Like many community hardware stores, Sanford Hardware was a staple for families and business owners in the Sanford, Michigan area. Opened in July 2000 by husband and wife duo Kathy and Dennis Sian, Sanford Hardware was opened out of a need for a reliable hardware store in the small Michigan city. Since then the couple strives to go above and beyond providing high-quality supplies and the best customer service to serve the community. Co-owner Dennis has over four decades of hardware experience, along with an experienced staff, which helps them to provide the best advice to customers in Sanford whether it be for quick fixes or DIY projects.
For twenty years Sanford Hardware continued to provide supplies to the community, until the detrimental 2020 dam failure caused historic flooding in the Michigan city. Like many businesses in the area, after twenty years in the same location, the store and its entire inventory were completely wiped out. Not ready to give up on their Michigan city, Dennis and Kathy buckled down to figure out how they could take this as an opportunity to start anew and continue to be the staple hardware store in Sanford. Friends and Sanford community members rallied together to help the Sian's with their fresh start for Sanford Hardware by sorting through the debris and finding salvageable supplies. After sorting through their once successful hardware store, the Sian's decided to host a salvage fundraiser. The community went above and beyond as cars lined the street to show their support to the hardware store that gave so much to them in their twenty-year history.
After this fundraiser, Kathy and Dennis operated the business out of a temporary location for nearly a year, the couple was able to open a brand-new location of Sanford Hardware in the area in July of 2021. This was thanks to not only the support from the local community, but from generous donations from local electricians and building products suppliers. Other businesses in the area followed the lead of Sanford Hardware, starting anew with their businesses and building around the newly opened hardware store. The perseverance shown by Dennis and Kathy inspired other local business owners to start fresh, continuing to prove that Sanford Hardware is a staple business in the Sanford area. After starting anew, Sanford Hardware has seen not only the same customer counts, but increased success from last year's sales.
When asked about the support received from the local community, Dennis said, “We sure appreciate our customers – I tell ya, we’ve got some wonderful customers in the Sanford area, they not only helped us financially trying to get back on our feet by just making donations to us, but they were there to help us clean up after the flood ... it’s amazing how great they are and that’s why we want to get back there (to the old location)". (Source: Midland Daily News)
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