Home improvement retail is one of the most visible barometers of construction activity. When a regional chain opens several new stores in a single year, it signals confidence in the housing markets it serves. A Pittsburgh operator announced five new home improvement centers across the tri-state region for 2018, adding to an existing footprint of […]
A hardware store that adds 2,500 square feet of retail space and a dedicated paint center says more about a desert community than the square footage suggests. Residents of towns like Twentynine Palms, California, spend their summers defending their homes against heat, dust, and sun, and the stores that serve them stock accordingly: swamp cooler
Two new hardware stores in Abingdon and Lebanon, Virginia, opened with grand celebration events that included sales, product giveaways, and activities for the surrounding communities. A store opening is a modest news item, but it points to a larger pattern: home improvement in Virginia runs on local supply points. The contractors, tradespeople, and property owners
Remodeling a hardware store touches every part of the business, from the floor plan to the checkout counter, and a well-executed project lifts sales while giving the store a fresh identity in the community. The planning phase determines most of the outcome: owners who map out traffic flow, storage capacity, and building systems before demolition
Home remodeling activity is projected to climb again after a short downturn. The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, published quarterly by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, tracks where the market is headed, and its late 2024 release pointed to renewed growth through the third quarter of
Ace Hardware of Rancho Santa Margarita opened on October 3 at 31541 Santa Margarita Parkway in the Mercado del Lago shopping center. The 18,000-square-foot store serves homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, and contractors with a full range of tools, building supplies, and services. Cesar Velasco, a retail veteran with more than 25 years of management experience, runs the
When a hardware retail chain opens its fourth store in a mid-sized city, it sends a clear signal to homeowners: demand for tools, materials, and project support is strong enough to justify new investment. The newest location in Mankato, Minnesota, will occupy the front 10,000 sq ft of a 19,000-sq ft building that first opened
A porch is the most used room in a timber home for a third of the year. Good planning turns a basic deck into a place to eat, read, and sit in the evening air, while the wrong furniture ends up replaced by midsummer. Seasonal preparation means more than buying new items. It means inspecting
Renovating a ranch-style home into a timber frame retreat takes more than fresh paint and new flooring. The transformation of a mid-century ranch in northern Colorado shows what happens when a clear design brief meets solid structural bones, skilled joinery, and a steady supply of reclaimed materials. The owners wanted a working home with a
Timber-frame houses collect a different kind of dirt than drywall homes. Exposed beams trap dust and cooking residue, log walls hold pollen in their grain, and wide-plank floors show every grit track the moment sunlight hits them. The same wood that gives these houses their character is also the most sensitive surface in the building,
