Reeves Hardware Co.

Reeves Hardware Co., a division of Reeves ACE Hardware, has been a trusted name in home building supplies, home furnishings, hardware, farm supplies, an array of recreation products and much more since 1928. The company was built on family values and a neighborly approach to business back when Lewis Reeves Sr. started the operation more than 87 years ago. Today, the same core principles and family involvement — 19 family members to be exact — remain central to Reeves Hardware Co.’s continued success and longstanding history.

Today Reeves Hardware Co. has five locations — three under the Reeves Hardware Co. name, including the original store in Clayton, one in Dillard, Georgia, and a building supply, hardware, lawn and garden and sporting goods store in Highlands, North Carolina. Two other stores — Reeves Building Supply and Reeves Feed and Farm — also exist under the Reeves umbrella.

The company’s Highlands location opened in the mid-1940s. Located on Main Street, this location serves as the go-to store for building materials, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, sporting goods and housewares in Highlands. The Dillard location opened in 1995 as a traditional hardware store, also offering sporting goods, lawn and garden and building materials.

Serving small towns

The rural regions the stores serve are small towns and popular tourist destinations in the summer months. “We have several lakes in our area so the population may triple in the summer,” says Sharon Reeves, director of marketing for Reeves Hardware Co. “We’re busy through the summer months as more people come into town, but year-round, we really rely on local support and customers who are very loyal to us.”

Sharon runs the marketing and communications side of the business while her husband, Jeff Reeves, president of Reeves Hardware Co., oversees the entire operation as a third-generation family owner. “My grandfather, Lewis Reeves Sr., started the business back in 1928 and then my father, Lewis Reeves Jr., served as president from 1963 until 2014. I accepted the role in 2014 with hopes that I may continue the great legacy that my grandfather and father started,” says Jeff. “We’re proud to be family owned, with many family members involved. The third and even fourth generations are well-represented here.”

Reeves Hardware Co. now has 109 employees across all five locations. “We have very low employee turnover,” says Sharon. “Many people have been with us for 20 years or more and having happy, motivated employees keeps our leadership motivated. We really have a great group of people that work here.”

Being in small-town communities, Sharon says the Reeves Hardware Co. network really stands out in terms of customer service. “Where we live and work is a small community, with a tight-knit feel,” she says. “It’s the kind of place where you walk down the street and you know everyone.”

Even as larger retailers such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot enter the market, Reeves Hardware Co. remains because it all comes back to exceptional customer service. “A while back, a big-box store came in and at first people were worried we were going to go out of business, but we always put our customers first and we have the selection of a big-box store,” says Sharon. “Our doors are still open and we remain successful because we continue to focus on our customers first.”

The selection of a big-box store

Sharon says the company’s niche really depends on the type of customer because Reeves Hardware Co. has a huge selection, comparable to a big-box store. “We’re a typical ACE Hardware outlet, but with many add-ons,” she says. “All of our stores are unique shops.
We have everything from upscale furniture to home décor, feed and farm suppliers to archery and fishing supplies and other sporting goods. Our niche really depends on the customer. If it’s a builder, then we offer a complete range of building supplies; if it’s an outdoorsman, we have guns, ammo, fishing and everything they could want.”

Many large-scale, multimillion-dollar second homes in the area are supplied and furnished by the products carried at the Reeves Building Supply store. “We provide a lot of high-end home and building products because there is a market in this area for secondary homeowners,” says Sharon. “We’ve supplied building products and furnishings for projects that include houses for NFL and NCAA football coaches, country music stars and several executives from Fortune 500 companies.

Sharon says the breadth and depth of building supplies makes Reeves Building Supply a one-stop shop for even large projects. “You can build your dream house from start to finish from Reeves Buildings Supply, and then furnish and decorate your house through our furniture and decorating department,” she says.

Reeves Building Supply offers building materials, windows, doors, masonry product, roofing supplies, plywood and more — all within 16,000 square feet of retail space stocked with supporting tools, equipment, paints, stains, plumbing, electric supplies and hardware.

“We’re an authorized dealer for Weyerhauser framing products, Certainteed roofing products, Lincoln Windows and Doors and Plygem Windows, along with many other name-brand building products,” adds Sharon. “Our white pine paneling and siding comes all the way from Maine, shipped from Hancock Lumber. The Hancock Lumber mill consistently provides us with best in lumber quality and milling processes.”

Inside the tool department, the company offers tool rental and even party and event rentals. Reeves Building Supply’s paint department is also fully stocked with Valspar and Ace Paints and Cabot, Sikkens and Perma-Chink siding and deck products. “Our mission is to provide you with high-quality products that help you complete your project on time and within budget,” says Jeff. “The friendly folks here are always willing to help.”

It’s this willingness to go the extra mile for the customer that has helped Reeves Hardware Co. sustain business for nearly 90 years. “Even as the big-box stores and other superstores come in, our doors are still open because our No. 1 motto is to put the customer first,” says Sharon.

Even with added competition, Sharon says Reeves Hardware Co. may look to expand in the near future. “We’ve been looking at a few other locations because we could open another store in the future,” she says. “We’re fortunate to have many fourth-generation family members here ready to carry on the business and make sure this happens.”

After 87 years, all five Reeves Hardware Co. stores continue to draw local, loyal customers through a neighborly approach to business and a familiar face waiting to lend a hand.