Business Matters

A steady riser, family-owned Fuller Hardware opens LR store, its 6th

How Fuller & Son Hardware has managed to survive -- and grow -- in an era of national chains and big-box do-it-yourself stores is easy to explain as far as company co-owner and vice president Jeff Fuller sees it.

"When something goes wrong ... do you want a kid that the store hired only because he was looking for a job or do you want a family that's been doing this since 1921," Fuller asked when we talked about the family recently opening its sixth store in Little Rock. "You want to make as few trips as possible to get your toilet fixed or your water running or a hole in the wall fixed. You come here, you get what you need. No more. No less."

As somebody who routinely seems to spend half my allotted project time on multiple trips to the hardware store, it is hard to imagine a more appealing sales pitch than that one. Fuller & Son opened location No. 6 at 5915 R St. in Little Rock on Dec. 8.

If you read this space regularly you know I have an appreciation for small businesses. Those operations with a long history behind them also are appealing to me. Fuller & Son fits the bill.

Fuller's great-grandfather opened a feed supply company in 1921 and in the 1960s his grandfather opened a hardware store in Jacksonville. That's when the family began turning its attention to that line of work. When Fuller's father got into the business in 1986 the operation was up to three stores. An additional location opened in the late 1990s with a downtown location joining the lineup about 10 years ago. All the while most locally owned hardware stores were proving to be no match for Lowe's and Home Depot.

Fuller & Son had an eye on a location in the Heights for years, but never could find a suitable spot. The family passed on an available space in the spring because it was about 4,300 square feet, a good 2,000 square feet smaller than the chain's next smallest location.

After attending a trade show and running across an Orgill shelving system that claims to provide 8,000-square-feet of merchandise in 4,700-square-feet of space, the Fullers figured they could make the R Street store work.

Fuller describes it as being "like Batman opened a hardware store." Now 37 years old, Fuller grew up getting dropped off after school at one of the family's stores, and earned money sweeping and cleaning.

These days Fuller plays a much larger role in the family business, which has seen modest sales growth over the past couple of years. Single-digit percentage growth is slow and steady progress, but any increase is appreciated after the years the Fullers, and many small, family-owned businesses, experienced in 2008 and 2009.

Competing with the big-box stores and national chains certainly isn't easy. Fuller said the chain's willingness to match competitor pricing has been a big help.

And for anybody hoping to find similar success for a family-owned business? "Work hard. Pray hard," Fuller said.


Just thinking out loud here, but what were your top business news stories for 2014?

Doug McMillon taking over at Wal-Mart surely rates. Former Fayetteville real estate developer Brandon Barber being sentenced to 65 months for bank fraud and money laundering belongs in the conversation. Tyson Foods' purchase of Hillshire Brands undoubtedly deserves to make the list. Windstream's recent, abrupt CEO departure is a candidate.

What else? Who else?

Drop me a line at either the email address or phone number below. I'd love to hear your take on 2014.

If you have a tip, call Chris Bahn at (479) 365-2972 or email him at cbahn@nwaonline.com

SundayMonday Business on 12/21/2014

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