New hardware store getting closer to opening

January 09, 2025

by Todd Brooks

Comanche Home & Hardware owners hope to begin moving merchandise into the new store later this month and then begin setup in February.

Comanche is getting closer to having its own hardware store as work continues on Comanche Home and Hardware on Highway 53 in the old Dollar General building.

Ray Marshall, who owns a home and hardware store in Healdton, says he hopes to be open in the next couple of months. The floors are expected to be finished this week and they will begin installing fixtures. Merchandise will start arriving on Jan. 20. Setup will begin around Feb. 1 and the plan is to open around March 1.

“It’s going to look completely different than what it used to when it was a Dollar General,” Marshall said.

The store will have a full line of hardware, but that will just be the beginning.

“We will have color-matching paint and a full line of plumbing supplies,” Marshall said. “We will have sporting goods, tools, lawn and garden, automotive and electrical tools. We will be hitting areas that no one else in town has.”

Marshall said they have recently become an authorized Stihl dealer and also will have DeWalt and Milwaukee products.

Learning about the community’s needs is a key component of their business philosophy.

“When we first opened up in Healdton, we were more like a Ben Franklin with health and beauty products and things like that, but when the dollar stores started coming into town, there was no need to have five places to buy toothpaste, so we made some changes,” Marshall said.

There will also be clothing available with Wrangler and flame-resistant (FR) clothing and Twisted X boots. There will also be pet supplies and some livestock goods.

“Our business plan in Healdton was to be whatever Healdton needed us to be and it will be the same there,” Marshall said. “We just won’t have the space that we have in Healdton.”

Marshall said they like to reserve a spot in stores to allow for them to supply additional things the community might need and he encourages the community to let them know what those needs are.

They will host a mini job fair at some point before the opening for those who may be interested in coming and working for them.