Sean C. Morgan
Hoy’s Hardware Monday morning opened a 7,500-square-foot expansion that includes a full-fledged modern lumber yard and a center for contractors and serious do-it-yourself customers.
“Hoy’s Home Improvement Center will be a contractor-friendly, DIY building center,” said Jill Ray, daughter of owner Greg Mahler. Customers will have the ability to order cabinets, flooring, counter tops, vanities and much more.
While his mother, Jo Mahler cut a red ribbon at the front door, Greg Mahler shed tears as he hugged his father, John Mahler, ending a more than year-long process of getting the facility built.
“It’s an honor,” said Greg Mahler, who manages the family business. “I hope you guys are very proud of this.”
The trio moved inside, where John Mahler was the first customer, purchasing a bag of Gurley’s butterscotch drops at the front counter for $1.
“You can keep the change,” he told his son.
Mahler, who ran Hoy’s until his son took over, said the project met his expectations and he was happy he “didn’t have to put it together.”
“It’s really nice,” he said. “Greg’s done a nice job.”
Greg Mahler said he was “tired” Monday morning as he prepared to open the store.
“It’s only been a year and I don’t know how many months in the making,” he said. “I’m very relieved to have it open. It’s very much what I was wanting. It definitely meets the vision we were shooting for.”
His goal, he said, was to make Hoy’s a one-stop shopping center for its customers, eliminating the need to travel outside the community to find supplies.
“We’d like to thank all the employees who worked extra hard to put all this together,” said Teresa Mahler, Greg Mahler’s wife.
The building contains additional store space, with higher-end power tools and supplies, Greg Mahler said. A lot of the product mix is aimed at contractors and serious do-it-yourself customers.
The building contains a custom kitchen center provided by Timberline Cabinetry of Sweet Home, with appliances donated and shown by Kellenberger Appliance of Lebanon. It also features a contractor’s help desk.
An adjoining sheet goods warehouse contains exterior building materials, where customers may purchase larger amounts of the supplies.
Smaller amounts of those materials, such as molding, will remain available inside the main store for those who need a couple of pieces for a project. On the east end of the new building is a 2,000-square-foot covered lumber yard.
The project returns Hoy’s to the True Value brand, Mahler said. The store now carries both True Value and Rodda paint products, and it is continuing its association with Ace Hardware.
Hoy’s Hardware is located at 3041 Main St. It opened in 1939 at 1256 Main St. when Ivan Hoy purchased Johnson Meyer Hardware from Johnson Meyer. John Mahler purchased the store in 1971 and moved it to its current location in 1972.
John Mahler had moved his family to Sweet Home to buy the store, Greg Mahler said. John Mahler previously had delivered water in Los Angeles and worked for Boise Cascade, a lumber store and a hardware store in Idaho.
The store expanded in 1986 to 12,500 square feet, Mahler said. Hoy’s expanded again in the 1990s and early 2000s to 22,000 square feet, with the addition of building materials storage and an overflow warehouse.
Planning for the new $1.2 million expansion began in fall 2016. Linn-Benton Bank financed the expansion. Hoy’s broke ground in January, with Randy Haley Construction serving as general contractor.
Mahler said he expects the expansion to create six to 12 new jobs.
Store hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The store may be reached at (541) 367-2221.