Help us save The Hardware Store

We are Janel & Brett, the owners of The Hardware Store in Hartville, MO. A small, independent hardware store in the heart of the Ozarks. Our little community has been devastated by years of neglect. We purchased and re-opened the store in 2018, after a nearly 5 year closure. Our only goal was to help revitalize our tiny part of the world. We wanted to be a part of any restorative efforts for this place that we love so dearly.

We had only barely gotten restocked, settled in with a couple vendors, and sealed up (most of) the major leaks in the 1901 building when the setbacks really started to take a detrimental toll. We had bounced back from a Tornado and then were able to survive as multiple surrounding businesses closed. Then the Pandemic... We closed for nearly 6 weeks in the Spring of 2020. The loss of 6 weeks income was devastating. Coming into the Fall, we knew we would have to get well stocked to prepare for a hard winter. When more than half of our orders didn't come, we knew we were in trouble. With our vendors being unable to get our supplies at that time, we would have nothing to sell through the Winter and Spring. Add two more weeks of closure for our own bout with the dreaded Covid, and here we are. We have exhausted our savings, our family's generosity and our lending options. This is a last resort and a lesson in humility.

Yes, we got the small "stimulus". Yes, we received CARE money from the County. We are so grateful for those bits of relief! They did help us to get this far. They did not however, assist with any ability to restock the store. Every single penny that we have gotten has gone toward basic overhead to keep from losing the building and the ability to operate within it.

In order to stay open, we need to restock our shelves. A donation to us will mean that a small business run by people who care will continue to exist in small town America. Amazon won't restore a 1901 tin ceiling. Wal-mart won't volunteer time to local charities. Home Depot doesn't fight for a better downtown. These are things that matter. Hartville matters! Small towns are important!

What we've tried so far:

• Remodeled1/3 of the building and rented it to another business
• Taken consignment items to fill empty shelves
• Presented our situation at every bank & applied for assistance. (Denied by all...so far)
• Working toward building improvements that will allow use of previously unusable spaces.

What we need:

• Total restock of hardware
• Major drainage repair to stop water from coming from our neglectful neighbors' foundation into our building - causing further damage. (For clarification: Uphill neighbor - the vacant building being used for storage)