TAKING THE PLUNGE

Well, we've taken the plunge and have listed the store for sale.  This is a milestone in our lives that hasn't been easy to come to grips with.  We bought this business in 1975 as our escape from the city; a way to raise our kids in a small town environment, a way to get ourselves back to the small town environment that we were born and raised in, a way to have a slower, more rewarding, healthier lifestyle than we were experiencing in the city, and a way to be independent shapers of our own destiny.  It has done all of that. 

Now we're faced with the reality that we're getting tired.  Thirty-eight years is enough - even when it's something as good as what we've had.  We've had a wonderful life in a precious small town with good people all around us.  Pure water - clean air - slow pace of life - and a way to make a living that we enjoy each and every day.  How many people go to work each day dreading it.  How blessed we are to truly enjoy what we do.  But we're getting tired.

It's time to sell the store and step away from it.  Let somebody else live the dream that we've had while we live the dream of relaxing and enjoying what we've built. 

Signing our names on the papers to actually list the store for sale was an emotional moment.  We've taken the plunge.  Now we'll wait to see who will step up to carry on our store.  It's a classic store.  A small town hardware store dealing with real people and real situations.  We're part of the town's historic district and have savored the history of the town and the way our store is such an integral part of it.  And it will continue to be a part of it when new owners step up.  Our dream is that some young couple with school age kids - just like us 38 years ago - will take it over.  People with the motivation to be a part of the community, to preserve the store's history, and to savor this special place.  The mountains, the river, and water, the air, and this special place.