Bossert’s Hardware: Building a family legacy
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LEWISTOWN -- I learned to count change at my grandfather’s hardware store. Throughout the summer, I spent my Tuesdays waking at 7 a.m. and going with my mother and sister to his store to clean and spend the day with my pap, Dan Pierce. Those Tuesdays made me into the person I am today. I am grateful for Bossert's Hardware for the beautiful memories I will cherish for the rest of my life, especially of my pap.
Bossert's Hardware has been a part of the Mifflin County community since 1945, when Mr. Sam Bossert opened the business. Later, Harold Manbeck acquired the store, followed by its current owner, Dan Pierce. Located at 838 W. 4th St., Lewistown, Bossert's cuts keys, repairs screens and windows and sells American-made wheelbarrows. It is the only remaining family-owned hardware store in Mifflin County, providing customers with personalized service.
Pierce's father and my great-grandfather, Donald, also known as "Dan," owned the Dan Pierce Outdoor Shop, the business beside Bossert's Hardware. Since 1998, it has been run by my uncle, Donald Pierce's youngest son, Scott Pierce, and his family.
When Bossert's Hardware came up for sale in 1980, Dan, who had been looking for a change, decided to buy the property and continue the business next door to his father.
"I wanted to work for myself," Pierce said, "and the hardware store gave me that."
Since Pierce's takeover, a multitude of employees have worked there. Billi Weaver has worked there for 28 years. Her helpful and friendly face can be found alongside Dan throughout the week.
"My favorite part of working here is getting to know our customers and helping them," Weaver said.
"My kids and my grandkids worked there. I worked beside my parents for a long time. That was special," Pierce said.
More than a business, Bossert's is a piece of family history. When I spent my summer days there, I enjoyed helping with screens and cleaning with the old central vacuum system, and I enjoyed playing with my grandfather's cat, Gracie.
When corporate hardware companies started appearing in Lewistown, Pierce noticed the number of customers dwindling. Chain companies appealed to customers because of lower prices and higher convenience, leading smaller businesses to lose some of their customer following and to the closing of many locally-owned hardware stores.
"You notice. Every time a new business opens, it takes a piece out of the pie," Pierce said.
Customer flow, however, didn't stop entirely. There are still many loyal customers who go to Bossert's to get the items they need, as well as those who stopped by to see the store's furry companion, Gracie, who passed away in August. I remember the day my grandfather found Gracie. She was so tiny back then. My sister and I named her, and I miss her dearly. Going into the hardware store reminds me of Gracie fondly.
Dan hopes that when the time comes and he steps down from the store, someone will continue the legacy that he helped to build at the store, and it’s my family's wish, too. I hope the next owner will see what my grandfather saw in Bossert's all those years ago. I hope the next owner makes all the memories my family did, too.