to support them. Without Doc and his store, I would've had a much different weekend, a much less productive one.- Jesse.
stay tuned for more posts about all the cabin progress we made this weekend!
