Bell & Bates

Bell & Bates Hardware Company was founded in 1902 by Norman Cawthon Bell and Mortimer Boulware Bates.

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Finding company with other longtime family hardware stores.

As a full-fledged centenarian in the home hardware business dating back more than 112 years, we at Bell & Bates Home Center occasionally run into a fellow traveler who has logged more than a hundred years of similar service.

Such is the case with Weakley-Watson Hardware in Brownwood, Texas, a family-owned business now in its 140th year of operation.

Weakley’s in 1878

It turns out that the original Mr. Weakley served with the Union army in the Civil War. After getting his discharge, Weakley rode down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, eventually heading westward into Texas, where he settled in Brownwood and opened a tin shop in 1876 that quickly became a general hardware store.

Early Bell & Bates

Both Bell & Bates and Weakley-Watson, while proud of their historical heritages, look for ways to be current in a changing industry: Bell & Bates with its online loyalty rewards program, Weakley-Watson offering online shopping. And while customers have changed over the years, both businesses have many generations of customers who return. They also share a common foe in the big box corporations that have invaded the family hardware scene.

“But,” says W-W fifth generation owner Mike Blagg, the great-great grandson of J.W. Weakley, “I also feel like those big boxes are losing their luster and people are turning back and going to smaller stores to get great service and help.”

Along with our fellow contemporaries in the family hardware business, we at Bell & Bates have learned a few things since we first opened our doors. We’ve fiercely guarded our independence by remaining with independent wholesalers throughout our long history. That means better choices for you and North Florida. Come visit our well-stocked store this spring at Bell & Bates, your true home center.

Bell & Bates Home Center

10 N. Duval St.

Quincy, FL 32351

[phone]

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Big boxes settling data breaches, lag behind in employee satisfaction.

The widely publicized data breaches of Big Box America continue to generate discussion, with two large retailers recently coming to agreements to pay for the costly hacks to consumers’ information.

According to an article in HardwareRetailing.com, Home Depot reached a contingent settlement with MasterCard International over the home improvement chain’s massive 2014 data breach. Details about the terms of the settlement are not included in court filings, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. At Thanksgiving, Home Depot reported that since the data breach occurred, the company has incurred $252 million of expenses related to it.

Target will pay $39 million to banks and credit unions to resolve losses from its 2013 holiday-season data breach. The company was sued by financial institutions to recover an estimated $200 million in losses stemming from the hack.

In other news, Ace Hardware beat out both Home Depot and Lowe’s in the top 10 “Happiest Retailer Employers” poll conducted by CareerBliss. The retailers’ cooperative came in at No. 2 to determine which retail employees find their workplace to be the happiest. Lowe’s came in sixth; Home Depot ninth. Starbucks headed the poll.

While the big boys are flailing away with computer breaches and determining whether or not they’ve created happy workplaces for employees, at Bell & Bates you won’t run into a hacking mess or find any of our accommodating employees less than totally helpful and happy to please.

And remember, as a local home improvement business, our store keeps twice as much money in the local economy as Lowe’s or Home Depot. 

At Bell & Bates, we’ve learned a few things over the past 112 years since we first opened our doors. We’ve resisted becoming part of the impersonal big chains and have fiercely guarded our independence by remaining with independent wholesalers throughout our long history. That means better choices for you and North Florida. Come visit our well-stocked store this winter at Bell & Bates, your true home center.

Bell & Bates Home Center

10 N. Duval St.

Quincy, FL 32351

[phone]

[bellandbateshomecenter]

Made in America Products Influence Consumer Buying Decisions.

In our last blog, we brought to light the growing awareness in communities about buying local versus purchasing through Big-Box America; how twice as much money stays in the community when products are purchased at an independent retailer.

If you’ve ever tuned in ABC’s World News Tonight, you’ve doubtless seen anchor David Muir’s “Made in America” feature stories, almost always detailing some small, local business that is making a difference in its community by producing and selling homegrown products. That movement has swelled to the point where a study by the North American Retail Hardware Association and Hardware Retailing indicates that homegrown American products sold at locally owned businesses influence the decision making of purchasers in the U.S.

