A New Business in 2021

story by Debra DeCoster | photography by Kevin Anderson

—russ Pearson, Box real estate DeveloPment

Mike and Lisa (Hartman) Unterreiner, owners of Hartman Hardware on Johnson Drive in Shawnee, took one last look around their store before shutting and locking the door for the last time in late October. After 36 years in the hardware business, they decided to retire.

Hartman Hardware has served the community for more than 74 years. In 1946, Lisa’s grandfather, Clarence Hartman Sr., purchased the building from A.L. Pierson, turning the former Masonic lodge and dance hall into a family-run hardware store.

Retiring was not an easy decision; they say they will miss the day-to-day operation and the people who supported their business for generations. As they watched the business district change along Johnson Drive, they knew it was time for them to leave and let the building serve a new generation of clientele.

Russ Pearson, director of development for Box Real Estate Development, was attracted to the property due to the prominent location and visibility along Johnson Drive and Nieman Road.

“The recent beautification and walkability improvements installed by the city and the opportunity to set the stage for exciting unique concepts attracted us to these properties,” Russ says.

A Look Forward

According to Russ, “The Hartman building is a key property within downtown Shawnee. We want to set the stage to allow innovative concepts that complement all the nearby redevelopment that is occurring.”

Construction for the first phase of the project on the building will began in November 2020. Box Real Estate Development has budgeted “over a million dollars of private investment into these buildings with the goal of enabling the current and future tenants to adequately respond to the needs of the surrounding area,” Russ says.

“We will include demo and ‘white-boxing’ the interior (stripping furnishing and finishes to create a clean slate.”) as well as several improvements to the exterior façade,” he says. “There are a number of fun and interesting pieces being preserved such as old signs, pieces from the old boiler, scales, and other seemingly ordinary hardware that could make for unique art pieces by the next user.”

Saying Goodbye

As the Unterreiners prepared to close their store, they visited with customers who had been coming for years to purchase items for their homes or yards.

“As we began to wrap up the store, our customers say they are really happy for us, but they hate to see us go. They are asking us where are they going to

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go now to get the items they need that they always found here,” says Mike.

Throughout their 36 years in the business, Mike and Lisa focused always on customer service.

“Many of our customers like to hang out here, just like the old barber shops, where people would gather to talk. They like to come here and hang out for an hour or two hours. They have done this for years,” he says with a smile.

A unique feature of the local store was that many times Mike would fix an outdoor water faucet or lawn mower for his customers while they waited.

“If they needed a new washer in the faucet, I would get the old washer out for them and install the new one. Today, not many places will do that. They will suggest getting a new faucet,” he says.

His lawn mowing customers appreciated his same-day service as well.

“I would sharpen mower blades as they waited, and, if the mower didn’t seem to be running right, I would service the mower as they waited. During mowing season people need their lawn mowers, they can’t always wait a week or more for someone to fix the mower or sharpen a blade to cut the grass,” he says.

Lisa’s family originally owned the business, and she recalls coming to the store with her mom when she was a little girl.

“When I came with my mom, I could just see over the edge of the shelves. I could see all this stuff, and my mom would say, ‘Look, don’t touch.’ My grandparents had a case here that would rotate the shelves when you push the button. It had fishing lures on it, and I would push the button and watch the fishing lures go around,” she says.

When her father, Clarence “Red” Hartman Jr., ran the business with his brother, John Hartman, she came in as a teenager and helped her father with the inventory.

She enjoyed helping her dad with woodworking projects and asked many questions about the hardware business.

“I watched my dad do everything. I wanted to help, but I also watched him because I wanted to learn the business as well,” she says.

When her dad approached Lisa and Mike about purchasing the business in 1998, it was an opportunity they both were interested in pursuing. Lisa handled the office operations, while Mike ran the store.

“I am an office person and that is what I always did,” she says.

While she still handled the day-to-day account operations of the business, she also began to learn different aspects of the hardware

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business. She learned how to replace screens, answer questions about paint, and assist customers with their plumbing needs when her husband was working with another customer.

“I learned a lot being here over the years. I never said I can’t do something. I would always try first. If I am not physically able to do something, then fine, but I am not afraid to try,” Lisa says.

One of Mike’s favorite memories is selling Radio Flyer wagons. The wagons lined the sidewalk in front of the store during the spring and, as Christmas approached, the wagons were on display in the window.

“People across the metropolitan community would travel to the store to buy a Radio Flyer wagon for their child at Christmas. They didn’t want to order one—they were afraid it wouldn’t come in time—so they knew that we had them here already put together. We also had the big rocking horses that we would put together and sell at the holidays. There were many times that I had to deliver the rocking horses on Christmas Eve,” he says.

As they closed the door on their former hardware store, Lisa says, “This store has always been my grandparents’. My memories are of Grandma and Grandpa here at the store and living above the store. As we take a last look and turn to leave, it will be a final goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa.”

Anica Milberger REALTOR®, ABR®, PSA 816.719.3300 lovemykchome.com