Hardware on Harrison

Few get to see a dream come true.

But one has for 33-year- old Erin Davis.

That dream came true Nov. 18 for Davis when she opened the door for business to Hometown Hardware store on Harrison Street in Portland in the former Central Gases location.

Her first customer, Doug Somers, came at 6:55 a.m. That first dollar now hangs in prominence above the front window. “We framed it,” Davis said, chuckling about opening the front door for business that Monday.

An employee of True Value Hardware on Meridian Street for 15 1/2 years, Davis said it had always been her hope to someday own her own hardware store.

“In high school I worked for (longtime owner) Ken Schwieterman and I liked the business,” she said. “I always wanted my own store.”

In the meantime, in October 2018, Davis found herself a single mother to 8-year-old Jake and she needed more money and additional benefits, such as insurance, which was not offered. That led to her leaving True Value for a job in the office at MSSL Wiring.

“That was not for me,” she said about the decision that led her to where she is today. “Now was the best time” to put plans for the store in motion.

So she began looking for someplace to locate the hometown business.

She had been a customer at Briggs Hardware in Geneva many times and always liked the coziness the store offered. That was her goal with her own store.

Davis looked at a couple places but those eventually fell through. Gary Powers, owner of the store’s building that was home to Central Gases for many years, offered to rent that space to her and she became its tenant on Sept. 15.

Since then, longtime friend Ron Somers, who retired from Portland Fire Department on Aug. 23, along with family members and other helpers have transformed the building into a bright, convenient place to shop.

They eliminated an office area in the middle of the room, moved a wall in the back room, removed the carpeting and spent more than 14 hours sanding the floors to remove carpet glue. Fixtures in the bathroom were all replaced and a fresh coat of paint brightens the interior now. Somers built a stand for the paint stirrer as well as the front counter.

The store offers everything a hardware store could provide. There is a wall of nails, and screws, light bulbs, gloves and Pittsburg brand paints with the paint shaker to give the customer any color they want. There’s those wood chips for stoves, as well as an ample supply of water softener salt. In addition to hardware the store will provide chain saw as well as blade sharpening.

“We will have water heaters, sump pumps, PVC pipe, complete toilet kits, custom paint and stain,” Davis added.

She was quick to say her goal isn’t to compete with True Value’s business.

“I want to have a mid-grade product. Not the most expensive and not the cheapest,” Davis said of her inventory. “It’s about savings. The biggest thing is for the customers.”

Davis said the business would also have a few items to rent, such as a paint striper used for making lines on football fields.

In addition to Somers, Davis will be joined in the business by Fannie Schwartz, who formerly worked at Walmart and True Value.

“If we need more people we will add more,” she said.

The whole experience has been an educational one for Davis.

“I’ve learned everything doesn’t have to be perfect,” she said. “I’m one of those people that wants everything done right now. I’ve learned it doesn’t have to be.”

Somers said about the store’s week before opening, “People think the store is open now. A guy thought we were open and came in the other day and wanted wire staples. We have them but didn’t have them out yet. I had a bag in my bag so I just gave them to him.”

The store opened Nov. 18. Its regular hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.