In a day and age when big box stores thrive and the “Mom and Pop” stores of yesterday are becoming more of a thing of the past, it can be nice to see that certain small community businesses continue to prosper. One such business is Oaks Hardware in the historic section of Fair Oaks.

Owned and operated by David Hill with the assistance of several employees, Oaks Hardware is a classic example of a small business that has found a way to not only survive in the 21st century, but to also excel.

Although times have certainly changed throughout the store’s history, Hill, 49, said that even though he will never get rich through his business, the store continues to succeed financially.

“Other than this year, which I think is more of a factor of the economy, we’ve never had a down year [financially],” Hill said. “A lot of our clients are on the older side and occasionally we lose a few, but we’re gaining more and more of the younger people who walk in going, ‘Oh, this is cool. You’ve got all this stuff and I don’t have to wait in line. I can just grab it and go.’”

Despite outside challenges presented by the emergence of larger stores carrying similar hardware supplies, Hill said that the store continues to play an important role in the community.

“The big box stores are not going to go away, but there are a growing number of people, who are finding service and convenience in the little stores,” Hill said. “There are a lot of things that you can do [in the larger stores] and maybe you can buy things cheaper sometimes, but no one is going to help you find these things. So, there’s always that element.”

And when projects get overwhelming for some of Oaks Hardware’s customers, it is not uncommon that Hill or one of his employees head out on a house call to see that a customer’s project gets completed or started properly.

Hill added that people also appreciate the fact that they are remembered when they visit Oaks Hardware.

“We have been referred to as ‘The “Cheers” of hardware stores’ and we definitely do know many people on a first name basis,” Hill said.

It is likely that this aspect of Oaks Hardware has a lot to do with the fact that 80 percent of the store’s customers are regulars.

Fixing for Friends, Customers
Although several changes have been made within the store in recent years, Hill explained that many important elements of the store, which opened in about 1945, have remained the same.

One of these elements is the manner in which a large percentage of the store’s customers do their shopping.

Throughout each day, regular customers make their way in and out of the store without once reaching for their wallets. And no, these are not sticky-fingered shoplifters, but instead these are some of the store’s most valued clients.

Using an honor system, these customers are maintaining a tradition at the store that Hill says may be as old as the store itself.

“They just take whatever they need, write it down and pay [monthly] for the things that they took,” Hill said. “We have 300 accounts of people who can just sign up on a little piece of paper, fill it out and leave and we never even see them. Maybe they come in and buy a gallon of paint or some screws and it’s just on the honor system that they will pay [for these items]. There are some people who would only come here, because of this [system]. Regular customers have a feeling of ownership of the place.”

When asked if he experiences any difficulties when it comes to collecting payments on the items that leave the store through this system, Hill said that 90 percent of the accounts are paid off within the first few days after his customers receive their bills.

“People just really like the fact that they are special to have [this system] and they would never think of taking advantage of it,” Hill said. “Even when it comes to writing things down, we don’t get people writing down that they took five screws when they really took seven.”

But Hill believes that this sort of track record goes beyond just basic honesty and says something about his customers’ desire to support a store that has been supporting the Fair Oaks community long before his father and mother, Dick and Jeanne Hill, owned and operated the store from 1983 to 2000.

During a remodeling of the front of the store about three years ago, which included the removal of an overhang covered with Spanish tile, a bit of history was revealed when a crew of workers uncovered the wording, Kellam’s.

“That was the original name of the store,” Hill said. “The words were painted on the stucco of the building and were never removed. They were just covered up.”

Heart in Fair Oaks
Now in his eighth year of ownership, Hill, who is a 1977 graduate of Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks and an avid boater and barbecue enthusiast, is both keeping tradition alive and finding ways to improve Oaks Hardware.

Hill, who has a wife, Jennifer, and a 12-year-old son, Christopher, said that during his ownership of Oaks Hardware, he has expanded the offerings of the store, as well as continued to carry many hard-to-find items and free freshly-popped popcorn, which are both longtime traditions of the store.

Hill added that he also plans to double the size of the store in the next few years by utilizing about 20 feet of the property that he owns to the east of the existing building. He is also investigating the possibility of having the height of the building increased.

Once the expansion is completed, Oaks Hardware, which Hill describes as “a store with a lot of everything,” will be able to better meet the needs of its customers with an even wider variety of offerings.

With a smile on her face, Oaks Hardware customer Kathye Zirkle perhaps summed up the service provided at this store the best, when she said, “If you can’t find it, they’ll help you find it. They are so helpful here and provide such great service and that really makes you feel welcome.”

Oaks Hardware, which is located at 10136 Fair Oaks Blvd., is open daily, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For additional information regarding this business, call (916) 967-5225.