Headley Hardware earns third-largest seller title
By SHANNEN HAYES
Staff Writer
Headley's Do It Best Hardware has done it again!
Now, only better.
They have moved from fifth largest to the third largest Do It Best Valspar seller in the country. The store missed second place by only $3,000 and beat out 4,300 other Do It Best stores.
"I was exceedingly disappointed we didn't get second place," said Randall Jones, president of Headley's Hardware.
"It is still unbelievable (to receive second place) given our demographics," he said. "We will be number two next year."
Headley's, 841 Indianapolis Road, has been selling good paint at good prices for 55 years.
"People buy paint here because we know paint," Jones said.
DePauw University buys a bulk of its paint from Headley's along with every paint contractor in area. Blue Water, compressor station, relies on Headley's for all their supplies.
Headley's customers can get everything -- from paint to matches --for any project. Every inch of the 13,000 square-foot sales floor is filled with 38,000 different items. Jones attributed the success to five things:
* Fair and honest prices -- He price shops "big box" stores such as Lowe's, Home Depot and Menard's. (Ace, True-Value and Do It Best are co-op stores.)
* True convenience -- The rising cost of gas has led people to shop locally.
* Customer service --Answering questions or helping customers finding what they need never bothers the staff. That is what they are there for.
* Product selection -- Headley's large inventory allows them to have everything available when a customer walks through the door.
* Product knowledge --The staff receives on-the-job training. Simple mentoring and six months to learn the business gives them the edge on solving customer's problems.
Jones said he learned everything he knows from Jim Headley and James Zeis.
"Thank you to everyone who walks through the door."