ABCD Hardware and Supply hosts Grand Opening May 16

PLATTSBURGH | By way of introduction, ABCD Hardware & Supply renovated, repainted, shined the floor and filled new shelves in a Plattsburgh Plaza building that was a hardware store once long ago. Family-owned and part of the Do It Best cooperative, the new home and building supply store is owned by the St. Hilaire brothers: Alan, Brian, Corey and David (ABCD). Their innovative business plan began in tribute to their late mom, Cathy, as the four brothers built up from their parents' property management business. They joined forces to create ABCD Sanitation, to which they added plumbing services. From there, Brian said, in 2020, the St. Hilaire brothers purchased a longtime hardware store in Brushton and started ABCD Hardware and Supply, each business growing beside the other. They expanded with ABCD Hardware in Winthrop when it went up for sale in 2021. And now they are bringing their expertise and community service values to Plattsburgh. Renovations at 27 Plattsburgh Plaza began soon after the Christmas Bureau completed their annual holiday gift collection drive. Family-run and community-focused, Brian said they are stocking the Plattsburgh store with a wide variety of items geared to support trades professionals, homeowners, property owners and every fix-it person who lends a hand. That supply list keeps expanding and will change with the seasons. Brian, who lives in West Chazy, said the store is customized to fit local needs. Because heating in this region, for example, is based largely on electric or gas, they switched out some of the stove-pipe and wood pellet inventory for baseboard and gas heating components. They can readily order any fixtures, and online items can be ordered right from the Plattsburgh store. Their business model can flex where more rigid, big-chain hardware stores might not. "Our inventory can be customized to fit the community's needs," Brian said in a recent visit at the new store. "We have a board in the office where we are adding items to stock as people come in and ask. We have a warehouse in the property to keep items in supply." With Lake Champlain close by, they've included beach gear, outdoor items with further expansion likely for lake sport items, such as fishing. ABCD inventory will grow to support what the community needs. Already, entire aisles are filled with tools, plumbing and electrical fittings, fixtures, lawn, mowers, garden and building supplies. Customers are greeted with a smile: "How can I help you?" "Most people are coming in with a need to fix something," Brian said, "and having someone to talk to is important. "We're here to help them find what they need and show them where the item is," Alan said. "We can place orders here as well. A lot of times, people who can't find what they need in a store are told to order it online, but they can't do it from the store. We can order right here to find pretty much anything," Brian said. Customer service is job one, Alan said. ABCD Hardware has integrated classic hardware store home maintenance, repair and improvement services, such as key duplication and paint matching that can be done from a chip of old paint or an old bucket. They do screen repairs. The new ABCD Hardware store in Plattsburgh Plaza is also a neighborhood U-Haul dealer and stocks moving supplies. "We do water testing for hardness, iron and mineral content," Brian said. "We have an ionizer that can remove iron and sulfur, we do a lot of those systems." Inventory is carefully selected for price point and manufacturing supply. They chose to sell Broil King® grills because they are made in the USA. "People have found our pricing to be very competitive," Brian said of ABCD Hardware's attention to local budget concerns. The first few weeks have drawn growing numbers of customers, curious to see what the new people in the Plaza have to sell. "People are beginning to see we're in town; everyone is welcome to stop by," Brian said. ABCD Hardware and Supply has a tradition of giving back to community, too. "We've sponsored events for local fire departments. We donated over $15,000 to local sports last year. From our perspective, we'd rather see profits that go back into community," Brian said. "It's how we were raised, to work hard and be thorough and kind. Our mom was a big part of the local 4-H program." ABCD Hardware's St. Hilaire brothers are thrilled to add their supply hub to Plattsburgh. The floor shines, the store aisles are roomy and well-lit with signage that's sharp and easy to see. The custom paint blending desk is called The Color Bar. Campfire supplies are under the "smoke IT" sign, coolers sit in the "cool IT" section. End caps for birdfeeding supplies are titled "feed IT" and U.S.A. flags, insignia and colors are in the "love IT" section. The Plattsburgh Thank You! sign beside front door offers tribute to family, telling how they turned loss into purpose. "The name ABCD represents the family -- Alan, Brian, Corey and David -- and the values they were raised with: hard work, service and giving back. Thank you for supporting ABCD, for believing in them, and for letting them be part of this incredible community. They're just getting started." GRAND OPENING MAY 16 ABCD Hardware and Supply is open and getting ready for Grand Opening Day on Saturday, May 16, complete with an official ribbon cutting with the North Country Chamber of Commerce. The store opens at 8 a.m. and the Grand Opening will bring in food trucks, live radio broadcasts, with multiple manufacturing representatives on hand, including Husqvarna, Valspar® and Broil King®. "Broil King will be cooking food along with the food trucks. Valspar will have a buy one gallon of paint, get one free promotion. "We're giving away a lawn mower and we're giving away a grill," Brian said. "And we're giving away a $1,000 Milwaukee Tool shopping spree." ABCD Hardware is located at 27 Plattsburgh Plaza with plenty of parking. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday hours will be added as staffing ramps up.

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ABCD Hardware and Supply hosts Grand Opening May 16

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