In the study, 82 percent of women respondents felt that it was somewhat to highly important that the products they buy be made in America, while 73 percent of men responding agreed. The report also asked if retailers advertised the fact that they are locally owned, would consumers be more likely to shop at their store? To that point, 86 percent of women responded either yes or maybe, with 83 percent of men indicating yes or maybe. An average of 15.5 percent—men and women combined—said that having products made in America made no difference to them.

And remember, as a local home improvement business, our store keeps twice as much money in the local economy as Lowe’s or Home Depot. 

At Bell & Bates, we’ve learned a few things over the past 112 years since we first opened our doors. We’ve resisted becoming part of the impersonal big chains and have fiercely guarded our independence by remaining with independent wholesalers throughout our long history. That means better choices for you and North Florida. Come visit our well-stocked store this fall at Bell & Bates, your true home center.

Bell & Bates Home Center

10 N. Duval St.

Quincy, FL 32351

[phone]

[bellandbateshomecenter]

Made in America products influence consumer buying decisions.

In our last blog, we brought to light the growing awareness in communities about buying local versus purchasing through Big-Box America; how twice as much money stays in the community when products are purchased at an independent retailer.

If you’ve ever tuned in ABC’s World News Tonight, you’ve doubtless seen anchor David Muir’s “Made in America” feature stories, almost always detailing some small, local business that is making a difference in its community by producing and selling homegrown products. That movement has swelled to the point where a study by the North American Retail Hardware Association and Hardware Retailing indicates that homegrown American products sold at locally owned businesses influence the decision making of purchasers in the U.S.

In the study, 82 percent of women respondents felt that it was somewhat to highly important that the products they buy be made in America, while 73 percent of men responding agreed. The report also asked if retailers advertised the fact that they are locally owned, would consumers be more likely to shop at their store? To that point, 86 percent of women responded either yes or maybe, with 83 percent of men indicating yes or maybe. An average of 15.5 percent—men and women combined—said that having products made in America made no difference to them.

And remember, as a local home improvement business, our store keeps twice as much money in the local economy as Lowe’s or Home Depot.

At Bell & Bates, we’ve learned a few things over the past 112 years since we first opened our doors. We’ve resisted becoming part of the impersonal big chains and have fiercely guarded our independence by remaining with independent wholesalers throughout our long history. That means better choices for you and North Florida. Come visit our well-stocked store this fall at Bell & Bates, your true home center.

Bell & Bates Home Center

10 N. Duval St. Quincy, FL 32351 [phone]

http://www.bellandbates.com/

Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/bellandbates?business_id=773166919441454

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Study links stronger communities to shopping independent home centers.

Score one for the Main Street guys. Yes, the rise of mass merchants began altering the retail landscape decades ago, but a recent study indicates that Big-Box America is taking a second seat to local merchants.

General research studies of the early 2000s began showing that small businesses benefited their communities more than the mass merchants, and that awareness grew about spending money at a big-box store, which sends cash out of state and into the coffers of big corporations. Locally owned businesses not only sold high quality products—often prioritizing goods made in America—but also recirculated substantial amounts of money back into their local economies.

However, recently the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) and Independent We Stand, an organization that inspires small businesses to encourage consumers to buy local, partnered to delve further, supporting research focusing on the home improvement industry called the Home Sweet Home Study. To determine a retailer’s “local economic impact,” different merchants’ labor costs, profits, procurement, and charitable giving were analyzed. The financial documents of Lowe’s and Home Depot—publicly traded—were publicly available.

Results at the project’s conclusion showed that the homeowner initiated $1,250 in local economic activity simply by supporting local retailers. The biggest impact was determined from the purchase of goods. By purchasing $10,000 in products at a local store, $2,298 of the project would recirculate into a community, whereas just $1,164 found its way back to the community when spent at major retail chains. That means twice as much money stays in the community when products are purchased at an independent retailer!

