River Ridge Hardware, located in Spokane, has been in business since the early 1950s. Locally owned and part of the Do It Best buying co-op, the store supplements in hardware sales with a rental center and garden center.
If one were to ask store General Manager Ryan Garrett what the store specializes in, he would likely say lawn and garden and landscape maintenance. That’s not a bad place to be, considering the housing market has been on the rise for the last year or so.
“Sales, including rental sales, have picked up this year thanks to a housing demand that has out stripped supply,” said Garrett, a five-year employee with River Ridge Hardware. “Spokane is a big city but not too big, and it has proven to be an attractive place for people to relocate from higher-priced markets in California and Nevada. In fact, it’s not all that unusual for home buyers to make an offer on a property sight unseen.”
When asked if any items in the store’s rental inventory have exceeded expectations this year, Garrett said “No, not really. Our inventory has been stable and what is rented is usually dictated by the season. For example, two-wheeled brush cutters used on large yards and fields are popular from mid to late summer. Later, drain snakes will likely move out the door as homeowners put potato peelings down the drain. This winter, if it gets cold, tree roots will stretch out in search for water causing water line issues and a demand for 100-ft snakes to clean them.”
The hardware, garden center, and rental center formula makes a nice mix for this store. The synergy, said Garrett, is especially noticeable in the spring when customers rent or buy tools to help get their yards and gardens up and running.
