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Ed's Shenandoah HardwareTHIS SUMMER'S HOT SUCCESS STORY
Mention this Profile and Receive 10% off your Grill Purchase!
by Michael Bounds A look around inside makes it easy to see why Ed's Shenandoah Hardware is called "Your one-stop-shop for hardware and outdoor needs." In addition to grills, smokers, Dutch ovens, jambalaya pots, banjo burners, and crawfish boilers, the 9,000 square-foot store stocks general hardware, plumbing supplies, and building materials for do-it-yourselfers, as well as a full range of hunting supplies and live bait for sportsmen. Backyard chefs will think they're in paradise when they see the huge selection of cast iron cookware and grills by manufacturers such as Weber ("a real good seller," according to Eddie), DCS ("top notch"), Cajun, Green Egg, Phoenix, Lynx, Ducane, PGS, and Ultra Chef. Since purchasing the store, Ed has expanded on the product lines, adding guns, lawn and garden items, and gas logs. He plans to add a large rental department by the end of the year and has supplemented the store inventory with an Internet site, www.edsoutdoors.com, featuring 67,000 hunting, archery, and marine items available online from a 3,000-page catalog. Illustrating Ed's belief that "you've got to be diverse," his company also provides custom outdoor kitchen work. "We contract a lot of the work out to fit our grills that we sell," he says.
The combination of extensive inventory, expansion of existing product lines, special orders, and great customer service have helped Ed's Shenandoah Hardware experience tremendous growth since Ed took over the business. He also credits his success to his long relationships with his customers. Whether you need coals or not to get the job done this summer, Ed's Hardware is the place to go. His instructions make it easy for even a first-time barbeque chef to get it right. You can pretend to burn the evidence, or give it to a chameleon, but no one will believe you. So ring the dinner bell -- go ahead and ring it hard. Be sure to save your finest steak for your best friend -- and be honest about it. You know Fred Flintstone would do that for Barney Rubble.
Reach Ed's Shenandoah Hardware at (225) 753-1300.
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Ed Beard, the 29-year-old owner of Ed's Shenandoah Hardware, has more experience in the business of hardware and outdoor needs than people might expect from someone his age. He started working in the store when he was in the ninth grade and finally bought the business in January 2002. "I used to ride my bike here," says Ed, who grew up about a mile and a half from the store, located at 5715 Jones Creek Road.
Ed takes advantage of the opportunity provided by off-site events to promote the business within the community. "We'll go out to new businesses and do cookouts," says Ed, who brought nine of his grills to a local automobile dealership for a beef cook-off. Ed is quick to point out his emphasis on customer service. "Always service with a smile. You get greeted at the door no matter what. And we'll answer your questions even if we have to take you back to the workshop and explain everything in detail, step by step. A grill is a very personal piece of property, and you deserve full accountability and every assurance that you're getting a square deal." Ed says he realizes some customers are tougher than others. "I know I'm going to get grilled about my grills," he says laughing. "Some customers will make a federal case out of the smallest details, but that's exactly what I'm here for."
