Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
PHOTO: Percy Gowell, owner of Percy’s Hardware.
By Scott K. Fish
LITCHFIELD — Opening the Percy’s Hardware front door triggers a ding-dong doorbell. Owner Percy Gowell is at work behind the front counter when I arrive. Sabre, a blond labradoodle puppy pops up his head, peeking at me over the counter.
Gowell has deep roots in Litchfield. He’s named after his great-grandfather. In 1976, tired of driving for supplies, Gowell’s grandfather and father opened a small hardware store, later expanding it to include groceries.
Gowell’s brother transformed the grocery business into the local Shop ‘n Save. Gowell runs Percy’s Hardware, 483 Richmond Road.
“The basics for what people need to get out of a pickle is what we have here,” Gowell said. The lemon-yellow store is packed with electrical supplies, hand tools, batteries, fishing gear, drill bits — all kinds of hardware paraphernalia and more.
The store’s biggest challenge?
“Trying to squeeze as much in here as you can,” Gowell said. “We open at 7:30 in the morning. I like to be here when people need us. I let the dog run around to get him worn out, and it allows me time in winter to plow the parking lot. You never know what the day’s going to bring.”
Gowell added, “I’ve literally done this my whole life. I’m really lucky to be able to do what I do. A lot of people grow up in a small town and can’t wait to get out and ‘see the world.’ I never wanted to leave this town. Part of it is, I look to my parents, see what they’ve done, and want to try to do what they did.”
He said that some days, it seems as though everyone’s got a tricky hardware problem. “We get to help people through those,” Gowell said. “I want people to think positive when they come in here. Life’s tough. You don’t want to be dragged down.”
An old-timer eased into the conversation, asking, “Do we get an old man’s discount today or what?”
Gowell joked in response, “Everything’s double today. It’s double-price Wednesday.’
“you’re just unfair when I come in,” replied the customer. “You wait. I’m going to tell your wife.”
Gowell laughed. “She knows.”
Most of his customers are residential, both year-round residents and summer people who visit Litchfield’s lakes. Gowell is most comfortable helping customers with plumbing. “Generally with plumbing I can make anything work,” he said. “I’m not an expert, but if somebody shows me a picture, I can generally put something together, leaning toward the most inexpensive or easiest option. I want you to remember we treated you right.”
Christmas and Thanksgiving are the only days Percy’s Hardware is closed.
“When I was young, and we had groceries and hardware in one store, we would open on Thanksgiving,” he said. “We’d close from noon to two, go home, have Thanksgiving dinner, and open back up. Christmas day we opened at 2 p.m. to see what people needed.”
One customer said that the reason people buy from the store is Gowell’s “awesome personality.”
“Well, it ain’t my good looks,” deadpanned Gowell.
The customer, though, wasn’t kidding. “That’s why we come here, to see him,” he said, nodding at Gowell.
“As with any small business owner, it’s not just what we do, it’s who we are,” Gowell said.”
You can find information about Percy’s Hardware at percyshardware.com or on the store’s Facebook page.
