| A
new generation takes over at Connelly's Hardware
Passing
the torch
Kathleen Connelly's
heirloom is also her livelihood. She bought Connelly Hardware from
her father 17 years ago, and his memory lives on in her vocation.
While she occasionally assisted her parents in the store as a child,
her mother steered her away from the male-dominated field as a youngster,
preferring to raise a future wife, mother, and, maybe, teacher.
The younger Connelly's first real taste of the business, however,
left her craving more.
| "It
occurred to me back then that if my father walked out...to
get a sandwich or something, I wouldn't know what to
do" |
|
Kathleen
Connelly |
|
So years later,
when she had the opportunity to fill in for an employee, she immediately
grabbed hold-and didn't let go. Her parents were getting older and
were looking to sell the business.
So she made
a bid and bought the store, as well as the building that housed
it, over a period of years.
"They made
so many sacrifices over the years," says Connelly of her parents,
as she whizzes from one customer to the next, wielding home improvement
advice and artistic suggestions. "It's always nice to see someone
you love appreciate it."
Connelly says
she learned the business by listening to her father and observing
his work, but the process took time, and she wasn't completely comfortable
being alone in the store for several years.
"It occurred
to me back then that if my father walked out...to get a sandwich
or something, I wouldn't know what to do," she says.
Few changes
have been made since her father's heyday, in adherence to the old
adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Small innovations
include renting part of the building space to the neighboring tavern,
and re-merchandising stock.
But the important
aspects of the business remain loyal to the senior Connelly's vision.
This privately owned store's owner and sales associates are intimately
familiar with their merchandise and techniques, and establish long-standing
relationships with their customers.
"We know
generations of customers," Connelly says. "I was stunned
the other day when a customer's son walked in, and he was 6 feet
tall. I remember when he was a baby."
DEBRA
FILCMAN |
