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Brothers shepherd hardware storeBy Pamela Cotant
customers stopped asking for the "old guys" to get their questions answered. "You earn your stripes," Tom Shepherd said. Brothers Steve Shepherd, 49, and Tom Shepherd, 46, are the third generation to run the hardware business on the Near East Side at Williamson and South Dickinson streets. They've inherited a neighborhood hardware store distinguished by long, narrow aisles with worn hardwood floors and a decorative pressed tin ceiling. Relics from the past include a couple of old metal bins that spin and hold nails sold by bulk. They're weighed on the nearby scale with a 1919 patent. The business was started in 1923 by the Shepherds' maternal grandfather, Frank Karls of Waunakee, who got help from Gar Koltes of Waunakee, who had other stores in the area. Originally called Karls Hardware, the business opened where it is today at 1398 Williamson St. Karls' family, which included his wife, Frances, and five children, lived in the three-bedroom flat upstairs. During the depression, Karls was joined by Norbert Huettl in 1945 as a partner. George Nelson came to work at the store in 1947. When Karls retired in 1958, the business was purchased by Huettl and Nelson but the building remained in the Karls' family. The store was then called H and N Hardware. In the early 1970s, the neighborhood had a downturn, business began to lag and shelves were not being restocked. Huettl and Nelson wanted to retire, leaving the chance that the store might close. At the time, Dick Karls, who was the youngest child and only son of Frank and Frances Karls, was working in the wholesale liquor and wine business. He approached his brother-in-law, Bob Shepherd, who was working for a publishing company, and suggested the two buy back the business. Dick Karls had previously worked for the hardware store while attending UW-Madison. In 1974, Dick Karls and Bob Shepherd, who was married to Frank Karls' daughter, Betty, purchased H and N Hardware. The name was changed to the Hardware Center. Bob Shepherd ran the business and Dick Karls was a silent partner and did bookkeeping part time while continuing to do his other job. Bob Shepherd had little retail experience - no one was sure how to mix paint or even open the cash register on the first day of business - but began to rebuild the business by listening to customers, Steve Shepherd said. Steve Shepherd, who was 16 when the store was purchased, and Tom Shepherd, then 13, helped run the day-to-day operations. Because Bob and Betty Shepherd's other two children were older when the store was purchased, they never were involved. While Frank Karls died not long after he retired, Frances Karls continued to live upstairs until the mid 1980s. Bob and Steve Shepherd have fond memories of their grandmother having them up for lunch and coming down to the store when the batteries on her flashlight went dead. Their paternal grandmother, Mary Shepherd, also stopped by the store weekly to sweep and bring lunch. Around 1980, the business joined up with Ace Hardware in a dealer cooperative relationship to remain competitive as an independent store while providing greater access to products from thousands of manufacturers. The store was renamed Ace Hardware Center but old wooden yardsticks still bear the store's former names. The store consists of two side-by-side buildings that were combined. The original turn of the century portion was once Frederick and Mary Mark's Confectionery. A mid-1980s addition contains the plumbing department at the back of the store and an additional office where computer work is done. Old tools hang on the walls in the adjoining, original office. After Steve Shepherd graduated from Waunakee High School, he earned a degree in civil engineering from UW-Madison while also working at the store. Between the poor job market for civil engineers at the time and his fondness for the hardware store, he was pulled toward making his career in the family business. Tom Shepherd, who now lives near Oregon with partner Cindy Holzum, used to come right after high school classes to work as the head stocker. It was a natural progression for him to continue working there after graduation. Today, Steve Shepherd handles more of the work that involves the computer while Tom Shepherd spends more of his time with customers. They both do ordering. Steve Shepherd's wife, Barb Shepherd, serves as the store's bookkeeper. Sometimes she works out of their home office in Waunakee and Steve Shepherd is there to answer questions when he gets home where he does some of his own work. While there isn't a formal succession plan among the Shepherds, it was agreed that when Dick Karls, who lives in Middleton, reached a certain age, he would sell his portion of the business to the Shepherd brothers, and that occurred about three years ago. Bob Shepherd also has been slowly turning over his percentage of the business to his two youngest sons. Bob Shepherd and Dick Karls still own the building. While Bob Shepherd is gradually lessening his role at the store, he still goes into the store a couple of days a week when he's in town. Bob Shepherd said from his winter home in Florida that he often fills a clerk role and tries to help the part-timers get on their feet. Bob Shepherd also handles loose ends, doing a variety of jobs from stocking to checking on returns. "He calls himself a fine tuner," Tom Shepherd said. "He does whatever has to be done." Bob Shepherd is not afraid to offer suggestions. "He does see things that should be done better than us," Steve Shepherd said. The brothers, who shared a bedroom growing up, think their personalities and skills complement each other. They talk through disagreements when they arise and weigh the options. "The upper hand goes to the person with the expertise in the area," Steve Shepherd said. Bob Shepherd figures it's a good time for him to get out of the business because the computers and electronic cash registers are such a departure from when he started. Betty Shepherd used to do the billing by hand. While it's not easy to let go, Bob Shepherd said it is "very gratifying" to have two children carry on the family business. "In fairness to them, sooner or later you have to turn in the reins," Bob Shepherd said. "It's a vibrant business for the area and it could go on for years." Pamela Cotant is a Madison freelance writer. pcotant@mailbag.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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