Hi,
I went to Swinney's yesterday to buy a piece of glass, and despite a sign in the window announcing "we have no glass" I proceeded to go inside. I thought maybe they were just out of glass, but was told that they'd be closing their doors in about a year, as they are not making ends meet. Rumor has it that some of their Swinney bloodline cousins have offered to buy the store to keep the Tulsa landmark alive...
Any of you know anything about this?
BTW,looks like a great forum!
~ Art[:)]
That's a shame, but not surprising. The days of local specialty stores are long gone. I guess they just can't compete with the big-box home centers. I try to give my $ to locally owned stores, but it is getting harder and harder to do. Try buying U.S. made goods exclusively. Impossible to do. And we have only ourselves to blame.
I'm kinda surprised they've soldiered on this long against HD and Lowe's. Likely the only thing which helped them was being in closer proximity to parts of north Tulsa than the HD on 11th and the Lowe's on 15th.
Sad to hear it, that's been an anchor in the K-W district forever.
How sad. Hopefully they can stay in business somehow. I was heartbroken that Burgess Hardware went out of business a few years ago. They had everything and then some in there.
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Try buying U.S. made goods exclusively. Impossible to do. And we have only ourselves to blame.
I always try to find American made goods, but it really is hard to find. When you do, it's usually more expensive.
Here's a website that lists USA products.
US Stuff (//%22http://www.usstuff.com/%22)
Nooooo! Swinney's has been a part of my life, well, ALL OF MY LIFE! I do buy my hardware needs at the locally owned stores and I do a bunch of biz with Swinney's. After the Tru Value on Harvard closed, I tried others and only Swinney's comes close to having been open long enough to have just the right dust covered item tucked away on a back shelf. First the TG&Y closed in that space and now Swinney's, I gotta go cry.
Midtown Hardware is still open. That's my #1 stop, Lowes is a backup.
- - -
I like local shops, but I do not always hunt them down. Sorry. But if BigBox Inc. can offer me what I want cheaper and LittleGuy & Company have nothing above that to offer - BigBox will probably get my business. Fun thing is, the tables are turning back in some regards on the internet where EbayGuy6825 can outsell BestBuy on some items.
And as for buying American, I make an attempt. But the same rule applies. If China can make the same product cheaper, our standard of living RISES if we consume that product. Economics 101 says buy products from the country with a comparable advantage and everyone wins.
Of course, not all products are created equal. New Balance shoes (made in the USA) are worth the extra money to me, same with Teva. I prefer a Briggs motor to a Honda. And if there are 2 products that are comparably prices, I'll take the American one. But if Whirlpool and LG have the same fridge and LG is selling for a 20% discount...
The difference is the customer service. At Swinney's, you can talk to a person and expect them to have actual knowledge. Not so at the big boxes. At Swinney's, they will even give you truthful advice that might mean they won't make as much money. Me: "What's the difference between these two things?" Swinney's person: "This one has a fancy label, and costs more. I'd buy that one, and save some money if I were you."
Watching the local hardware stores go under is painful to me. B/c of this, I always try to support the locals first. If they don't have what I want, I'll go to Lowe's. But I always start with the little guys. Once they're gone they're gone forever. (Like the old lumber yards in town. Now, it's just the crapola at Lowe's and HD.)
I agree Ponder, that's why I go to Midtown. The advice makes it worth the few extra cents. That's the edge an owner operated or even manager/operated place can offer (as opposed to manager has to worry about corporate compliance and staffing of a 250 employee store, etc). But that is NOT always the case.
Anyone know when the store plans tp close?
what does this mean, "If they don't have what I want, I'll go to Lowe's. " ? Does it mean, that... you ARE NOT WILLING TO ORDER FROM A MOM 'N POP? or...???
Over 400 people have read this original post. Where are these people ?? Have they shopped Swinney's? Hmmm...
Never even heard of Swinneys. Maybe that is part of their problem.
Oh, 1 N. Lewis... A little out of my way.
Heard today in the drive thru lane at my bank....only four more days for Swinney's.
Don't the customers supporting the Lowes/Home Depots ever have to return anything? (Crazy, time consuming procedure just to trade one size for another) Don't they ever need some help on wire gauge? Does everyone have a whole packet of screws loose instead of just a one?
Bonnie, John and the rest of the staff, I'll miss you.
eta:Trying to avoid splitting hairs..ground axes are getting harder to find. I actually was in the bank drive thru on Saturday morning. [:D]
I wanna buy the sign if they close. I love that sign.
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Originally posted by music_artist
Over 400 people have read this original post. Where are these people ?? Have they shopped Swinney's? Hmmm...
When I lived in Tulsa (been gone 10 years) Swinney's and Burgess were the places to go for the odd tool or that hard to find item. And when you went there and asked, they knew where to find it, showed you the options, and were very well informed. It is the same in auto parts now. Depending on where you live, you have Autozone, Checker/Shucks/Kragen, Pep Boy's and O'Rielly. I have found a place here in Phoenix that is like the old Guy Henshalls's. The people behind the counter actually know what you are asking for and have real experience and knowledge (and in the autoparts area just enough grease under the nails) to give real advice as well as having a real machine shop in the back when you need it.
I hate to hear that about a local hardware store. I went to the ACE hardware store at 101st and Elm in Broken Arrow for years and it was the same way as the store you are talking about on this post. I knew almost all the people that worked there and they knew what they were talking about and were very helpful. Then Westlake Ace came in and my favorite Ace closed down. I do not even go into the Westlake Ace out here in B.A. I tried too a couple of times and it was just to big and hard to find your item or a staff member, let alone one who is knowledgable. Sutherlands closed out here because of Lowes and that is who we are basicly stuck with.