BEAR HARDWARE continued from 17“ I feel like we are an asset to the community,” he said.“ People like the convenience and customer service and we plan on continuing to offer those things for as long as we can.”
Retirement also is not on Penny’ s radar. She recently got her license to sell real estate.
“ I like to wake up and be challenged every day,” she said.
While some things— ike offering excellent customer service and variety— have remained the same since the beginning, other things have changed dramatically in the nearly two decades of operation. The biggest change, Penny said, has been the addition of the internet.
“ The internet has changed everything— from the way people shop and pay, to the way we do business,” she said.“ We used to have these paper catalogs that were always outdated by the time we got them printed and in the store. Now everything is online, and customers can see what we have at any given moment. The internet has definitely made us more visible.”
Another major change has been the way people pay for purchases.
“ When we started, my biggest fear was bad checks,” Penny said.“ We maybe have had one bad check this year. People don’ t pay with checks anymore, they all pay with cards. When we opened the store, we didn’ t even have the ability to take a credit card payment.” Items on the shelves have also shifted over the years.“ One area that has grown is camping and outdoors,” Penny said.“ I think people spend so much time working indoors that when they do get time off they want to be outside.”
She said the canning and preserving aisles also have grown. When Curt and Penny bought the store there was a single, 6-foot section. Today, there are two, 12-foot aisles dedicated to canning and preserving.
Curt and Penny both say that their favorite part about owning the store is getting to know their customers.
“ We love our customers,” Penny said.“ It feels great when we are able to help them solve a problem.”
One of her favorite memories was with a customer who visited the store frequently. He would always bring his young son with him and one day the boy was wearing a new watch. Penny asked what time it was, and the boy answered,“ time to visit Bear Hardware.”
Bear Hardware is located at 75 Chestnut Street in Nashville, behind the Brown County IGA, open daily, 7:30 a. m to 7 p. m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. Sunday. You can reach them at( 812) 988-8888, online at < http:// www. bearhardware. com / home1. php >, and through their Facebook page.•
Back-to-Back Complex
SIMPLY 4 YOU
• Hand-painted Signs
• Homemade Body Scrubs
• Giant Scrabble Letters
• Solar-Changing Finger Nail Polish
• Biker Bracelets
• Painted Ball Jars And much more...
Handmade & Unique Gifts
FREE in-store demos!
Old School Way and Pittman House Lane
( next to the Toy Chest, behind Sweetwater Gallery) Visit our website for class schedules www. wishfulthinking-in. com • 812-988-7009
Sweetwater Gallery is
MOVING to
158 Old School Way
Stained Glass Paperweights Mosaic Mirrors Fabric Wallhangings
Established 2001
We will be in transition this year. Be sure to visit both shops.
812-988-0449
145 S. Van Buren St. Nashville, IN
812-350-8806
Simply 4 You Gift Shop Simply _ 4 _ you @ aol. com
Nov./ Dec. 2018 • Our Brown County 33