Albright's Hardware & Garden Center

This week's Business Spotlight is Albright's Hardware & Garden Center Inc. A longstanding tradition for South Whitehall fix-it-uppers, Albright's continues to offer great personal service and quality products.

Patch caught up with Ken and Tanya Ringer, owners of Albright's for 20 years, and had a little Q&A:

Q - Number of years in business?

A -  Ken and Tanya Ringer have owned Albright's for 20 years.  Albright's Hardware has been open in this location since 1957.

Q - Address, phone number, website, fax number?

A - 2119 Walbert Ave.; Allentown,  PA  18104. Phone: 610-433-3831; Fax: 610-433-1993; www.albrightshardware.com

Q – Number of employees?

A – 20 employees.

Q – What is your specialty?

A – Hardware, equipment such as snow blowers, lawnmowers, leaf blowers, weed trimmers, paints, plumbing, electrical, lawn and garden care.

Q – What or who is your biggest competitor and how do you provide better services/products?

A – The big boxes.  We give personal service and we always seek ways to be better.

Q – What is your mission statement or philosophy behind running your business?

A - Treat people the way you would like to be treated. Trying to go one step beyond what other companies do.

Q – Can you share a story about your business? A triumph or obstacle you’ve overcome, perhaps?

A - A triumph is still being in business in this day and age. The story behind this business is family. Family doesn’t just consist of your own but those that work for you. Without both it would be difficult to run the business.

Q – Is there a history regarding your business you’d like to share?

A - Norman Hunsicker opened the original Albright's in 1957 not far from where it stands today at 2119 Walbert Avenue in South Whitehall.  Just up the street, where 19th Street and Roth Avenue meet, there used to be a trolley depot called Albright's Station.  It served the area that used be known locally as the Village of Albright’s. Of course, now it’s all known as Allentown and South Whitehall, but Albright's Hardware remains. In fact, Albright's took over the old Moses Market and then expanded into the former Economy Pretzel Factory that was behind the market.

Q – What are your plans for the future?

A - Continue to provide our customers with personal service along with a knowledgeable and friendly staff to assure a pleasant shopping experience. Also, to have Ken and Tanya provide an easy transition for the next generation.

Q - Do you have more than one location?

A - No.

Q – Is this a family owned/operated business?

A - Yes. There’s Ken and Tanya, of course, and their son Chad and his wife Kelly, plus their son-in-law Griffin Daly and their daughter Stacy Daly. There’s also Ken’s brother, Dale, and Tanya’s sister, Natalie Mcgroarty, who pitches in on weekends. Griffin’s father, Dennis, also works here.  And we cannot forget to mention the newest generation, Chad and Kelly’s children, Taylor and Andrew.  Also Stacy and Griffin’s children, Elijah and Ella.

Q – Is this a chain or franchise?

A -  No.

Q - Have you won any awards or had special recognition?

A - Yes. The Reader's Choice award for Best Lawn and Equipment Service for eight years. Reader's Choice award for Best Hardware store for six years. Master Service Dealer for Toro, and Diamond Dealer for Briggs and Stratton. 

Our technicians received awards for being Master Technicians as well as our employees in the Hardware Department maintaining online continuing education with National Retail Hardware Association.

Q - Is there anything else you’d like to share about your business? History etc….

A - Take a look at Albright's storefront and you’d think we were just a small mom-and-pop home and garden center. True, there is a mom and pop inside, and the store doesn’t stock building supplies and lumber like the big box stores, but make no mistake, we do truckloads of business, literally. In one season we can go through more than 15 tractor-trailers of mulch, ice melter, fertilizer and grass seed that homeowners, contractors and institutions need every year.

People are often surprised at the volume we actually do. Because we are competitively priced and locally owned, it’s not unusual for customers to come in two or three times the same day.  We often have up to 500 customers on a busy spring day. We would like to thank our customers for their continued patronage, and the opportunity to serve them.