The Home Sweet Home Study data encourages retailers to educate consumers on who they are, then promote their hometown roots. Emphasizing the value of local ownership improves business because it motivates consumers to shop those stores first.

At Bell & Bates, we’ve learned a few things over the past 112 years since we first opened our doors. We’ve resisted becoming part of the impersonal big chains and have fiercely guarded our independence by remaining with independent wholesalers throughout our long history. That means better choices for you and North Florida. Come visit our well-stocked store this summer at Bell & Bates, your true home center.

Bell & Bates Home Center

10 N. Duval St.

Quincy, FL 32351

[phone]

website: http://bellandbates.com/

Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/bellandbates?business_id=773166919441454

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Check out our January Doorbusters!!!

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December Door Busters.

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Christmas Gifts Galore All Through the Store!

T’was the month before Christmas And all through the place Shoppers were singing: “How about Bell & Bates!”

Christmastime brings a unique blend of joy and excitement. The yuletide season is upon us, and Bell & Bates is the place to shop for gifts for your loved ones.

Gifts galore in all kinds of clusters Nothing beats our Christmas doorbusters!

Throughout December get him a DeWalt 5-inch Random Orbit Sander for just $54.99! A 10-gallon, 4HP shop∙vac is only $69.95! Plus shop dozens of smaller items, from warm, soft, durable Storm Fleece socks at $3.49 a pair to your choice of deals on batteries. And get a free 6-pack of high-performance mixing oil when you buy Stihl power equipment through our website (www.bellandbates.com/).

At Bell & Bates, we’ve learned a few things over the past 112 years since we first opened our doors. We’ve resisted becoming part of the impersonal big chains and have fiercely guarded our independence by remaining with independent wholesalers throughout our long history. That means better choices for you. Come visit our well-stocked store this holiday season at Bell & Bates, your true home center.

Happy holidays!

Bell &Bates Home Center 10 N. Duval St. Quincy, FL 32351 [phone] Web: bellandbates.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/bellandbates

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Flowers for Fall, Plenty for All

We tend to associate the colorful burst of flowers with spring and summer, but some of the most exquisitely beautiful and heartening flowers make their appearance in the chill of autumn. While much of fall’s color is traditionally associated with the breathtaking turning of the leaves, few glances are cast toward the ground, where another realm of traditional color—highlighted by mums and pansies—are familiar to all. But a rich pallet of additional choices awaits our paths, gardens, and landscapes. Here are five flower suggestions to help brighten your fall:

Marguerite daisies. These delights are low-growing and flower regularly until the first hard freeze.

Toucan Tango. A purple member of the aster family, it doesn’t like afternoon sun but is resilient down to 28 degrees.

Million Bells. These petunia-like plants can tolerate light frost and thrive in sun or semi-shade. Extra benefits: No deadheading needed; they attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Stonecrop (or sedum). This plant, also known as “Autumn Joy,” looks good all year, requires minimal attention, and attracts few problems. A must for every fall garden.

Blue Mist Shrub. A sub-shrub that is often grown in the perennial garden. Also known as caryopteris, it slowly blossoms in August with dazzling blue flower clusters. Beckons the bees and butterflies. Blue Mist is cut back in early spring, and its gray-green foliage is attractive all season.

Flowers that do well in the spring because of cool temperatures should also do well in the fall. And of course the fiery red turning of burning bushes and the red berries of nandina are a staple of fall color.

At Bell & Bates, we’ve learned a few things over the past 112 years since we first opened our doors. We’ve resisted becoming part of the impersonal big chains and have fiercely guarded our independence by remaining with independent wholesalers throughout our long history. That means better choices for you. Come visit our well-stocked lawn & garden department at Bell & Bates, your true home center.

Bell &Bates Home Center 10 N. Duval St. Quincy, FL 32351

[phone] Web: bellandbates.com/