Enid Bergum was pleased to find Carol Gosselin in the aisles of the General True Value Hardware store in Denver’s Washington Park neighborhood.
“Carol, I haven’t been able to find this product anywhere, but I know you have it,” the Aurora resident said.
Moments later Gosselin held out a can of Zud, a household cleaner. Bergum thanked her and struck up a friendly conversation.
Located on South Broadway near Interstate 25 since 1985, the True Value store has been able to weather the changing tides in the retail industry by maintaining a fiercely loyal clientele.
“We were affected by the Home Depot on Santa Fe and on Colorado Boulevard,” said Gosselin, the store manager. “The community wants us to be here, and they know that in order to be here, they need to use us.”
Jerry Garner travels 3 miles from his home in another part of Denver just to shop at the store he’s been patronizing for 15 years.
“Everybody knows your name, and you get personal service,” he said. “It’s a neighborhood store.”
Gosselin has been with the company since 1977, starting when General True Value was at Sixth Avenue and Broadway. She’s one of 15 employees.
Gosselin watches the store inventory more closely in the face of more competition, as unsold items on shelves means less revenue.
“Instead of stocking 10 of something, we have three of something,” she said. “We have to buy smarter and know the needs of the consumer.”
True Value also can target its inventory to the needs of the local community.
“This store has all the things you need for older homes,” said JoAnne Schlough, a Washington Park resident and customer of 15 years. “If you’re coming in to get a can of paint, you (can) talk to nice people and get good service.
“No Home Depot (for me).”
True Value has 94 stores in Colorado, but there used to be more, Gosselin said. Several switched to the Ace Hardware cooperative.
“We felt we needed to stick it out through the tough times, because they (True Value) were good to us in the past,” she said. “And we believed the future would be rosy.”
True Value chief executive Lyle Heidemann is spending a lot of time talking to retailers about what they need to improve revenues, Gosselin said.
“I think he is on the right track,” she said. “I think his changes will be good changes.”
Staff writer Kimberly S. Johnson can be reached at 303-820-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com.
