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When Disaster Strikes: Randy's Hardware | Sponsored by Do it Best

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Randy Andes of Randy's Do it Best shares his journey from sweeping floors at 18 to winning the Beacon Award and running four successful hardware stores in Virginia. His story includes overcoming a devastating store fire in 2022, rebuilding in just 100 days, and developing innovative strategies to compete with big box retailers.

• Starting in hardware at 18, working at True Value and American Hardware stores before opening his own business
• Competing with Walmart by scouting their weaknesses and building strategic alliances
• Rebuilding after a devastating fire destroyed their Mount Jackson store to the ground
• Understanding your market's specific needs and being willing to pivot when necessary
• Creating an innovative "train in the moment" employee development system that shares knowledge across all stores
• Working alongside his wife Shirley, whose meticulous approach to operations complements Randy's customer service focus
• Planning for retirement while ensuring a smooth transition to the next generation

For more tools, training, and industry content, subscribe to the Grit Blueprint Podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Check us out at gritblueprint.com.


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Randy Andes:

All of us independent hardware dealers like to say we compete with service and we do. You've got to do more than that. You've got to scout your competition, identify their weaknesses, identify their strengths and then build some alliances. If you can build those relationships, they become more of an ally than a competitor.

Stefanie Couch:

Something I think most people don't have the ego check to be able to say, because, at the end of the day, everyone running these businesses on the local level they're still people and I think we all want to help our customers. You can't have everything and you can't do everything well, so figuring out what you do, rock at and then leaning into that is a great way to really win a business.

Randy Andes:

First of all know your market and then make sure that market knows you and then make sure that market knows you.

Stefanie Couch:

Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast, the show for bold builders, brand leaders and legacy makers in the construction and building industry. I'm your host, Stefanie Couch, and I've been in this industry my entire life. Whether we're breaking down what's working in sales and marketing, new advances in AI and automation, or interviewing top industry leaders, you're going to get real-world strategies to grow your business, build your brand and lead your team. Let's get to work. Thank you for joining me on the Grit Blueprint Podcast. I'm your host, Stefanie Couch, and I'm here with Randy Andes from Randy's Do it Best. Welcome to the show, Randy. Thank you. I'm excited to talk today. You've been in the hardware business a long time and last night you won the Beacon Award at the IHI. I did.

Stefanie Couch:

So I want to talk a little bit about what happened to get you started and where you are now. So let's get started on the show. You've been in this industry for over 50 years, starting in the hardware stores when you were 18 years old, Somewhere in that range 18 to 20, in that range. Yeah, so tell me about how you got started. Where'd you start working?

Randy Andes:

I started working at a True Value store actually Okay and worked there for several years and then moved to another hardware store in town that at that time was the old American hardware. It was a farm co-op, Okay and I started out like just about everybody else, stocking shelves and sweeping floors.

Stefanie Couch:

Well, fast forward to now. A lot different than sweeping floors, because you have four hardware stores. Randy's Do it Best in Virginia. Tell me about what the business looks like today, and I know you and your team. You're working really hard. You've been through a lot in the last few years. Tell me about that.

Randy Andes:

Oh yeah, our first store, our corporate store, is in Timberville, virginia. We started out in a really kind of a small space in a shopping center and I'll never forget my old do it best rep called it his bowling alley store because it was just long and narrow and it was a challenge to merchandise that store. So several years later we were able to get the space beside of us, tear down a wall and make the store up to about 12 000 square feet wow, and I know a few years ago you actually had a tragedy in the business in 2022, but you guys really turned lemons into lemonade.

Stefanie Couch:

So tell me a little bit about what you did with that store.

Randy Andes:

Well, we have had a location in Mount Jackson, virginia. It was a 75-year-old hardware store that we took over. A couple of years after we took over, the store burnt to the ground. I'll never forget that phone call a little after two in the morning said that you've got a fire at your store and Christian my son-in-law he took off for Mount Jackson and my wife and I just thought well, somebody left something on in the kitchen, a little smoke damage or something. But when he sent us back the first picture we knew that it was serious, wow, and it actually burnt to the ground.

Stefanie Couch:

Man, what actually caused it? Did you know?

Randy Andes:

To this day, we still don't know. Wow, a lot of investigation, but we still don't know.

Stefanie Couch:

Wow. Well, you did not let that stop you in Mount Vernon, so within 100 days you had a new store reopen.

