Fall 2018 Hardlines Strategies

night and day. More female customers visit the store, often by themselves, which wasn’t the case at the old location, she says. Grills and leisure items for vacation homes have also grown in sales since the move, Lightfoot says. However, some things have not changed a bit, including how strongly the store and its employees support one of the largest local attractions, Lucas Oil Speedway in nearby Wheatland, Missouri. “Every weekend, you can find the Hermitage Lumber truck at the track, and a lot of our customers know of us through our work to promote local organizations like that,” Lightfoot says. “We serve a very local customer base and people that do a lot of projects on their own. We’re going to supply those customers, but we’re doing it in such a larger and more diverse way now that we have the new location.”

With the new space available after moving locations, Hermitage Lumber was able to expand its product selection to include housewares and other less-traditional items, attracting new customers.

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