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Kensington is one of Calgary’s trendiest retail and entertainment districts that attracts a steady stream of pedestrian traffic. Yet few enter the front door of Hillhurst Hardware, half a block north of the river on 10th Street N.W., as almost all of the business is conducted out back, business to business with construction contractors.
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Walking by the store, many shoppers pass by without any idea of what goes on inside, but recently they may have noticed a small For Sale sign in the window.
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Hillhurst Hardware has been in business at that same location since 1945 when Abraham Henry Sigler, just after the end of the Second Word War, took out a $5,000 loan to buy what at that time was called the Piggly Wiggly grocery store.
He changed the name and specialized in hardware, but lost many of his DIY clients when Sears opened up the hill. Undaunted, Abe switched to specializing in supplying contractors and today the business still serves some of the same company names found in the old ledgers.
Ownership was passed down to Ralph and Pat Larkam who saved up the money to buy the business from Pat’s dad in 1973. Their only child Philip, who had worked at the store since he was a teenager, took over the running of the business with his wife Jackie in 2000, inheriting and fostering the “old fashioned” store and continuing to live by grandpa’s morals in the way customers are treated – and always paying the bills.
Hillhurst Hardware is still very much a family affair with Jackie’s sister Angel working there and brother-in-law Mike Perry who has served as general manger for the past 35 years. Two of the staff have a combined 70 years of working there, but Larkam is looking forward to a retirement from his long years in business, and with his daughters not too keen to take over as the next generation of the almost 80-year-old operation, family discussions are centred upon selling.
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The location is perfect for retail but looking after contractors with name-brand construction equipment from the likes of Hitachi, Makita, DeWalt and Bosch, perhaps would be better located in an industrial area. But what of the goodwill and tremendous relationships the Larkams have built up over the years?
Most customers are greeted on a first-name basis, the staff know their needs and are able to supply them. Talking to Larkam it is interesting to hear about how his business has changed, yet despite increased competition Hillhurst Hardware has continued to grow, still specializing in fasteners: nails — it claims to sell more pounds of nails than Home Depot Alberta — screws, glue and tape, and repairs to pneumatic and electric tools.
Grandpa’s store continues to supply handwritten bills — computers are only used in about one-tenth of its operations — and customers are still treated like friends.
The building that offers 75-feet of frontage along 10th Street could be sold. It may include the business, or the hardware operation could be relocated. Lots to think about for the Larkam family. No rush but Philip is already dreaming of how to spend newfound spare time.
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At the bottom of his website, it says “Yea — we make guitars too” and for a time Larkam made electric guitars and raffled them off for charity, which gives some indication as to his wanted to be more involved in music. A man who has travelled to see Eric Clapton play in Hyde Park and the Tribute to Jeff Beck at the Royal Alberta Hall deserves to be able to indulge in his music again.
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The Ireland-Alberta Trade Association (IATA) has started a project “Unearthing Alberta’s Irish Legends: Discover the Trailblazers Who Shaped Our Province.” Every two weeks it will share inspiring contributions Irish business leaders have made to the economic growth of Alberta. The first, that tells the story of Patrick Burns, one of the Big Four founders of the Calgary Stampede, can be found on the IATA website: https://www.irelandalbertatrade.com/
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David Parker appears regularly in the Herald. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622 or by email at info@davidparker.ca
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