Randy Andes:

So tell me how you did that. It was pretty amazing. The fire was on an early Saturday morning and when we opened our Timberville store on Sunday morning there was almost a line of people coming in to offer condolences, to say you know, I'm here to help whatever we can do. And I'll never forget one of the council members from the town of Mount Jackson said TO SAY YOU KNOW, I'm HERE TO HELP WHATEVER WE CAN DO AND I'LL NEVER FORGET. One OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM THE TOWN OF MOUNT JACKSON SAID RANDY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REALIZE IT, but THERE'S A GROCERY STORE THAT'S GOING TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS UP ON MAIN STREET. You MIGHT WANT TO GO TALK TO HIM. Wow, I and everything fell into place. You know I say it was divine intervention because everything just worked. It was a blessing for that store owner to get out and it was certainly a blessing for us to be able to move in and start renovating within just a matter of days actually. Wow.

Stefanie Couch:

Isn't it incredible how sometimes the things that we think are going to be the biggest opportunities they aren't. They close doors right, right. And then sometimes, the things that we think are going to ruin us or that are just pure tragedies and they are in their first moments they become the things that define us in such a real awesome way. It is. It's really cool. How's that store doing today?

Randy Andes:

The store is doing great today. If you ever get an opportunity to come to Mount Jackson Virginia, stop in and visit because I'm proud of the way the store turned out and we built and merchandised that store when items were hard to get fixtures were hard to get because we were in those COVID years.

Stefanie Couch:

Yeah, 2022 was tough to get anything and we pulled it off, wow.

Randy Andes:

Yeah, 2022 was tough to get anything and we pulled it off. Wow. And the support from the community, the other business owners offering us trucks, warehouse space, whatever we needed, and I just can't say thank you enough to those folks that helped us.

Stefanie Couch:

That's awesome, and you guys are a do it best store, so tell me a little bit about your experience working with them and what's it been like, because you've been with them a long time.

Randy Andes:

I have been and prior to, do it Best. Before I opened my own stores I worked for hardware companies that had other suppliers and Do it best is, in my opinion. You know I really like the old American hardware folks and do it best kind of mirrors that group. There's always somebody I can talk to. It's getting a little less now with emails and Internet and all that sort of thing and at my age it takes a little getting used to for me to communicate that way. Sure.

Stefanie Couch:

Yeah, but I think it's been interesting for me collaborating with them to see they really do have a heart for independent business in the US and I think they try to figure out how to do business with you the way you want to be dealt with Right.

Randy Andes:

That's important.

Stefanie Couch:

I know when my dad had his hardware store in Lumberyard, we always were trying to figure out the way to compete with the bigger people. Right, it's hard, because you're one store, two stores, five stores, however many stores each person has, but those people have thousands of stores. They can buy so much bigger. How do you compete with Big Box? I know you actually had a Walmart Supercenter that's right down the street.

Randy Andes:

Across the road. Yeah, I mean, we look at them every day. Wow, and we, you know, we scout our competition. And all of us independent hardware dealers like to say we compete with service. Sure, and we do. But you've got to do more than that. You've got to scout your competition, identify their weaknesses, identify their strengths and then build some alliances. Because if you know that they're weak in paint, you know, go visit their paint manager and say you know, I know you don't carry this, but we do, and you carry this and we don't. So let's share those customers. Yeah, and if you can build those relationships, they become more of an ally than a competitor.

Stefanie Couch:

That's really smart and also something I think most people don't have the ego check to be able to say, because, at the end of the day, everyone running these businesses on the local level they're still people. That's right, and I think we all want to help our customers and I think we all want to help our customers and you can't have everything and you can't do everything.

Randy Andes:

Well, so figuring out what you do, rock at and then leaning into that is a great way to really win a business. When we watched Walmart come into town, I took 30 days out of my schedule to lobby politicians, town officials to try to prevent it from coming. And it didn't work. They still came, but people listened and it really aggravated me to see some of the merchants that were in town just roll over and say you know they're going to put me out of business. I may as well get out now. And I said I had a lot of conversations with those guys saying you know you don't have to give up. There's ways to compete. If you want to stay, yeah, and some just use it as an excuse to get out.

Stefanie Couch:

That's right. What would you say to someone in another town that maybe is thinking about opening a hardware store or a small retail business? What would you tell them?

Randy Andes:

First of all know your market and then make sure that market knows you. We're struggling with one location right now that we thought was going to be a prime location for a hardware store. What we found out several years later? That that community is not a do-it-yourself community. They pay to have things done in their homes or gardens, and we went in with the same mindset that we're going to put in a. They pay to have things done in their homes or gardens, and we went in with the same mindset that we're going to put in a hardware store that caters to do-it-yourselfers and some contractors. And we found out that that wasn't working. So we had to pivot and move to more grilling, outdoor living, lawn care, some of the stuff I call fluffy hardware, sure yeah, not to fix it, but to just make it pretty or make it taste good, right?

