Ron MacDonald and his son, Duane, the manager of Callbeck’s Home Hardware, look over the plans for the ongoing interior renovation at the Summerside store. Plans for the project began a year ago and work started on Feb. 16.
MacDonald and his wife, Donna, own Callbeck’s Home Hardware, where, for the past month, extensive renovations have been happening.
It’s a project, when complete, that will result in an entirely different looking store inside, the addition, outside, of a new warehouse, and will carry a price tag of between $750,000 to $1 million.
“It never stops in retail. We always have to keep changing and keep up with the times,” said MacDonald. “It certainly is a major investment for us, but it is an investment that is needed. If you don’t do these things, you just don’t survive.”
Work began on Feb. 16 and continues while the store stays open for business.
“Home has a program called Build a Better Home Store. This is the second version of it. They had a version of it that was out eight to 10 years ago, which we participated in at that time,” said MacDonald, who also owns the nearby Home Furniture store. “What Home Hardware wants to do is, on the lumber and building supply part of our business, to have a better presentation for our customers.”
The result is an overhaul of 5,000 square feet at the rear of the building previously used for storage. It’s being converted to include offices, staff room, training room, the expanded building and lumber supplies division and an in-house project and design centre with meeting space for contractors and customers.
“We are increasing our retail presentation to the customer by little over 25 per cent,” said MacDonald. “We had some more space here that we were using for plumbing storage and we have knocked down a wall, and we’ve had to put in a steel beam to access that part of it.”
The store’s entire interior is getting a remodel and refresh, with a larger plumbing display area, as well, among other things, larger flooring and paint displays.
“The interior of the store is going to be entirely different,” said MacDonald, adding the current ‘horseshoe design’ is being replaced by a main power aisle as customers enter the store. “All the departments are going to feed off of that, to the right and the left. It will give us a much more open look.”
Soon, a new 5,400-square-foot warehouse will be constructed, used to store supplies housed in the former warehouse space and products for the furniture store.
Interior renovations are expected to be complete in early May and the warehouse, which has yet to start constructed, to be completed sometime in June.
MacDonald doesn’t expect, at this time, more staff being hired, but added that could change depending on how business takes off.
Acclaimed Canadian fashion designer, Simon Chang, a spokesperson with Home Hardware, is expected to in the city in May to help celebrate the store’s grand reopening with a fashion show and in-store customer consultations.
“It’s exciting. It has been a lot of work. It is very difficult when you are staying open and doing this type of renovation,” said MacDonald, adding customers have been patient and understanding during the process. “Staff, they’ve had to work in duress here. It has been tough, but I think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Fast Facts
— Callbeck’s founded by William Callbeck in Central Bedeque in 1899
— Moved to into its current 20,000-square-foot facility in 1990
— In August 2007, Ron and Donna MacDonald became sole owners
— Ron worked in the business more than 40 years
— In January 2012, Home Furniture moved to 205 Wyatt Crescent
— The two stores employ a total of 60 full and part-time staff
