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Southern Ulster Times, Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Milton Hardware keeps on growing
By MARK REYNOLDS
[email protected]
Milton Hardware & Building Supply
continues to beat the odds against the big
box stores and not only has expanded their
operation but has firmly secured its place
in the community they serve. Partners
Jeff Paladino and Cory Rhynehart say
they provide quality products along with
first-rate service that can’t be beat. All
they ask is to give them a chance with the
promise that you won’t be disappointed.
Jeff Paladino has always been around
this business when his parents opened
their Milton store on Route 9W in 1975.
At that time they occupied about half
of the present plaza. In August 1998 Jeff
purchased the business from them, saying
he knew at the time that he had to expand
what was then a local convenience type of
hardware store.
“We weren’t able then to provide
enough depth in the product lines that
people could come in for a complete job
because we weren’t big enough,” he said.
Paladino has expanded twice, once
in 2001 and again in 2003, resulting in a
completely new and larger space for his
own business. He was then able to offer
a larger array of products and even new
departments.
When Rhynehart came into the
business in 2009 they began adding party
rental supplies as well as equipment
Partners Cory Rhynehart (L) and Jeff Paladino standing inside their new lumber supply
building.
rentals, such as bobcats, lifts, mini-
excavators, wood chippers, chainsaws,
plate compactors and jackhammers. Two
years ago Paladino made Rhynehart a
partner.
To compete with the box stores
Paladino said they have been building up
“all aspects name brand quality lines. In
Milton Hardware has recently constructed a new lumber supply building at their 1837 Route 9W location in Milton.
Party supplies and equipment rentals are
also available at Milton Hardware
some cases better than average quality
products...without someone having to go
to six different places.” He acknowledges
that while competition is stiff, he feels he
has the advantage of convenience coupled
with their hands-on customer service.
In the fall of 2016 Timberline, a
Pennsylvania based Amish company,
built an enclosed lumber supply building
and another company built a drive-thru
open-air roofed structure with racks to
house dimensional lumber, composite
decking and zip sheeting for roofs and
floors.
“Now we’re a full lumber yard,”
Paladino said. “My intent was to bring the
top twenty skews of 2x4s, 2x6s, plywood
and drywall that is more homeowner
driven.” In addition they provide
insulation, prime finger-joint moldings,
premium pine and Ship-Lap. Rhynehart
said they have received a lot of positive
feedback “as far as pricing and we have
been able to increase our inventory levels,
especially with the building supplies now
and increased building lines that we
never had before. I think we will really
be able to be a big part of helping out
contractors.”
Continued on page 27