[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.29)” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title meta=”off” featured_placement=”background” _builder_version=”4.16″ title_font=”|700||on|||||” title_text_color=”#FFFFFF” title_font_size=”30px” background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.56)” text_orientation=”center” custom_padding=”15%||15%” text_shadow_style=”preset2″ parallax_effect=”on” module_bg_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0)” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”0|0px|18.95px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>\u2013<\/em> Samuel\u00a0<\/span>Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Originality is hard in any walk of life<\/span>, but that\u2019s especially true in the world of retail sales. Come on.\u00a0<\/span>Go shopping for almost any single product and you\u2019ll find\u00a0<\/span>it<\/span>, or slight variations of\u00a0<\/span>i<\/span>t,\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>different stores all over<\/span>\u00a0the place<\/span>. You\u2019ll find even more on\u00a0<\/span>the internet<\/span>. It takes a<\/span>\u00a0truly<\/span>\u00a0imaginative<\/span>\u00a0mix of products, or<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>niche market,\u00a0<\/span>to make that kaleidoscopic offering seem unique.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Honestly, some of the most successful new brands are<\/span>\u00a0just<\/span>\u00a0modern or updated versions of age-old retail offerings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, what can you do to set your business apart?<\/span>\u00a0After all, a lot of hardware stores are now offering gifts, clothing<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and more to attract\u00a0shoppers\u00a0<\/span>beyond<\/span>\u00a0the LBM and tools crew. Many clothing stores, beauty salons and barbershops are serving libations to encourage shoppers to\u00a0<\/span>linger<\/span>\u00a0longer.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Create a Niche” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n There are plenty of ways to find your niche. Some are simple as looking at your hometown.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n John and Chris Henkle<\/span>, who own H<\/span>enkle\u2019s Ace Hardware in Webb City, Missouri<\/span>, did just that and came up with several\u00a0<\/span>ways to\u00a0<\/span>set their business apart.\u00a0<\/span>The first was the look.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To\u00a0<\/span>reach<\/span>\u00a0a wide range of customers, the\u00a0<\/span>Henkles<\/span>\u00a0brought is a variety of locally made products including\u00a0<\/span>gifts and\u00a0<\/span>scar<\/span>ve<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0which attract<\/span>\u00a0a strong female clientele<\/span>. And their garden center specializes in hanging baskets. The business sells\u00a0<\/span>close to 600\u00a0<\/span>baskets<\/span>\u00a0annually. The store also focuses on B2B sales and delivery<\/span>\u00a0which is hugely popular in their rural small town<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In their effort, the\u00a0<\/span>Henkles<\/span>\u00a0checked off two of\u00a0<\/span>E<\/span><\/i>ntrepreneur\u00a0<\/span><\/i>magazine\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>suggestions for finding a niche. They took something they were passionate about \u2013 John grew up in the lumber business<\/span>\u00a0and the couple owned\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>lumberyard before entering the hardware business<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 and the identified community problems they could solve. Approximately\u00a0<\/span>18% of their business\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0B2B accounts to which they deliver.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Their effort earned them recognition from Ace Hardware as One of the Coolest Hardware Stores on the Planet in 2015.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Create a Niche” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Geography often supplies niche markets.\u00a0<\/span>Often unique items, services<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0or retail opportunities are products of their environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In Dunsmuir, California, smack in the heart of the historic gold country,\u00a0<\/span>Dunsmuir Hardware offers gold prospecting supplies. And on the opposite coast, Pick and Shovel\u00a0<\/span>in Newport, Vermont capitalizes on the attraction of the region<\/span>\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0maple syrup industr<\/span>y by selling sugaring supplies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Catering to visitors or tourists can create a myriad of possibilities.<\/span>\u00a0It\u2019s basically marketing to your home turf\u2019s strengths.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Coastal cities<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0sm<\/span>all lakefront or riverfront towns<\/span>\u00a0can sell everything from bathing suits and resort wear to watercraft and fishing gear.<\/span>\u00a0Taylor Building Supply in Eastpoint, Florida is a hardware store that stocks saltwater sportfishing gear along with marine and beach products. Another brilliant niche for Taylor\u2019s is hurricane shutter installation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mountainous areas like the\u00a0<\/span>Appalachia<\/span>, Rockies, Sierra Nevada and Pacific Northwest draw\u00a0<\/span>people\u00a0<\/span>year-round<\/span>\u00a0for a variety of outdoor activities ranging from skiing \u2013 both snow and water \u2013 to hiking<\/span>, boating<\/span>\u00a0and biking<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>John Austin and Sons Ltd, in\u00a0<\/span>Kinmount<\/span>, Ontario, Canada, features custom-built docks and kayaks.<\/span>\u00a0Ace Hardware and Snake River Outdoor Sports in Pocatello, Idaho capitalizes on its location to sell outdoor apparel, camping, hunting, fishing, footwear and sporting goods.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Customize” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u201cIgnore the conventional wisdom. If everybody else is doing it one way, there\u2019s a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction.\u201d<\/em> Sam Walton, founder of Walmart<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes it\u2019s possible to take a conventional product or\u00a0<\/span>idea and put a new twist on it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n KONO<\/span>\u00a0Pizza took\u00a0<\/span>one of America\u2019s favorite foods and\u00a0<\/span>reshaped it. Instead of\u00a0<\/span>triangular or square cuts of pie, the company creates pizza cones, a lot like ice cream cones.<\/span>\u00a0The result has KONO outlets from Marlborough, Massachu<\/span>setts to San Diego, California.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Southaven Supply in Southaven, Mississippi puts its own spin on home hardware. I<\/span>n addition to offering roughly 1,200 kinds of cabinet knobs and pulls, i<\/span>t operates<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lehman\u2019s Hardware Store\u00a0<\/span>in Kidron, Ohio,\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>smack dab in the middle of Amish country. Instead of trying to sell power tools<\/span>\u00a0and grills, like most of its competitors<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>the store caters to its Amish neighbors se<\/span>lling hand tools, kerosene lanterns, butter churns<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and hand-cranked grain mills.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Serve the Community” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n\n
Find Your Niche<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Market<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span>
<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/span>Going with the Flow<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span><\/h2>\nSwimming Against the Stream<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span> <\/span>
<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
Find<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>a Good Combination<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span> <\/span>
<\/span><\/h2>\n