MALVERN — If Clyde Kingery was as healthy as he used to be, his business would stay open. Kingery will turn 80 next week, so he decided it is time to hang it up.
“I decided I was ready for retirement,” Kingery said. “I didn’t want to wrestle with it anymore.”
The store will close April 1.
Kingery has owned Malvern Hardware for 38 years, after he moved his business from Hot Springs. But Malvern Hardware has been in existence since 1910, he said.
“Technically, the name of the store is CK Hardware Inc., but when I bought it, I didn’t want to change the name because it has been Malvern Hardware since 1910,” Kingery said.
He said that in 1981, F.C. Stearns, the owner of Malvern Hardware, decided to sell the store. It was bought by George Winkler, and Kingery said, “I told him that if he ever wanted to sell Malvern Hardware, I wanted the opportunity to buy the store.”
“About two years later, Mr. Winkler had an opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia. Money was once again the biggest issue for purchasing the store, but Mr. Winkler offered to finance the purchase of Malvern Hardware.”
Kingery said once the debt was paid, he decided to relocate the store to its current location at 702 E. Page Ave. in Malvern.
“I finally got financial backing from one of the banks in Malvern, and I built a 5,000-square-foot building that includes the warehouse,” he said.
The store has since been expanded to 9,000 square feet.
“I am extremely grateful for the people who have been supportive of Malvern Hardware,” he said.
Kingery said he and his wife, Cindy, plan to spend their retirement traveling.
“We want to go to Kentucky to start with, and see the rest of the 50 states — the ones we haven’t seen,” Kingery said. “I want to do some volunteer work, not sure yet what it will be. I will donate the rest of my time doing something in the way of volunteer work.”
Kingery said one of the first sights he and his wife want to visit is the Ark Encounter in Grant County, Kentucky, a large representation of Noah’s Ark. He said they also have friends they have known for more than 50 years who live in Louisville, Kentucky, that they haven’t seen in a while.
“We also want to see the Will Rogers museum in Oklahoma,” Kingery said. “Basically, we want to travel.”
Kingery said one of the spots he most looks forward to visiting is Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna, Arkansas.
“Those are just a few of the places that are on our bucket list,” he said.
He said they still haven’t been to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
“We don’t lack many [states],” Cindy said.
“We are going to drive there and take our dog with us,” Kingery said. “We have a 2-year-old American Eskimo dog.”
Kingery and his wife have been married for 55 years. They have two children, Carol Ann Edwards and Kathy Lyn Davis, and six grandchildren. Edwards is a teacher for the Vilonia School District, and Davis is a teacher for the Cutter Morning Star School District.
Cindy spent 37 years in education herself before retiring from the Lake Hamilton School District as an elementary school counselor. The couple live in Benton and are members of First United Methodist Church.
Clyde Kingery was born in Malvern, but he and his family
moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana, when he was in the third grade. His dad worked for a construction company, so Kingery said he had been in seven schools by the time he was in the seventh grade.
“We moved about every nine months or so,” he said.
Kingery said his original plan was to have his dad help him with the hardware store, but his dad’s health was too bad.
“I’m going to miss the people, to be honest with you. They have helped me make a living for 43 years,” Kingery said.
“I enjoyed waiting on people. I’ve always been people-
oriented. That’s what has kept me in business — service to the customer,” he said.
“Clyde and Malvern Hardware have been a real staple of the community in Malvern,” said Lance Howell, executive director of the Malvern and Hot Spring County Chamber of Commerce. “I grew up in Malvern and usually just call it ‘the hardware store.’ Anyone would know what I meant.
“Clyde and his staff have always been an example of how to take care of people. … You always knew the Malvern Hardware folks would take as much time as it took, whether you needed an armload or just 57 cents’ worth of odd hardware.
“Clyde built a legacy of customer service.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.