Snider Plaza Original Not Closing Its Doors
Pierce Hardware has been, shall we say, a fixture in Snider Plaza since 1939, making it one of the shopping center’s original tenants. But this month, that will all change.
That’s because Pierce Hardware is moving to a new showroom on Mockingbird Lane. The new location, as it intersects with Denton Drive, is not far from Love Field.
“We’re excited about the move, but we’re sorry to leave Snider Plaza, as you might imagine,” company president and University Park resident Mike McKenzie said. “We don’t feel like we’re leaving the neighborhood. We’re going to be close enough for our main customer base. We feel like we’ll be able to better serve them in the new location.”
Increased parking and neighborhood convenience are just a few added decorative features. But it’s the larger showroom space that’s the nuts and bolts of the move.
“We need to be able to have working displays and we just weren’t going to be able to do it here very effectively,” McKenzie said.
To get down to technicalities, the Snider Plaza shop is 1,500 square feet; the new showroom is 5,000.
That means much more space for floor models, including some that are equipped for actual demonstrations.
The new location will display 10 bathtubs and 18-20 toilets, and 20 kitchen sinks, in addition to the company’s usual selection of luxury knobs, pulls, and locks.
That comes in handy for both the company’s remodeling clients and new construction clients, many of whom need to incorporate design elements early in the process to accommodate
certain features.
“Our showroom, the way it’s set up today, you come in here when you’re ready to pick your finishes,” chief operating officer Erin Bittner said. “In the new showroom, we’re going to give you something to see well before that. This is structural stuff.”
But with all the new elements going on, Pierce Hardware wants to keep some things the same.
For one, the company is still focused on its customers and community feel.
“It really doesn’t change who we’re going to serve or how we’re going to serve them,” McKenzie said. “We’ve always been focused on providing high-quality products with a high service level with experienced sales consultants.”
The company got started in 1937, two years before Snider Plaza’s opening. The store has seen six different owners in its 78-year history, starting with Marvin Pierce. Employee Jim Caskey’s father also owned the shop for a time. He has worked with the company for 50 consecutive years, not counting those first years in high school.
“I started here when I was a freshman in high school. That would have been 60 years ago in 1955,” Caskey said. “I waited on all the grandfathers.”
It’s that longevity of relationships that Pierce Hardware hopes to continue even through its move.
“It’s symbiotic in a sense that you need that dependency. We need those repeat customers, but we need a staff that stays in order to develop that,” Bittner said. “This is about information and experience that you’re buying when you shop with us.”
