BY GINNY RAUE
WEST MILFORD — Originally located in the area where Walgreens now stands, West Milford Hardware has been a fixture in the township since the 1950s.
When Bob Stegle bought the business in 1989, he added his name to the masthead and hired on a friend of the family.
“When Bob took over the store, he asked if I wanted to work part-time,” JoAnne Woods, the store’s current owner, said.
Woods’ daughter had just started school and the offer gave her the opportunity to be employed within the framework of school hours. At first she was a salesperson, then a manager. Now, as of October 2014, she is the store’s sole owner, although the pathway to ownership came as the result of the loss of two friends.
Bob Stegle died at the age of 52 and his wife, Jean, was left with the store. Jean worked elsewhere and knew nothing about the business. Woods remained on the job and when Jean died in 2011, the store was passed on to the two adult Stegle children, neither of whom were local residents.
“They left it up to me to run but eventually they realized that was not working out for them,” Woods said.
Buying in
Woods, 62, felt confident that she knew the business well enough to take on ownership. She discussed it with her children and they encouraged her to go forward.
“It’s no different because I’ve been doing the job for 17 years,” she said.
A familiar face to her customers, Woods works six days a week at the store and employs three part-time workers. The mother of two adult children, she’s lived in West Milford for the past 38 years; she knows the town, its people and its needs.
But is it harder for a woman to work in hardware? Did she ever experience any male resistance?
“I did in the beginning, but not so much anymore. I think that I’ve proven myself," she said. "You learn your job and become good at it. I can hold my own.”
Woods describes her business as a “hometown hardware store.” She acknowledges that going up against the big box stores can be difficult and that the economy hasn’t been helpful to anyone, customer or business owner.
“But we’re still here after all these years so we must be doing something right,” she said.
What she’s doing right, she believes, is providing great customer service in a friendly atmosphere and developing a relationship with her customers and their families.
The nuts and bolts
Stegle’s West Milford Hardware carries paints and related products, household supplies, tools, electrical and plumbing supplies, lawn and garden supplies and seasonal essentials such as shovels, rock salt and batteries.
They pump propane, make keys, cut shades, glass and Plexiglas and do window and screen repairs. If the store doesn’t have what you need, Woods can special order it. Hometown
Living and working in West Milford Township for all these years suits Woods just fine.
“I think the best part is getting to know my customers, getting to know our own townspeople,” she said.
A hometown store in a wide-spread town, it has been in operation for over 60 years. Perhaps Woods has nailed it – they must be doing something right.
Stegle’s West Milford Hardware
10 Marshall Hill Road West Milford
973-728-9191
Store hours:
Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.