Farmville Hardware Lawn & Garden

from Farmville Magazine 2020

by Cooke NC

The Wonder Box

Farmville Hardware Lawn & Garden hopes to be a one-stop shop for Farmville and Walstonburg residents.

‘Find it here First’

8 Community, service at center of DOWNTOWN BUSINE SS

By Donna Marie Williams

Employee Tanner Holloman, 14, of Walstonburg restocks shelves.

Owner Greg Cannon is proud to call Farmville home while meeting the needs of both Farmville and Walstonburg residents.

At a time when many businesses were closing due to COVID-19, Greg Cannon was opening the doors at Farmville Hardware Lawn & Garden with a desire to provide quality customer service and a store that would resonate a hometown feel.

Rooted in community, Cannon owned and operated Walstonburg Hardware for six years before coming to Farmville. The idea to take over the Walstonburg store came at the request of several area farmers.

“The community in Walstonburg came to me initially to open it when that old one closed down. Mostly the farmers over there needed to have a hardware store that was available to them. I knew a lot of the farmers. I have a small farm over there as well. I raised cattle. They asked if I was interested in buying a hardware store,” Cannon said.

Cannon’s sons, Josh and Chris, also expressed an interest. They ran Walstonburg Hardware while Cannon continued his career as a nurse practitioner at Eastern Nephrology Associates in Greenville. Having his sons work closely with him in the business makes Cannon feel “good” about his decision to open the Farmville store, he said.

“It feels good and it’s something they are interested in over the long run. I think they will like being part of the (Farmville) community,” Cannon said.

Toward the end of Walstonburg Hardware’s six years of operation, Cannon decided to “slow down” and went part-time at Eastern Nephrology Associates in Greenville.

With more time on his hands, Cannon decided closing the Walstonburg store and opening Farmville Hardware instead was a

I liked the community. It’s “ a nice walking community. There is a bedroom type feel. I like the whole town feel of the community and I think there was a niche for a hardware store,”

- Greg Cannon

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way to serve both communities. The store opened downtown on Wilson Street in March.

“I liked the community. It’s a nice walking community. There is a bedroom type feel. I like the whole town feel of the community and I think there was a niche for a hardware store,” Cannon said.

Farmville did have a niche for a hardware store. Farmville Hardware operated on Main Street for years, but the store closed in 2015. The building is undergoing renovations for residential and commercial uses.

Town government, the DeVisconti Trust and the Farmville Group were all working to recruit a store to better serve Farmville residents and fulfill the motto “Find it First in Farmville.”

“It was a high priority to get a hardware store in town,” said Farmville Group member Todd Edwards. “We’re thrilled to have the hardware store in town. It’s made a huge difference already.”

To help attract a potential occupant of the building, which once served as a feed and seed warehouse, the Farmville Group had the original

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The original paint scheme was repainted on the building by The Farmville Group.

The main entrance is located on the side of the building across from the parking lot.

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The store offers a variety of nuts, bolts and hardware and a full service paint center.

2020 Scholarship Recipients

Najee Langley

Keyley Shackleford

Qua’shoyn Williams Stay Safe, Stay Informed & Stay Healthy

white and red checkerboard pattern repainted on the building. This served as a homage to the Purina feeds once sold there.

The town also redesigned the parking lot to maximize its potential.

“It’s made a big difference,” Edwards said.

The central location of the building to Farmville’s downtown area, along with its history, made the building a unique spot to establish the hardware store.

“I like the old building. I think it’s a pretty cool building. Just being part of a small community. I really like that part,” Cannon said.

Work to complete the store soon took place with Cannon and the DeVisconti Trust renovating everything inside the building from the roof to the floors.

Soon the builging began to fill with shelves, equipment, tools, paint, pet supplies and more.

“I have a fairly large inventory for a small-town hardware store. I did that so people will stop here first and make sure we didn’t have it before having to go to the big box stores,” Cannon said.

Nathan R. Cobb, Sr. Foundation, Inc celebrating 20 years serving Farmville’s youth, families & citizens through charitable giving.

We congratulate our 2020 Scholarship recipients, extend special thanks to our loyal supporters, and appreciate the H. B. Sugg Charitable Organization for their special commitment.

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Along with nails, screws, bolts and items needed for home repair, Farmville Hardware offers a variety of lawn products such as yard and lawn chemicals, insecticides and pesticides.

Items needed for plumbing, construction and other projects are also available.

“I think we offer quite a bit of what most people need. When we set it up, we set it up to be something where if people need something they can find what they need,” Cannon said.

Farmville Hardware also carries a variety of tools including Genesis, Milwaukee, Dewalt and Makita power tools and offers landscaping equipment as well.

Pinestraw is available for purchase, and specialty products such as lawnmowers can be ordered.

Pricing of products is competitive, go “Finding it First” doesn’t mean an additional convenience price tag.

“We try to match our prices to be comparable to Lowe’s and Ace Hardware,” Cannon said.

Apart from its extensive inventory, Farmville Hardware also offers quality customer service. This differentiates them from the big box stores, according to Cannon.

“As a consumer, if you go to the big box stores you may spend 30-40 minutes trying to get someone to help you. Here when you walk in the door, we’re going to try and help you. If we don’t do it as soon as you walk through the door, it’s just a few more minutes before we are able to help you,” Cannon said.

Quality customer service is a priority, and employees are available to assist with home improvement or merchandise questions, Cannon said.

“In the hardware business, people come in that may not know how to do stuff, or they are still working through it in their mind. We can help them work through that while they are in the store. I’m sure if you were at a big box store you wouldn’t get that kind of service,” Cannon said.

While customer service will always remain a priority at Farmville Hardware, Cannon hopes to expand on the inventory he currently offers. He wants the inventory to meet both commercial and residential needs, he said.

12 “ I think we offer quite a bit of what most people need. When we set it up, we set it up to be something where if people need something they can find what they need,”

- Greg Cannon

Farmville Hardware Lawn & Garden offers a variety of landscaping tools.

Employee Bryant Oakley of Farmville weighs nails.

“At some point, I hope its kind of a combination of commercial hardware but I also want to have more local things in the store. I do have some people who bring some local stuff already. I would like to have more local products like honey. I think that will be beyond the virus,” Cannon said.

Cannon has also acquired additional warehouse space and will offer more lumber options shortly, he said.

Opening Farmville Hardware in the midst of the pandemic did provide a few unforeseen circumstances, with Cannon’s main priority of maintaining safety for customers and staff, Cannon said.

Social distancing is encouraged and masks are worn by staff, he added.

“We don’t have 20 customers at a time. We have a steady volume,” Cannon said.

Farmville Hardware Lawn & Garden is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The store is located at 3732 W. Wilson St. For more information call 252-753- 1100.