LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A local business has changed ownership, but how it conducts business plans to remain the same.
Brownsboro Hardware & Paint owner Jim Lehrer is officially retiring on Friday. The local hardware store has been known for decades for its customer service, community support and reliability.Â
Jim and his wife Marilyn purchased the company in June 1998. The hardware store provided quality products for eastern Jefferson County and Prospect.
Jim Lehrer and his wife Marilyn.
"It's been a long time coming, having been here almost 25 years," Lehrer said. "You never think that day is going to come, but here it is."
Lehrer has worked in the hardware industry for almost 50 years. He started in a retail lumber yard and then worked in the wholesale industry.
"In 1998, the wholesaler I was with wanted me to transfer from Minneapolis to Fort Wayne, but we had spent three years in Louisville and this store had been for sale for some time," Lehrer said. "We put all our chips in the middle and here we are."
When he bought the store, it was underperforming and facing larger national competitors. Lehrer used his prior experiences that would improve the business.
Poster of Brownsboro Hardware and Paint.
"Because I had been in the industry for so long, I had seen a lot of good stores and bad stories," Lehrer. "We tried to apply a lot of those things here. The customers responded. We have a great staff and greet people and help them find their way."
Lehrer admitted to being scared 25 years ago that the store might not make it, but it's become a prominent business in Louisville. Brownsboro Hardware & Paint is the largest Weber Grill dealer in Kentucky and the largest green egg dealer in the state.Â
The hardware store is also known for its philanthropy, donating to local charities.
"That's the beauty of a locally owned business is that you can have a great impact on your community," said Lehrer. "It's not all about profit and money."
Customers have stopped by the store after learning about Lehrer's retirement to show appreciation for the man who devoted 25 years to the store.
"Jim has been a wonder," customer Jerry Coyle said. "He always, always is pleasant to talk to."
"It's nice when you have someone like that, that understands and takes the extra time," said John Jaggers, a customer.
The Lehrers sold the business in Oct. 2021 to Doug Carroll, but Lehrer stayed on working during the transition.
While there were corporate buyers looking to purchase the store, Lehrer wanted to keep the business locally owned.
"He wanted to keep it local and he knew I had been loyal to him for a long time," Carroll said. "That's what it's all about, being local, supporting local, giving back to your community."
Customers are thankful the store will remain locally owned.
"That's the beauty of a hardware store," Jaggers said. "They're a vanishing breed. I think, because of the big box stores and that's a shame because there's a personal touch that's lost with these larger store."
Lehrer believes Carroll is a great fit as owner.
A sign congratulating Jim Lehrer on his retirement at Brownsboro Hardware & Paint.
"He's been doing a terrific job for 20-plus years," Lehrer said. "He has taken the reins and he is going to have great success."
Carroll started when he was 16 years old to get enough money to buy a car. He decided to stick around because of the respect he gained for Lehrer.
Carroll didn't consider taking on a large role at the store until after he finished college.
"A lot of it was his ethics, how he ran the business," Carroll said. "He's a great guy, he's down to earth. We've been working for that long, for so many hours, he's like a second dad."
Friends and customers are encouraged to stop by and share stories with Jim any time Thursday or Friday this week from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Marilyn Lehrer has been retired for four years, so he's looking forward to spending more time with her. The couple plans on traveling, working on their century-old home and continue their charity work.
Brownsboro Hardware & Paint has two locations: 4858 Brownsboro Road in Louisville and 9521 US 42 in Prospect.
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