Stefanie Couch:

Yes, exactly. Yeah, that's really good, though, that you had the knowledge to go look and see. How long did it take you to figure that out in that market once you opened it?

Randy Andes:

took too long because we weren't expecting that you open. Took too long because we weren't expecting that and we're making adjustments as we speak to lower some costs and to bring in some other merchandise that's probably going to work better than our initial set.

Stefanie Couch:

Okay, that's really cool. One thing I want to ask you about is we talked a little bit about your Beacon Award and last night at the ceremony you actually spoke about your wife, Shirley, who works in the the business. So I want you to tell me a little about her. But you thanked her for supporting your wild crazy dream of starting a hardware store.

Randy Andes:

Tell me about that wild crazy dream and tell me about Shirley well, that should take a long time, but my wife was an office manager for a major manufacturing company and her nickname at that company was the little general, because she took charge. Yeah, and when I opened the store well, before I opened the store, I told her that, you know, I was really wanted to get away from what I was doing because it was becoming too corporate. And one night, just before bed, she said "'Well, if you're gonna open a hardware store, "'you better be doing it now, "'because you're not getting any younger'". And I said okay, how old were you when you opened it? Oh, my goodness, I don't know. We opened in 2001.

Randy Andes:

Okay, so been a pretty good little ride here. I had already had close to 40 years in the hardware industry with other companies and she was still working at the manufacturing plant. But she would come to the store at night and I'll not forget that she was stocking. We first opened the store she was stocking the National Hardware Owl and she was hanging up stuff and she said Randy, you told me you couldn't fix this because they didn't make that. I said, right, there's what we need for that project at home. So it was kind of a mixed blessing, but anyway, I think she started enjoying what she was doing. So whenever she had time off from her real job she would come to the hardware store. And then just out of the blue one day she said you know, I'm going to retire from the plant and come on full time at the hardware store. Wow, and we work together every day and we live together at home.

Stefanie Couch:

So I resonate with that. Pretty pretty different every single day, and we work from home too.

Randy Andes:

That's right we do. But, like I said last night, she's just a rock that holds everything together. She makes sure that our inventory is correct, she's meticulous with the bookkeeping, the payroll and all the things that go into that, and she lets me do what I like to do and that's helping people.

Stefanie Couch:

Yeah, tell me a little bit more about that. What is your favorite part of the last 50 years in the hardware business with helping people?

Randy Andes:

I just really enjoy solving problems and showing people how a particular item works. I'm blessed with almost a photogenic memory because once I see something and see how it works, it doesn't leave me. Sometimes this old brain takes a little longer to pull it up, but I'm usually pretty good at explaining to homeowners how to fix something, how to put it together, and I know when to tell them to call a professional yeah you know, like I tell a lot of people, I don't, I don't mind getting you wet with a plumbing project, but I'm not gonna get you electrocuted with an electrical project.

Stefanie Couch:

I always actually say that I don't mind telling people how to do some plumbing and trying to figure it out, but it's a lot more scary when there's something that can jolt you with 120 volts.

Randy Andes:

Yes.

Stefanie Couch:

Yeah, the electrical aisle is not where I like to do my DIY time and I've got.

Randy Andes:

We've got people on staff that are are much better at electrical than I am and I rely on them to help us, but that's what I get. That's. I get satisfaction from that, and I like watching my employees when they're able to explain something to somebody and tell them how to do it, or to walk somebody through a painting project, and I hear them tell them that prep is essential. If you don't prep it correctly, your finished job is not going to be good. Sure, and when I hear my employees explaining that, it makes me feel good because they learned that from me.

Stefanie Couch:

How do you train employees? Because there's a lot of younger people coming into your store, I'm sure to work, and they know nothing about anything with the industry and they've never fixed anything, maybe never even owned a home. How do you train them?

Randy Andes:

Our management team came up with a really good training program. We use the NHPA's training programs, but we also have this thing that we call training in the moment and that was brought to us from our COO, austin Deal. He's always saying train in the moment. And then we moved that a notch further. We logged those training sessions on a computer and it goes to all of our locations. All the store managers can see it and, for instance, if I hear an employee that doesn't know the answer to the customer's question, you know I'll wait to the proper time and I'll step in and I'll explain to the customer what he needs and how to use it. But then I'll pull that employee to the side and explain to them and have them actually do it. And then we go log it on the on the training log and it goes out to all the locations the store. Other store managers see it and say, hey, that's pretty good, I'm gonna do that today and train this guy or this girl on what Randy just did, or what Austin?

