Kinney & Keele True Value Hardware

93 Year Old Business Receives Help Staying Fresh from the SBDC

Mara Slinker started working in the Kinney & Keele True Value Hardware store at 14 when her dad and his partners ran the shop.

In 2015, her father decided to pass along the business to his children in a succession plan. Slinker and her brother, Randall, purchased the hardware shop and became co-owners alongside their father.

First started in 1926 by two brothers and their brother-in-law, the Ontario hardware store is in the top 10 percent of True Value hardware stores in the world. “Our store is known for its hard to find items and vast product knowledge,” Slinker said.

She and her brother went to the SBDC for assistance with business accounting. The SBDC helped them develop profit and loss statements and project future expenses.

“Our business is 93 years old this year, so we’ve been through a lot,” Slinker said. “It’s nice to have them on hand to ask questions when we need it. They’re always up to date on what’s going on in town and in the business world.”

When officials at the Snake River Correctional Institution told Slinker they wanted to start purchasing paint and other items from the hardware shop, she went to the SBDC for advice. The SBDC told Slinker about the Government Contract Assistance Program and helped the business complete the paperwork to become state certified.