OT Farm towns gone to heck

Went to the local used to be farm town to the hardware store the other day for a new pitchfork. It's under new ownership and the owners are town boys. Guy ask me "a pitchfork in the middle of winter???"......I told him yep, I'm going to shovel snow like a true Norwegian!


RIck

Ole and Lena were playing cards one night and Ole wanted
some beer. He asked Lena to walk across the lake to the
store. He said to charge it to his account at the store. Lena
asked him, why not just give me cash? Ole said, I don't know
how thick the ice is.

Sorry, had to take a break from scraping.

Get ready....He's going to stop carrying 'farm stuff'
and will start carrying pet/horse
stuff,'farm'clothes,stuff for the newly transplanted
city folks(yuppies)....

(quoted from post at 14:05:06 03/03/12) Get ready....He's going to stop carrying 'farm stuff'
and will start carrying pet/horse
stuff,'farm'clothes,stuff for the newly transplanted
city folks(yuppies)....

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LOL they stopped carrying farm stuff a long time ago. They have never carried horse stuff but they did get pet food in, but no clothing.

Rick

same here its their raising i guess, the only farm exposure yuppies had was watching the mr ed show, and green acres re runs lol they have no idea what a real farmer needs

I sure do love hearing about Sven, Ole and Lena! Thanks for the laugh.

Christopher

It's often simpler to go to a local store's website, order what you want online and have it shipped to your home or have it shipped to the store for less cost. You will get an email when your items are ready for pickup.

If it wasn't for the horsey urban cowboy types, most places wouldn't carry any farm stuff at all. The farmers that are left around here tend not to be livestock people and buy all their parts from the imp dealer. I can remember my dad walking into the TSC and buying a set of tractor chains. They counted links out of a barrel. Now farmers use their 200 horse front assist tractors on a blade and have no use for chains. Just the urban cowboy who cusses the local TSC for not having tire chains for his 8N.
AaronSEIA

I owned the local Ace Hardware for 32 years. It was kind of a tough go because of the internet and the Big Boxes over at big town. I finally sold it because my wife and I were worn out. I should say, I gave it away. Had a decent building on main street, fork lift worth about 50g, a good shop, air compressor, welder, computers, etc. I held on to it too long trying to find someone that I thought might make it go because the town needed it. He was from the big city. I sold it at inventory wholesale and gave him the building and equipment. He franchised with some fly by night hardware co. He put in a candy rack, icecream box, coffee bar. Started buying dollar store junk. His plumbing and electrical inventory has gone to pot. I went down there today and bought a box of screws, paid $6.99, got home and noticed they had my price sticker on the bottom $1.99. He will close up soon and everybody will have to go to the city to get a screw.

(quoted from post at 16:27:53 03/03/12) I owned the local Ace Hardware for 32 years. It was kind of a tough go because of the internet and the Big Boxes over at big town. I finally sold it because my wife and I were worn out. I should say, I gave it away. Had a decent building on main street, fork lift worth about 50g, a good shop, air compressor, welder, computers, etc. I held on to it too long trying to find someone that I thought might make it go because the town needed it. He was from the big city. I sold it at inventory wholesale and gave him the building and equipment. He franchised with some fly by night hardware co. He put in a candy rack, icecream box, coffee bar. Started buying dollar store junk. His plumbing and electrical inventory has gone to pot. I went down there today and bought a box of screws, paid $6.99, got home and noticed they had my price sticker on the bottom $1.99. He will close up soon and everybody will have to go to the city to get a screw.

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Thats one of the reasons I shop at this one here. It's only 8 miles when I do need something like a nut or bolt.....option would be to drive 20 plus miles.

Rick

Never had a regular hardware store in this town until 10 years ago.The general stores were pretty good in the 60s but they turned into beer and cigarette stores or closed up.I usually buy 16p gal. spikes by the 50 lb box or 35 lb pail.I had 2 picnic tables to finish last fall.Asked for 2 lb at a hard ware store as I didnt want a box full sitting all winter.Had gotten some grain and other items.Looked at the slip at home and saw that the spikes in little pound boxes cost 3.99 a pound.Had the store name on the boxes.I dont buy much there any more.I did find a 35lb tub at a salvage store for 15 bucks later.The big box stores will skin you bad .I buy 3/8 carriage bolt by the pound.They cost 12 cents each,Box stores get 50 cents each or 46 cents if you buy yhe box.A hardware store just closed in the next town.Had 2 owners since 1960.The new owner closed in 1 year.He wanted 20 bucks a bag for fertilizer that I pay 14 bucks a bag for.Stores the price like they have no competition fail fast.

#6 the PO of the store I posted about is a friend. He showed me his invoices. With summer time orders being maybe a pallet worth a week. He was paying about what retail is in the box places like Lowes and HD. Sure is nice when a run short of shear pins with a storm moving in to get em close by.

Rick

I shop at the local hardware store every chance I get. Yes they don't keep as much of stuff and they cost a little more than the big places but they are still owned by locals that understand what you are asking when you go in. Last summer I went into the local rural king look'n for a stock tank float valve. 30 minutes after the kid working in the farm section called the manager to help and he still had no clue as to what I was talk'n about I gave up and called Southern States and had them order me one. About two months ago I was in the same rural king look'n for a garden hose. They don't keep garden hoses in stock in the winter I was told by 3 kids. I told them that town really needs a good farm store and they are waste'n a great spot for one.

Dave

(quoted from post at 21:23:53 03/04/12) I shop at the local hardware store every chance I get. Yes they don't keep as much of stuff and they cost a little more than the big places but they are still owned by locals that understand what you are asking when you go in. Last summer I went into the local rural king look'n for a stock tank float valve. 30 minutes after the kid working in the farm section called the manager to help and he still had no clue as to what I was talk'n about I gave up and called Southern States and had them order me one. About two months ago I was in the same rural king look'n for a garden hose. They don't keep garden hoses in stock in the winter I was told by 3 kids. I told them that town really needs a good farm store and they are waste'n a great spot for one.

Dave

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LOL Dave that about the size of it. My problem is that the folks running the local town are trying to get as far away from the locals as they can and only want the summer people. The new owners of the hardware store are trying to learn what the farmer wants to attract business. So I pay a littlemore in the dream that they will be around for a while!

Rick