Justice writes "(Later edit) The store is open 8-5 Tuesday-Friday the week of July 14-17, til 7 next week.
Jeffrey Zettler knows an opportunity
when it presents itself.
Back in October of 2008 Zettler
followed the story of the closing of the Grandview Trustworthy
Hardware store, relocated from 5th Ave. to Goodale Blvd.
In posts on this blog and the local Columbus Underground blog, the
story of the business move was told , with a struggle to establish a
presence at the new location, and a sudden bankruptcy that left
employees stranded.
The large number of posts mourning the
loss of the hardware store on the CU website, both for the
convenience of the location and the skill of the employees, gave
Zettler the impetus to try to keep the store open in the original
location on Goodale. He contacted the owner and the store manager,
and tried to find a way to bring the location back to life.
Unfortunately, the size of that location was a constricting factor
that made long term plans doubtful.
Rather than sort out the complexities
of a business that had gone though bankruptcy, Zettler decided to
start fresh with a new hardware store a few blocks East on Goodale.
Goodale Pro Hardware (intentionally
using a new name rather than continuing the Zettler name of his
family owned stores) will be a reboot of the hardware business. He
hopes the location will recapture the loyalty of Grandview consumers.
I spoke with him as he worked inside the new location last week.
“We know that we can't compete with
the big box hardware stores very much on price, but service and
knowledge of employees is vital to building client trust. With Dave,
the manager of the old store, we will build a lineup of knowledgeable
people who will make this store a better choice for consumers.”
The right location
The store is opening in the front part
of the 2-J supply building, across the street from Krema Peanut
Butter factory.
“2-J HVAC
Products was hustled out of their location further east
on Goodale (by NRI) and purchased this building without a real need
for the storefront - that business is wholesale. The location was
just what we needed for our new store”.
I asked Mr. Zettler if the proximity to
the proposed Grandview Yard had made it a more expensive location. He
said that there may be some spill over effect of values sometime in
the future, but had not been a real factor now. “The rents on
Goodale are still low compared to 5th ave. and other high
traffic locations. And with the economy right now any inflation of
rents is just not going to happen. This was the right place for us.”
I asked him if this down economy was
really the right time to start a new store. “I typically view
recessions as opportunities. The greatest companies in America were
mostly started during credit dislocations like we have now.”
The new store will be a full service
hardware store, offering standard services such as screen & glass
installation, glass cutting and key duplication. A tool rental
program and website are in development.
Good luck to Jeffrey Zettler and his
new store, I'll check back with updates as the store opens (possibly
in June).
Twitter feed for the store, a website is supposed to be on the way.
The store is open! 8-5 Tuesday-Friday this week, til 7 next week.
"
