A Brief History of Hardware at Harrington & Co. (or, How We Became a Specialty House)

Ever wondered what the history of hardware at Harrington & Co. became??

In the Late 1960’s, as Harrington’s roofing and building materials business began to boom, the management tried to figure out a way to keep busy and profitable during those times when business was slow. It was hard to lay off good people during the winter months and so we decided to foray into the hardware & tool business.

We stocked the tools that the roofers needed, so we had already established relationships with companies like Ames (which also had Plumb hammers), AJC, and Evans chalk lines.

The sales people were instructed to call on the lumber yards and hardware stores in the area and sell these lines. It was almost an instant success. We quickly took on other lines that we could sell, and we became the favorite spot for shovels, rakes, and all related products along with drywall and cement tools, leather aprons, power tools, and many other lines.

In the mid 80’s the two large hardware distributors in the market went out of business and left a huge vacuum and many dealers scrambling for help. We quickly became a full line distributor of tools and hardware, plumbing, electrical, paint sundries, power and pneumatic tools and accessories, farm and ranch, lawn and garden, and much more (along with our growing building supply business).

We signed on to the PRO group and had many stores that raised the PRO banner and used us to fulfill their needs. Things were going good until a major shift happened in the retail world…the big box stores came to town. Many retailers chose not to compete with them and raised the white flag and went out of business. So sad! A lot of old fashioned Mom and Pop type hardware stores are now gone. The day of the independent retailer came to a screeching halt.

That left us with a warehouse full of stuff that wasn’t selling anymore! We have weeded out most of the non-movers and kept the stuff that still continued to sell.

So, while we no longer have full lines of categories and product lines, we do have many quality hardware and tool lines that many places look to us for help and support.

We are dedicated to selling these lines at low competitive prices. We constantly look for unique and fun lines to bring in and feature.

Please go to our online store www.harringtonco.com to find hardware at Harrington & Co., plus great deals on many terrific lines and items. For more information, call us today (801) 972-3131.