Bill Straus
Lisa and John Justice
John and Lisa Justice purchased Chevy Chase Hardware (www.chevychasehardware.com) from its previous owners, Bill and Carol Edwards, in December. The Justices have lived in Chevy Chase for the past decade and, with their two daughters attending the University of Kentucky, had recently moved into a condominium in Chevy Chase Plaza. “We love the neighborhood and we love this store, and we didn’t want to see anything happen to it. So, we made the decision to purchase it, with plans for expanding,” John Justice said.
Construction had begun to expand Chevy Chase Hardware, 833 E. Hight St., into the storefronts of recently shuttered High Street Fly and Le Matin Cellar when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The Justices charged ahead with the project, quickly adjusting store inventory to include a steady supply of disinfectants and personal protective equipment, including spray bleach, gloves, face masks, and hand sanitizer made by Bluegrass Distillers.
“It was a bit scary at first — you know, when you just buy a store and then everything happened — but my wife and I sat down and we put together a strategy so we can make sure the store continues to exist,” Justice said. “It’s been challenging to find everything, but we’ve been fortunate to get it done.”
Green light bulbs have also been in high demand, as customers light their homes green in a show of unity and compassion for families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19.
Bill Straus
The shop also partnered with the Fayette County Sheriff’s office to supply green light bulbs for a giveaway program. The program started with 1,000 light bulbs, and the sheriff’s office recently purchased an additional 2,600 bulbs, Justice said. “We’ve cleaned out pretty much the entire east coast of green light bulbs,” he said. “The last shipment came from Denver, and I drove up to Columbus to pick up light bulbs there to support the sheriff’s initiative.”
The Justices have also contracted with wholesaler True Value hardware to greatly increase the store’s inventory. When the expansion project is finished in late May, the store will include a full paint department, as well as hot-water heaters, wheelbarrows, a large array of electrical equipment and other items. “Every section has been expanded,” Justice said. “We’ll have a re-grand opening and make it fun, but we may delay that a little bit just to make sure we keep everyone safe.”
The store also recently began servicing and repairing lawn mowers, and the Justices plan on adding handyman services to Chevy Chase Hardware’s offerings later this year. “That’s been a big request,” Justice said.
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He tells a story about a recent customer who wanted to install a dusk-to-dawn security light at her home. “We tried a couple of things and, when those didn’t work, we went as far as to purchase a light fixture that we didn’t carry at the time somewhere else and went to her house and replaced it for her,” he said.
It’s just one example of the store’s service-oriented approach.
“A hardware store has to be a store that supports the community and makes sure that people have everything they need,” Justice said. “And, in order to compete against the big-box stores, we have to go the extra mile to make sure that we’re taking care of our customers.”