Lake Highlands Hardware Store Encourages Community To Buy Local

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - If a hardware store is not where you'd expect to find bath salts, candles, and cookies—all locally sourced, of course—then you probably haven't had the pleasure of stumbling into Gecko Hardware in Dallas' Lake Highlands neighborhood.

"We didn't want to be one of the 'big boxes'," says Managing Partner Andrea Ridout, "we wanted something unique."

It's part 'Green Acres' and a whole lot of 'Cheers'—where ecology, conservation, and relationships take priority.

"You can't walk in without getting help in here," says customer Andy Parker, "whether you want it or not!"

The store has won awards for its unique approach and families have become regulars so the kids can visit King George—the store's rooster and official mascot.

Still, unique has not been enough to combat a mild winter and rain soaked spring.

"It's not just one month of slow, or two months of slow, but six months of slow is going to hurt any company," says Ridout. "But, a brand new business like ours, where we don't have those reserves built up—it was very, very difficult."

So the team decided to go public with the effort to keep the unique hardware store afloat. They launched a GoFundMe effort.

"The rain this year has hurt all of us, " says Hannah Hargrove-Roberts, a customer and fellow small business owner. She was one of the first to head to the site to donate. "They have an amazing business model and they have a great plan and they're worth keeping around."

"The show of support for what we're trying to do here has been amazing," says Ridout, whose eyes began to fill with tears as she added, "One lady came in today and just brought us a check! And she put on it 'pay it forward….pay it forward'."

That has always been a part of the store's unique plan. Ridout says along with the hammers, nails and paint—the store helps other small businesses by stocking so many locally sourced products—from soap to honey and handmade crafts. She says Gecko's goal is not to replace the big box stores. But…
"If people say 'I want local—I want to have cookies that are made down the street, I want plants that are grown down the street', you've got to come out and remember to spend those dollars at stores like us, so that happens."

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