Stefanie Couch:

just did, or what Howard, my store manager, just did so you just type it in or you do a video, or how do you?

Randy Andes:

No, we just type it in.

Stefanie Couch:

Okay, that's super cool. Yeah, I haven't heard anyone else say that they do that, so that's very thoughtful and I love that train in the moment because you'll forget, they'll forget or it just doesn't. I think it doesn't stick as much when you're not standing there looking at it, so I love that.

Randy Andes:

It's hard to schedule training. It is, and when we do this training in the moment, you can do it in 20 seconds. A lot of times 20, 30 seconds or a minute, and it's done. The other stores can use it, yeah, and it's working, that's really smart.

Stefanie Couch:

I love that, all right. So I want to ask you about your next steps, because you are actually retiring. So in 2025, in January, you announced that you're going to be stepping away from the business and retiring, and I ask if you had any hobbies. You said you love antique cars, but you also have eight grandchildren. So what are you planning to do with all your not so spare time? I guess?

Randy Andes:

Well, I've been taking one of the youngest grandsons. I've been taking him fishing a couple of days, ok, and when the weather cools off we're going to go some more. I do like tinkering with my antique cars. I'm hoping to get out and see some, you know, get to some car shows. My definition of retirement is a really, really flexible schedule. You know, I've told Christian I'll be available for special events. If he's got a need for training or if he's out looking at a new location or something, I'm more than happy to help because that's what I like to do. But for me to have to be there at nine o'clock in the morning and stay till six o'clock at night, I'm looking forward to those days being gone.

Stefanie Couch:

Yeah, you've put your time in behind the counter. I know you're ready for some flexibility.

Randy Andes:

I've never liked an office. My office is out on the floor.

Stefanie Couch:

Yeah well, and you know, I think it's cool that you'll still be able to help and do things when you want to and when they need you to, and probably on the bigger strategy side, I'm sure of things. But your name is on the door, so I'm sure you'll still be around and I kind of like, using that term, that I'm the founder of Randy's Hardware.

Randy Andes:

Yeah, that's really cool.

Stefanie Couch:

Well, I'm excited for everything that's to come for Randy's Do it Best. I know that Christian is going to be an amazing next leader. He's already leading the company and I got to speak with him this week, and you guys are doing some really cool, innovative stuff on YouTube and you've got products that are standing out and American made. What you're doing with this business is really the heart of what independent hardware is about. So congratulations on building just an absolutely amazing company and I can't wait to keep watching you, and I'm going to get up to Virginia because I heard you have really cool axes that you sell. Oh, we do, and I am very excited to come see what's happening in Timberville and all of your other stores. So thank you so much for spending some time with me today, and I'm excited. Congratulations on your Beacon Award, thank you.

Stefanie Couch:

And we appreciate it. I do it best, everything that you do, and I'm so excited to just watch the next generation of this industry hopefully try to follow in the footsteps of people like you who are legacy leaders that are just crushing it for decades.

Randy Andes:

Thank you. I've been very fortunate that I've had two young retailers to come out of my stable. I was very impressed with the group of young retailers last night, yeah, and that's why I mentioned that. You know, I think the future for the independent hardware retailer is really bright. You know, regardless of what the economy is right now, the future is bright.

Stefanie Couch:

I agree. I couldn't agree more and I hope that more people will see, especially with things like AI coming on. You know there is always going to be a need for people to have what I call blue collar or boring businesses. They're not really that boring if you're in them, you know. We know there's a lot of excitement that goes on, but they're going to need that because AI is going to change things. But there's always going to be someone who needs a wax ring for the tool.

Randy Andes:

Exactly.

Stefanie Couch:

And there's always going to be someone that needs those two befores or a new grill for their weekend project. So I'm excited to have new blood come into this industry and find out how amazing it is, because I grew up here, you grew up here and we both know what it can do for your family. Yes, well, thank you so much for joining me today and we are excited to watch everything that's going to happen in the next year or two with Randy's. Do it Best, and I hope you find the best fishing spot out there and get to some great car shows. Good, thank you. That's it for this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast. For more tools, training and industry content, make sure to subscribe here and follow me on LinkedIn and other social media platforms To find out more about how Grit Blueprint can help you grow your business. Check us out at our website, gritblueprintcom.

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