Schilling Home Hardware Building Centre is a place that people can turn to for a variety of home improvement needs.
Gary Schilling, who is the dealer-owner for the business, said Home Hardware Building Centre is a leader in home needs, with its hardware, home improvement products, building materials, furniture, appliances, paint, home d茅cor and other products.
鈥淲e have a very, very broad and expansive range of products that we offer to the country, and to Estevan, of course,鈥� said Schilling, who has more than 40 years of experience in retail with Beaver Lumber, Home Building Centre and Home Hardware Building Centre.
That variety in services was reflected in the Estevan Mercury Publications Readers鈥� Choice Best of Estevan Awards, as Schilling Home Hardware Building Centre was recognized for having the best paint, for 小蓝视频 the best for home improvement and 小蓝视频 the best building centre.
鈥淚t means a lot to me,鈥� said Schilling. 鈥淚t means that the community appreciates 鈥� what we do here as a store. We provide a service that we are very proud of, and to be recognized by the community that we are No. 1 when it comes to our industry makes me very happy.鈥�
The quality of the customer service is a big reason he believes the company was selected for three awards.
鈥淲e changed to what the community requires. We changed to what the market demands,鈥� said Schilling. 鈥淔or example, we have recently expanded into the appliance industry.鈥�
Twenty-six people currently work for the building centre. Some of them have been working there for more than 20 years.
The company moved into its current home just off of Kensington Avenue in 2009.
Schilling said lumber, plywood and building materials rate among their most popular products.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very aggressive when it comes to pricing and range of product,鈥� said Schilling. 鈥淲e offer many services that help the consumers get their products to them, with delivery service, forklift service and that sort of thing.鈥�
Interacting with employees and customers is the best part of the job.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the biggest part of the job that I like is meeting all the people, dealing with the people, solving problems with the people and seeing people happy when I get the products that I can provide them,鈥� said Schilling.
It鈥檚 also interesting to see the changes and the adjustments in the industry, and Schilling tries to keep pace with those changes.
The home improvement retailing sector has become more competitive, he said, both locally and across the province, as retailers have tried to expand the breadth of their products.聽
鈥淚 think we have a lot of competition that has increased over the last 20 to 25 years, but as far as I鈥檓 concerned about that, that鈥檚 more of a challenge than anything. I don鈥檛 look at that as a detriment,鈥� Schilling said.
In recent years, the community has gone through some changes. During the boom years for the oil and gas sector, the building industry was also active.
鈥淲e have had to diversify because the building activity has decreased dramatically in the last five years,鈥� said Schilling.
The company supports numerous charities in the city, and provides support for fundraisers for organizations such as the Estevan Wildlife Federation and the Salvation Army.
Schilling believes the local economy is going to pick up, and looks forward to seeing more activity in the area.
鈥淚 think in the next two to three years, you鈥檙e going to see some changes,鈥� said Schilling. 鈥淚 think you鈥檙e going to see some new businesses come to this community.鈥�
