Stew Anderson shook his head slightly and disagreed adamantly when asked if he considered himself a pillar of the Richfield Springs community. Noting that “22 years is not a long time as far as businesses go,” Anderson said, “we’re just a consistent member of the community.” There’s something to be said for consistency, as he and his store have proven time and again to be there when people are in need. “A good hardware store does that,” Anderson said last week, scanning the store to make sure any of the customers meandering through the aisles of Anderson’s Hardware did not need his help. Consistency. Nestled in the heart of the village, Anderson’s provides a regular heartbeat for small town living. For the last 22 years, local residents have been shopping for tools, equipment, kerosene lamps, doorknobs, gardening gloves, seeds and supplies. Come winter, they can buy their salt and shovels from Anderson’s. Come spring, they buy their seeds. During the hot summer months, they can buy gardening hoses and fans. Autumn arrives and rakes and bulbs can be found at Anderson’s. It seems that no matter what a person is looking for, they have only to turn to Anderson and ask where it is, wait a brief moment, and if he’s not showing you himself, he’s pointing a finger in the general direction, naming the aisle and side of the aisle the item may be found. “You have to have a good memory in this business,” he said, “and you have to be able to tolerate a wide variety of people – people who want to fix a problem but don’t or can’t take the time or expense to do it right. “I have to help them fix it within their budget, when really they need a contractor.” So Anderson helps them find what they need to do the job as correctly as possible. And if they need something that is not in his store, or if he has run out of a certain item, he will get it for them. Much like the situation with the number of pumps he sold as a result of the flooding the area suffered recently. “A great number of pumps were sold, a lot of cleaning supplies. “It was good business for us, but a very hard time for the (people) who had problems,” he said. They made an extra effort to get pumps in stock, and if people found they had bought the wrong kind, Anderson worked with them to make sure the right one was found. He put forth a similar effort with Katrina, when the hurricane devastated Louisiana and Mississippi. Anderson joined forces with communities and organizations and participated in a fund raiser, providing customers with the opportunity to donate items to the cause. His efforts help local people as well, as was the case with Warren resident Fred Doubleday, whose musical CD is for sale in Anderson’s Hardware store. In his spare time, he and his wife sing in the Church of Christ Uniting church choir. He also sings with the Van Hornesville Voices. Over the years, Anderson has watched the village change and grow. “Change is change, it’s happening every where. “There’s been more suburbanization, more improvements. It’s not good or bad. “Change has to take place, and you can’t stop it from happening,” he said. The interest in local real estate has been good for people looking to sell or retire, and not so good for people looking for a reasonably priced piece of land, “it’s priced some people out of the market.” If he does not consider himself a pillar that the village rests upon, maybe then Anderson might consider himself the awning that people flock to for a little relief and help in dealing with the elements, and with life.
|