Horton's Home & Garden
Success StoryHorton’s Home & Garden Steps Out of ‘The Dark Ages’ with Paladin
Change is never easy, but for some businesses it can be transforming. Horton & Son’s Hardware opened in downtown Tipton, Indiana in 1976 and became a staple of the community offering traditional hardware and tools. When Tim and Nancy Horton purchased the business from Tim’s parents in 1995, their business evolved into something much more than a hardware store.
Now named Horton’s Home & Garden, the store is more fashion and flair than nuts and bolts. It features lawn and garden décor, boutique clothing, soaps and candles, and a destination Fudge Shoppe that draws customers from all over Central Indiana.
“We were using another POS system for 14 years, and we went from the Dark Ages to the 21st Century in three hours when we switched to the Paladin POS Solution.”
As their business model changed to more fashion retail, Tim decided it was also time to upgrade their technology and he chose Paladin Data Corporation as the platform for its success.
“We were using another POS system for 14 years, and we went from the Dark Ages to the 21st Century in three hours when we switched to the Paladin POS Solution,” Tim explains.
Horton’s Home & Garden utilizes Paladin’s proprietary Market Driven Inventory Management™ to streamline ordering and simplify his other retail processes. It allows him to instantly and effectively change prices, run reports and manage margins. Tim says he loves Paladin’s reporting capabilities and believes it “has already paid for itself 10 times over.”
“I don’t have to pay someone to come in and do inventory because the system tracks it so well. I know exactly what’s in stock. The system is without a doubt the best on the market,” he says.
He also uses it to manage his many new customers.
“Paladin has really improved our customer interaction. We can instantly pull up current information about a customer’s account so when they come in or call with a question there is no delay. The customers really like that and it saves us a ton of time,” he explains.
As responsive as Paladin is to operate, switching to the system was just as easy. Tim says his previous system cost five times more to operate and it wasn’t as user-friendly. Paladin’s investment cost is a fraction of what other companies charge, it has a low monthly charge and doesn’t require long-term contracts.
“It’s easy to install, easy to use, priced very well, and it’s saved me more time and money than I can track,” he says, adding he also appreciates Paladin’s responsive customer support. “Customer service is very important, and let me tell you, it is very nice to be able to call and speak with one person.”
Change is never easy, but Tim says he’s glad he chose Paladin for his business success.
“Our decision to convert to Paladin was one of the best business decisions we’ve ever made.”
