Video transcript

In 2003, the Home Hardware Building Centre in Chatham-Kent, Ontario underwent an extensive renovation — their existing building nearly doubled in size, with the interior redone from the ground up. Special attention was paid to adding features that would make it easier for customers to shop and for employees to work. And so far, the rewards reaped have been just as huge as the renovation itself.

“We made sure that we put in a ramp, automatic doors, accessible bathrooms, wide aisles and lower shelves,” explains Home Hardware Supervisor Miriam Wellington. “We made the store accessible, brighter, bigger, and overall, I’ve found that customers really like it.”

The changes to the store have benefited all of Home Hardware’s customers, including those with disabilities, by allowing them to shop with ease.

“They really have taken pains in making sure everything is right,” says Rick Francis, customer with a disability and member of the Chatham-Kent Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC). “It is more accessible than we hoped for.”

In fact, Rick and the rest of the Chatham-Kent AAC were so impressed with the level of accessibility at the Home Hardware that they presented the store with the Chatham-Kent Accessible Business award for 2010.

While the award acknowledges the many physical changes the store underwent to become more accessible, it also recognizes one important thing that remained the same — the quality of their customer service.

Miriam believes that’s precisely what sets Home Hardware apart from the competition.

“You see the difference in the attitude of the employees and how they treat the customers,” she says. “And people tell people about good service.”

Rick echoes that and says Home Hardware’s accessible customer service — friendly staff who are always eager to help in any way they can — is one of the things that has made him a returning customer.

“The staff seem to be educated well in dealing with people with disabilities, and it’s very good,” Rick remarks.

Changing their store to make it more accessible, while maintaining a high quality of customer service, has resulted in Home Hardware becoming one of the more well-known and successful businesses in the community. They’re continuing to gain new and loyal customers through word of mouth, employees are working more efficiently than ever, and they’ve received formal recognition for their efforts to top it all off.

Miriam believes that other businesses should be looking to make the same sort of improvements so that they, too, can reap the rewards.

“It’s a win-win situation,” she explains. “You’ll get loyal customers, you’ll get happy customers. And honestly, it makes you more productive in your store. If you have everything accessible, it will make your job simpler. It really does benefit a store.”